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Lasithi
Lasithi ( el, Λασίθι) is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra and Sitia. The mountains include the Dikti in the west and the Thrypti in the east. The Sea of Crete lies to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south. To the east of the village of Elounda lies the island of Spinalonga, formerly a Venetian fortress and a leper colony. On the foot of Mount Dikti lies the Lasithi Plateau, famous for its windmills. Vai is well known for its datepalm forest. Thanks to its beaches and its mild climate year-long, Lasithi attracts many tourists. Mass tourism is served by places like Vai, Agios Nikolaos and the island of Chrissi. More off-beat tourism can be found in villages on the south coast like Myrtos, Makrys Gialos or Makrigialos, Xerokambos and Koutsouras. Lasithi is home to a number of ancient remains. Vasiliki, Fournou Korifi, Pyrgos, Zakros and Gourn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lasithi Plateau
The Lasithi Plateau ( el, Οροπέδιο Λασιθίου, ''Oropedio Lasithiou''), sometimes spelt Lassithi Plateau, is a high endorheic plateau, located in the Lasithi regional unit in eastern Crete, Greece. Since the 1997 Kapodistrias reform, it is a municipality whose seat is Tzermiado and the second biggest village is Agios Georgios. The municipality has an area of 129,9 km2. Geography The Lasithi Plateau stretches in the E-W direction and in the N-S direction. It is approximately east from Heraklion and lies at an average altitude of . Winters can be harsh and snow on the plain and surrounding mountains can persist until mid-spring. The plateau is famous for its white-sailed windmills, (more accurately, wind-pumps), made to a local design, that have been used since the 1920s to irrigate the land. Despite there being around 10,000 in the past, most of them have been abandoned in recent times in favour of modern diesel and electric pumps. Because the water table is clos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ierapetra
Ierapetra ( el, Ιεράπετρα, lit=sacred stone; ancient name: ) is a Greek town and municipality located on the southeast coast of Crete. History The town of Ierapetra (in the local dialect: Γεράπετρο ''Gerapetro'') is located on the southeast coast of Crete, situated on the beach of Ierapetra Bay. This town lies south of Agios Nikolaos and southwest of Sitia, and is an important regional center. With 16,139 inhabitants (in 2011), Ierapetra is the most populous town in the regional unit of Lasithi and the fourth most populous town in Crete. Ierapetra is nicknamed "the bride of the Libyan Sea" because of its position as the only town on Crete's southern coast. Antiquity Ierapetra has retained a prominent place in the history of Crete since the Minoan period. The Greek and later Roman town of Hierapytna was located on the same site as present-day Ierapetra. In the Classical Age, Hierapytna became the most substantial Dorian city in eastern Crete and was in a con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about south of the Greek mainland, and about southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ( el, Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, links=no), which is the southernmost of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. , the region had a population of 636,504. The Dodecanese are located ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dikti
Dikti or Dicte ( el, Δίκτη) (also Lasithiotika Ori; el, Λασιθιώτικα Όρη "Lasithian Mountains"; anciently, Aigaion oros ( grc, Αἰγαῖον ὄρος) or la, Aegaeum mons) is a mountain range on the east of the island of Crete in the regional unit of Lasithi. On the west it extends to the regional unit of Heraklion. According to some versions of Greek mythology, Zeus was reared on this mountain in a cave called Dictaeon Antron (Psychro Cave). On the north of the main massif, the Lasithi Plateau is located. The topology of the mountain range is rich with plateaus (Lasithi, Katharo, Omalos Viannou, Limnakaro), valleys and secondary peaks. Some important peaks are Spathi 2148m (the highest point), Afentis Christos/Psari Madara 2141m, Lazaros 2085m, Madara 1783m, Skafidaras 1673m, Katharo Tsivi 1665m, Sarakino 1588m, Afentis 1571m, Selena 1559m, Varsami 1545m, Toumpa Moutsounas 1538m, Platia Korfi 1489m, Mahairas 1487m, Virgiomeno Oros 1414m, . The main massif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitia
Sitia ( el, Σητεία) is a port town and a municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece. The town has 9,912 inhabitants (2011) and the municipality has 18,318 (2011). It lies east of Agios Nikolaos and northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia port is on the Sea of Crete, part of the Aegean Sea and is one of the economic centers of the Lasithi region. European route E75, which ends in Vardø, starts in Sitia. Sitia is served by the Sitia Public Airport. Sitia has not experienced the effects of mass tourism even though there is a long beach along the road leading to Vai and several places of historical interest. Geography Municipality The municipality Sitia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities which became municipal units: *Itanos *Lefki, Lasithi *Sitia The municipality has an area of , the municipal unit . Province The province of Siteia ( el, Επαρχία Σητείας) was one of the provinces of Lasithi. Its territory co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vai (Crete)
Vai or more accurately Vaï ( el, Βάι), Greek for "palm," is a region of east Crete between Cape Sidero and Cape Plaka, just south of the site of ancient Itanus but north of the villages that surround and are part of Palaikastro. Vai does not belong to them nor is it part of any civic unit of the local civic division of Greece. It is not itself an official village. The region is somewhat isolated on the isolated northeast peninsula, connecting only to Eparchos odos moni Toplou, the only road between Palaikastro and Toplou Monastery. The entire distance is essentially trackless and deserted, as the name of one of the beaches at Itanus suggests, Eremoupolis, "deserted city". Vai is a protected area under the jurisdiction of the national government. It has been defined as different kinds of parkland by different governmental agencies. Vai Palm Forest, or more officially Vai Aesthetic Forest, contains several thousand palm trees in a valley perpendicular to the beach and running d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrypti
Thrypti ( el, Θρυπτή) is a mountain range in Lasithi in eastern Crete, Greece. It trends to the northeast from Ierapetra in the southwest in the direction of Sitia. However, it only goes half-way in that direction. The rest of the distance is completed by the distinct Ornon mountains, separated from the Thrypti by the Bebonas river valley, and the lower Western Siteia Foothills covering the space between the Ornon range and Sitia itself. The highest peak of Thrypti is ''Afentis'', which is 1,476 m amsl. The three ranges constitute the West Sitia Mountains. Geography The Thrypti mountains are virtually 100% under the municipality of Ierapetra in Lasithi regional unit. The NE border of Ierapetra is so irregular that some small pockets of Thrypti might inadvertently be in neighboring Siteia municipality. Certainly the Sitia Mountains include ranges from both municipalities. The Thripti mountains run diagonally SW from the southern coast at the city of Ierapetra (where th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elounda
Elounda ( el, Ελούντα, Elúnda), alternatively transliterated as Elounta or Elouda, is a small town on the northern coast of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos. Settlement structure Elounda is formed of seven villages and an uninhabited island area. The village of Schisma is by far the most populated one and is often understood as 'Elounda Centre'. The community of Elounda has a total of 2,193 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. The areas making up the community are (at least since the re-organisation of 2011-01-01) with Greek names and head count: * Agia Paraskevi – Ἁγία Παρασκευή – 23 * Epano Elounda – Ἐπάνω Ἐλοῦντα – 115 * Epano Pine – Ἐπάνω Πιναί – 35 * Kalydon – Καλυδών (uninhabited island area) * Kato Elounda – Κάτω Ἐλοῦντα – 86 * Kato Pine – Κάτω Πιναί – 62 * Mavrikianon – Μαυρικιανόν – 142 * Schisma – Σχίσ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spinalonga
Spinalonga ( el, Σπιναλόγκα) is an island located in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete, in Lasithi, next to the town of Plaka. The island is further assigned to the area of Kalydon. It is near the Spinalonga peninsula ("large Spinalonga") – which often causes confusion as the same name is used for both. During Venetian rule, salt was harvested from salt pans around the island. The island has also been used as a leper colony. Spinalonga has appeared in novels, television series, and a short film. Origin of the name According to Venetian documents, the name of the island originated in the Greek expression στην Ελούντα ''stin Elounda'' (meaning "to Elounda"). The Venetians could not understand the expression, so they familiarized it using their own language, and called it ''spina'' "thorn" ''longa'' "long", an expression that was also maintained by the locals. The Venetians were inspired for this expression by the name of an island near Venice c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Regional Units Of Greece
The 74 regional units of Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ... ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into municipalities. They were introduced as part of the Kallikratis administrative reform on 1 January 2011 and are comparable in area and, in the mainland, coterminous with the 'pre-Kallikratis' prefectures of Greece. List References {{Articles on second-level administrative divisions of European countries Regional units Greece transport-related lists Subdivisions of Greece ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vehicle Registration Plates Of Greece
Greek vehicle registration plates are composed of three letters and four digits per plate (e.g. ΑΑΑ–1000) printed in black on a white background. The letters represent the district ( prefecture) that issues the plates while the numbers range from 1000 to 9999. As of 2004 a blue strip was added on the left showing the country code of Greece (GR) in white text and the Flag of Europe in yellow. Similar plates but of square size with numbers ranging from 1 to 999 are issued for motorcycles which exceed 50 cc in engine size. With the exception of Athens and Thessaloniki which are represented by just the first letter of the three, all other districts are represented by the first 2 letters. The final one or two letters in the sequence changes in Greek alphabetical order after 8,999 issued plates. For example, Patras plates are ΑΧΑ–1000, where ΑΧ represents the Achaia prefecture of which Patras is the capital. When ΑΧΑ–9999 is reached the plates turn to ΑΧΒ–1000 a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrtos
Myrtos is a coastal village in the west of the municipality of Ierapetra, in the Regional Unit (previously called prefecture) of Lasithi on the Greek island of Crete. It is located from Agios Nikolaos and from Ierapetra, on the road to Viannos. A little to the west of the village is the iconic conical Kolektos mountain. Myrtos is situated on the Libyan Sea. The patron saint of the village is Saint Anthony. The population of the village in 2010 was approximately 600 people. The transliteral spelling of this village is often written as Mirtos. Myrtos has a rich history but has only prospered with the advent of tourism. The village has many tavernas and diverse shops for both residents and visitors. More recently there is now a pharmacy and an ATM. There are numerous churches, hotels, apartments and studios. There is a regular bus service between Ierapetra and Myrtos. History The area surrounding Myrtos was already inhabited during the Minoan period, but the current vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
