At a glance
Size: Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica – approximately 8,300 km² in size, 260 km long and between 18 and 60 km wide.

Highest peaks: The highest peak is Timios Stavros in the Ida Mountains (central Crete) at 2,456 m, followed by Pachnes in the Lefka Ori (western Crete), which is 4 m lower.

Plains: The largest plain is the Messara Plain in southern central Crete, covering 140 km². Other large plains are located around Chania and Rethymno.

Population
Transport: Crete has two large ports, namely Heraklion and Souda Bay (near Chania), as well as other ports in Kastelli, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos and Sitia. There are three civil airports – Heraklion, Sternes (on the Akrotiri peninsula near Chania) and Sitia. International flights only fly to Heraklion and Chania.

Economy: Only slightly more than 30% of the land area is suitable for agriculture, with grapes and olives being the most important export goods. Industry exists on a small scale only around Heraklion. Tourism is of immense importance and already dominates the economy in large parts of the island. The district of Heraklion accounts for 53% of all guest beds in Crete, Lassithi for 24%, Rethymno for 12% and the district of Chania for 11%.

Administration: The island is divided into four administrative districts, known as nomi: Chania (capital Chania), Rethymno (capital Rethymno), Iraklion (capital Iraklion) and Lassithi (capital Agios Nikolaos).

University: The University of Crete comprises six faculties in Rethymno (languages, philosophy, sociology, psychology, education and economics – approx. 3,000 students) and four in Iraklion (physics, mathematics, chemistry, medicine – approx. 5,000 students). The Polytechnic University is located in Chania.