Apokoronas ( el, Αποκόρωνας) is a municipality and a former

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

(επαρχία) in the Chania regional unit, north-west

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 ...

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 with ...

. It is situated on the north coast of Crete, to the east of

Chania Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The muni ...

itself. The seat of the municipality is the village

Vryses Vryses () is a village in Crete, Greece, also is the capital in the municipality of Apokoronas. It has a population of 740 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. It is now a popular tourist destination that has maintained its Cretan character. ...

. The municipality has an area of .

Geography

Apokoronas extends from the foothills of the White Mountains north to the coast, in a wide plain with rolling hills. To the east, Cape Drapanon rises above the plain and extends out into the Sea of Crete. The area is very green and fertile, unusual for rocky Crete. The Kiliaris river, known in antiquity as 'Pyknos', runs through the region.

Robert Pashley Robert Pashley (4 September 1805 – 29 May 1859) was a 19th-century English traveller, lawyer and economist. Pashley was born in York and he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. Distinguished in mathematics and Classics, in 1830 he was elected ...

suggested that the name 'Apokoronas' came from the ancient city of Ippokoronas or Ippokoronion, also cited by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

. This city may have been located near modern

Nipos Nipos ( el, Νίπος) or Nippos ( el, Νίππος) is a village in Chania regional unit and is 33 km away from the city of Chania. It is part of the municipality of Apokoronas Apokoronas ( el, Αποκόρωνας) is a municipality and a ...

, or on the site of the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

fortress, Castel Apicorono, on an outcrop between

Kalyves Kalyves () is a large village in Crete, Greece, the main village in the municipal unit of Armenoi. It is now a popular tourist resort that has maintained its Cretan character. It is said that the Kalyves took their name from the makeshift accommo ...

and

Almyrida Almyrida ( el, Αλμυρίδα) is a seaside resort village located in the Apokoronas region of the northwest coast of the island of Crete, Greece. The village is approximately 20 kilometers from Chania, in the Chania regional unit. Traditiona ...

. The major towns of Apokoronas are

Vamos Vamos (Greek: Βάμος) is a small town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform "Kallikratis" it is a municipal unit, part of the municipality of Apokoronas, serving as its his ...

Armenoi Armenoi ( el, Αρμένοι, also transliterated as ''Armeni'') is a village and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a ...

and

, with police, municipal and utility offices as well as taverns and large churches; Kalyves, Almyrida and

Georgioupoli Georgioupoli ( el, Γεωργιούπολη) is a resort village and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. ...

are the largest beach resorts. Tourism and agriculture are the major local industries, with much construction and quarrying to satisfy the demands of many foreigners eager to buy or rent properties in what used to be beautiful and traditional villages.

Gavalohori Gavalochori ( el, Γαβαλοχώρι) is a village of the Chania regional unit on the northwest coast of the island of Crete, in Greece. It is located on Cape Drapan in the Vamos municipality of the Apokoronas region. It is named after the G ...

is among the more popular villages for foreign buyers, with a large amount of often low-quality building taking place. Many residents or workers in

also have homes in the area. Apokoronas was the location of much of the filming of the movie ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' ( el, Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek int ...

''.

Municipality

The municipality Apokoronas was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 6 former municipalities, that became municipal units: *

Asi Gonia Asi Gonia ( el, Ασή Γωνιά) is a mountainous village and a former community in the eastern part of the Chania regional unit in Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it i ...

Fres Fres ( el, Φρες) is a village and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an ...

Kryonerida Kryonerida ( el, Κρυονερίδα) is a former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has ...

Province

The province of Apokoronas ( el, Επαρχία Αποκορώνου) was one of the provinces of Chania Prefecture. It covered the same area as the current municipality. It was abolished in 2006.

References

{{Prefectures and provinces of Greece Populated places in Chania (regional unit) Municipalities of Crete Provinces of Greece