Crete

/kreet/, n.

Also called Candia. a Greek island in the Mediterranean, SE of mainland Greece. 456,642; 3235 sq. mi. (8380 sq. km). Cap.: Canea.

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Greek Kríti ancient Creta

Island (pop., 2001: 601,159) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and an administrative region of Greece.

It stretches for 152 mi (245 km) and varies in width from 7.5 to 35 mi (12 to 56 km), with a total area of 3,218 sq mi (8,336 sq km). Dominated by mountains, it was home to the Minoan civilization from с 3000 BC and was known for its palaces at Knossos, Phaestus, and Mallia; it reached its peak in the 16th century BC. A major earthquake с 1450 BC marked the end of the Minoan era. In 67 BC Rome annexed Crete; in AD 395 it passed to Byzantium. In 1204 Crusaders sold the island to Venice, from which it was wrested by the Ottoman Turks in 1669 after one of history's longest sieges. Taken by Greece in 1898, it was autonomous until its union with Greece in 1913. Agriculture is the economic mainstay, and the island is one of Greece's leading producers of olives, olive oil, and grapes; tourism is also important. The museum at Iráklion houses a fine collection of Minoan art.

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▪ island, Greece

Introduction

Modern Greek  Kríti , Ancient Greek  Crete  or  Krete , Latin  Creta , Turkish  Kirid , Venetian  Candia 

      island in the eastern Mediterranean (Mediterranean Sea) that is one of 13 administrative regions of Greece. Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of the islands forming part of modern Greece. It is relatively long and narrow, stretching for 160 miles (260 km) on its east-west axis and varying in width from 7.5 to 37 miles (12 to 60 km). The administrative centre is Iráklion (Irákleion), on the northwest coast. Area 3,218 square miles (8,336 square km). Pop. (1991) 540,054.

The land

      Crete is dominated by harsh mountains rising out of the sea. The island's east-west mountainous range consists of four main groups that rise to the island's highest point, Mount Ídhi, 8,058 feet (2,456 metres) in elevation. To the west the Levká Óri (“White Mountains”) reach 8,045 feet (2,452 metres), and to the east the Dhíkti Óri extend to 7,047 feet (2,148 metres) in elevation. These mountains rise above the high upland plains of Nída, Omalós, and Lasíthi. The gradually sloping northern coast provides several natural harbours and coastal plains, where such major towns as Khánia (Khaniá) (Chaníon), Réthimnon (Réthymnon), and Iráklion are located. The Mesará (Mesarás) Plain extends along the south-central part of the island for about 18 miles (29 km) and is Crete's major expanse of flatlands. Sandy beaches dot the perimeter of the island along the coastline. Crete has six small rivers as well as springs and seasonal watercourses.

      Crete's climate varies between temperate and subtropical, with an annual average precipitation of about 25 inches (640 mm) and hot, dry summers. Winter temperatures are relatively mild. Mountain air is temperate and cool, and the mountains are often covered with snow in the winter (November to May). Precipitation is much higher in this region.

      The Cretan landscape is dominated by characteristic Mediterranean scrub ( maquis or garigue). Palm trees flourish on the east coast and in the north, with cedars in the east as well. An array of plant species and flowers thrive in the moderate climate, many of them native to the island. Birds are abundant, and there are some wild animals. The agrími, or wild goat, is found in remote mountainous areas and on offshore islands, where it finds protection in wildlife reserves. Endemic species of wild plants are especially plentiful in and around the gorge of Samariá, one of the national parks of Greece, located in the southern part of the island in Omalós about 26 miles (42 km) south of Khánia.

The people

      The population consists almost entirely of Cretans who speak Greek and belong to the Greek Orthodox Church and who are concentrated in the cities on the northern coast and in the Mesará Plain. English, German, and French are also spoken. One-quarter of the island's population lives in Iráklion. Since the 1970s, the population has been shifting from rural areas to the three main cities—Iráklion, Khánia, and Réthimnon—where nearly half of the island's population now resides. Cretans are known for their hospitality and vitality, and much emphasis is placed on bonds between family members.

The economy

      Unemployment is low on Crete, and a large proportion of its labour force is employed in the services sector, notably in occupations related to tourism. Tourism has replaced agriculture as the economic mainstay of the island and contributes a large proportion of the gross domestic product. Only about one-third of Crete's total area can be cultivated, and its farmers have traditionally worked small patches of land with little help from mechanization. The one exception is the Mesará Plain, which is relatively well watered and is one of the few areas that can be farmed efficiently using large machinery. Despite its inefficient agriculture, Crete is one of Greece's leading regions for producing olives and olive oil, grapes, vegetables (tomatoes and potatoes), fruits (oranges), and carob bean; most of this produce is exported. Grapes are the largest export commodity, and Crete's olive trees provide more than one-third of the total national olive crop. The island produces vegetables, fruits, nuts, and some barley and oats for domestic consumption, and since the 1970s Cretans have prospered by using plastic hothouses to grow vegetables and flowers for the winter market in Europe. Stock breeding of sheep and goats is widespread. Fishing does not significantly contribute to the island's economic prosperity but satisfies local needs.

      The island's industry is largely confined to food-processing equipment (grape and olive presses), building materials (quarried stone and marble, processed lime, and building blocks), and a few ceramics, textiles, soap, leather, and beverage-bottling enterprises. Crete has to import all but the most basic items, including fuels. Tourism is the major source of foreign income. Since the 1970s—when the number of tourists visiting the island increased dramatically—much of the traffic has come in the form of package tours for people who prefer to enjoy the sunshine and amenities of hotels along the coast rather than trekking in the mountains and staying in the smaller towns and villages.

      Crete has a good road network. There are two international airports, one in Iráklion and the other in Khánia, the towns in which the island's principal ports are also located. A smaller airport in Siteía handles domestic flights. Smaller ports are in Réthimnon and Áyios Nikólaos. Ferries operate between Crete and mainland Greece as well as other islands in the Aegean.

Administration and social conditions

      For a more detailed discussion of administration and social conditions in Crete, see Greece: Administration and social conditions (Greece).

      The administrative region of Crete is divided into four prefectures, or departments (nomoi)—Khánia, Réthimnon, Iráklion, and Lasíthi—each of which is administered by a nomarch, or prefect, appointed by the central government. The provinces are divided into municipalities and communes for local government purposes; each has its own mayor and communal council, elected by popular vote. Crete also sends deputies to the Greek parliament.

      Primary and secondary schooling is mandatory and free for all children on the island. Students attend a lyceum, a university, or polytechnical school after completing high school. Many Cretans study abroad in Europe; others attend the University of Crete in Iráklion or in Réthimnon, the Technical University of Crete in Khánia, or the Technological Education Institute. Virtually the entire population is literate.

Cultural life

      A melting pot of cultures from Europe, Asia, and Africa, Crete is where the first European civilization—the Minoan—thrived. Minoan remains and sites are found at Knossós (Knossos) (Knosós), Phaestus (Faistós), and other locations throughout the island. A collection of most of the civilization's major artifacts at the Archaeological Museum in Iráklion and remnants of Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, and Turkish structures found everywhere are reminders of other periods of Crete's rich history.

      Traditional folk culture is visible in every village and, to some extent, in small towns. Song forms such as rizitika and mandinades are accompanied by such traditional instruments as the lyre and lute, and dances include the pentozalis, which is traditionally performed by men, the chaniotikos (sirtos), and the faster, livelier maleviziotikos, sousta, and sitiakos. Pottery making, weaving and needlecrafts of all kinds, woodcarving, and leatherwork are still widely practiced. Cretan cuisine has become internationally renowned for its healthfulness. It is based on the use of fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oil, freshly caught fish that is either grilled or baked, and such local cheeses as graviera and myzithra. Meals typically are accompanied by homemade wine and such desserts as patouda (a nut-filled tart) and yogurt made from sheep's milk with honey.

      Rural life remains based on the Cretan traditions of farming, stock breeding, fishing, and handicrafts, while urban life blends traditional culture with elements more characteristic of modern cities: boutiques, markets, coffeehouses, cybercafés, cinemas, and restaurants. City dwellers frequently spend leisure time in cafés drinking coffee and playing card and board games and, in the evening, attending movies and dancing at clubs. Thus, a more cosmopolitan culture is increasingly replacing a traditional one, although many young urban dwellers do carry on the traditional music and dances when they return to their ancestral villages. City streets designed for donkeys now carry automobiles, and traffic and air pollution are growing problems. Multistoried urban apartments made of whitewashed concrete blocks contrast with the small houses in the rural villages. Water sports are popular among Cretans, as they are with tourists. Association football (soccer), basketball, and volleyball are also widely played.

History

      There is no evidence that humans arrived on Crete before 6500–6000 BC. By 3000 BC, however, the Minoan civilization—a Bronze Age culture named for the legendary ruler Minos—was emerging. In its first centuries this culture produced little more than circular vaulted tombs and some fine carved stone vases, but by about 2000 the Minoans had begun to build “palaces” on the sites of Knossós (Knossos), Phaestus, and Mallia (Mália). The Minoan civilization was centred at Knossós and reached its peak in the 16th century BC, trading widely in the eastern Mediterranean. The Minoans produced striking sculpture, frescoes, pottery, and metalwork. By about 1500 BC, Greek mainlanders from Mycenae had assumed an influential role in Minoan affairs. After Crete suffered a major earthquake that destroyed Knossós and other centres about 1450 BC, power in the region passed decisively to the Mycenaeans, with whom Crete was closely associated until the commencement of the Iron Age in 1200 BC. About this time the Dorians, another Greek-speaking people, moved in and organized the island.

      Crete played a supporting role in the revival of Greek civilization that began in the 9th century BC, and during Athens's heyday in the 5th century BC, Crete fascinated the Greeks as a source of myths, legends, and laws. By 67 BC the Romans appeared and completed their conquest of Crete by converting it into Cyrenaica, a province linked with North Africa. In AD 395 the island passed to Byzantium (the Eastern Roman Empire), and the Arabs gained control over parts of Crete after 824 but lost them back to the Byzantines in 961. In 1204, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, crusaders sold the island to Venice, which fitted Crete into its growing commercial empire. The native Cretans, however, never abandoned their Orthodox religion, Greek language, and popular lore. The Ottoman Turks (Ottoman Empire), who were already in control of parts of Crete, wrested the capital city of Candia (now Iráklion) from the Venetians in 1669 after one of the longest sieges in history. Crete stagnated under Turkish rule, and native uprisings were always foiled, including those in 1821 and 1866. The Turks were finally expelled by Greece in 1898, after which the island held autonomous status until its union with Greece in 1913.

      For a detailed discussion of modern Crete since 1913, see Greece: History (Greece, history of).

John S. Bowman

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