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Crete....
Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti) is the largest of
the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the
Mediterranean Sea. It is
located at approximately 35° N 24° E.
Tourist attractions in Crete include archeological sites at Knossos, Phaistos, Gortys and many other places, the Venetian castle in Rethimno,
the Samaria Gorge and many other minor gorges (Agia Irini, Aradena, etc).
Crete was the location of the Minoan civilization (ca. 3000–1400 BC), one
of the first civilizations in Europe.
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Crete is one of the 13 regions of Greece. It is the
biggest island in Greece and the second biggest (after Cyprus) of the East
Mediterranean. It lies at the southern end of the
Aegean Sea and covers an
area of 8,336 kmē. Its population is around 800,000 people (as of 2000). The
island is 260 km long and varies in width from 60 km (measured from the Dion
cape to the Lithinon cape), to only 12 km at the Isthmus of Ierapetra in
eastern Crete. The coast is deeply indented, giving Crete
over 1,000 km of
shoreline. |
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Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations
in Greece. Fifteen percent of all arrivals in Greece, come through the
city of Iraklion (port and airport), while charter flights to Iraklion
were last year 20% of the total of charter flights in Greece.
In sum more than two million tourists visited Crete last year. This
increase in tourism is reflected on the number of hotel beds, which
increased in Crete by 53% from 1986 to 1991 while in the rest of
Greece the increase was 25%. Today the tourism infrastructure in Crete
caters to all tastes. |
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