• Read here for general information and interesting points.
Crete (in Greek: Κρήτη, Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica & Cyprus). Crete lies at the centre of the eastern Mediterranean basin, where the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa meet, at a distance of a little more than 100km from the southern point of Peloponnese, about 180km from the shores of Asia Minor and less than 800km from Africa. Its northen coast is douse by the Cretan Sea(Kritiko pelagos), the southern side by the Libyan Sea(Liviko pelagos), the west by the Myrtoan Sea and on the eastern side by the Karpathian Sea. Its maximum length, straight, is about 260km from the western point to the eastern point, its width varies from 60km to only 12km. It covers an area of about 8.300 km² and has a coastline approximately 1.050km of, mostly, rocky coast, full of smaller or larger bays, creeks, peninsulas, capes, long & small sandy beaches, beautiful hidden beaches and little rocky islets. Around of the island there are also few bigger islets that is possible to visit.
Crete is a mountainous island, with three large ranges crossing from west to east: the White Mountains (Lefka ori or Madares 2.452m), Mountains Ida (Psiloritis 2.456m) and Dicte (Lasithi mountains 2.148m). Apart from these large mountain ranges there are many smaller ones extensions of these three like Talea Mountains over Bali.
There are some plateaus among the mountains. The most important are 3. The richest one is the Lasithi plateau at about 900m, the famous Omalos plateau at White Mountains, 700m and at Psiloritis the Nida plateau about 1.400m. There are a lot of caves on the island and some of them are famous and possible to visit.
Although there is much water and many (not big) springs on Crete there are not important lakes apart from the lake of Kournas. As the island is so narrow, there are not important rivers but there are few small and the most of them dry during the summer. The most important rivers are: Geropotampos (or Milopotamos) by which our area has got its name (it ends at the western side of Creta Panorama hotel. Some of you have been in this hotel already!) Anapodiaris river....
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