The wonderful island of Crete, perhaps the most interesting and pleasant part of Greece! It leaves no one indifferent, and it is not surprising – there are not many places in the world that are equally beautiful in all respects. Crete is fraught with an ancient history, once bloody battles were fought on its shores, cities were erected and crumbled into dust, from which now only names and old ruins remain… Yes, everyone will find something to do here – someone is attracted by the sea, someone is gorgeous nature, and someone wants to come here to touch the history of the ancient world.
Facts about Crete
- It is the largest of all the Greek islands.
- The criminogenic situation in Crete is extremely calm – crimes are extremely rare here.
- Nowadays, where in Crete you can see growing bananas, but few people know that for the first time they began to grow them on this island only at the beginning of the 20th century (interesting facts about bananas).
- The entire population of Crete speaks Greek, but many also speak English.
- Crete has several beaches with pink sand, such as Elafonisi.
- It was on Crete, according to ancient Greek legend, that the labyrinth of the Minotaur was located.
- From 1898 to 1913, there was an autonomy called the Cretan state.
- It was Crete that was the center of the oldest Minoan civilization in Europe, the heyday of which fell on the period from 2600 to 1400 BC.
- According to statistics, there are more guns per person in Crete than in any EU country. More than 620,000 inhabitants of the island have pistols, shotguns and rifles in their homes. Nevertheless, Crete is still one of the safest places in the world.
- Tourists sometimes confuse Crete with Cyprus, which is also inhabited mainly by Greeks, but which is a separate state (interesting facts about Cyprus).
- It snows high in the mountains of Crete, and in winter the thickness of the snow cover there can reach 5 meters.
- More than 30 peaks of the Cretan mountains have a height of 2 km or more.
- Excavations at the Palace of Knossos, which is located near Heraklion, showed that the first settlements on Crete date back to the 7th millennium BC.
- Hippocrates once said that the air in Crete works wonders and heals the sick.
- The sea near the coast of Crete in calm weather is so transparent that in some places you can see the seabed at a depth of 40 meters.
- According to legend, out of respect for Zeus and the place where he was born, Hercules destroyed all the dangerous animals that were found in Crete (interesting facts about wild animals).
- There were cases when tourists in Crete were frightened by snakes, but you should not be afraid – there are no poisonous ones on this island.
- The inhabitants of Crete successfully developed winemaking then when Europeans still walked with stone axes and dressed in animal skins.
- Gavdos, a small island off the southern coast of Crete, is the southernmost point in Europe.
- There are practically no thunderstorms in Crete. The rarity of this natural phenomenon here is due to the unique geographical location of the island.
- Sometimes on the streets of local cities you can, while walking, come across some ancient ruins, sandwiched between a couple of modern houses and carefully fenced.
- Among all the regions of Greece, Crete is one of the most profitable. Farming and tourism bring especially a lot of money to the treasury.
- Officially, the island of Crete became part of Greece only in 1913.
- The most popular transport in Crete is the scooter. Moreover, very expensive Italian models from «Vespa» are especially popular.
- Despite the relatively small size of the island, there are as many as 3 airports here.
- A traditional dish for Crete «Stifado Salingariko» prepared from stewed snails.
- Scientists believe that the mild climate of Crete is unique because it is influenced by both the Mediterranean Sea and the hot winds of Africa (interesting facts about the Mediterranean Sea).
- Samaria is located on Crete, the longest gorge in all of Europe – as much as 16 kilometers. At its widest point, its width reaches 300 meters.
- Among all the Mediterranean islands, Crete is the fifth largest.
- The highest point of Crete is the Timios Stavros peak, rising to 2456 meters.
- The sun shines on this island paradise for about 300 days a year. Cloudy days are rare here.
- Only two freshwater lakes are located on Crete, but there are no large rivers here at all.
- In total, a little more than 5% of the total population of Greece lives on the island.