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Chrysi or Chrisi ( el, Χρυσή, Chrysí, lit=golden; also known as Gaidouronisi, el, Γαϊδουρονήσι, Gaïdouronísi, lit=donkey island) is an uninhabited Greek island approximately south of
It is possible to visit Chrissi by sea from Ierapetra and from Myrtos. There is a
Minoan Purple Dye Workshops Excavated on Greek Island
/ref>
*
Chrissi Island
(English, Italian, Greek and auto translation options)
Ierapetra Community, Island Chrysi
(Greek)
(English) {{Authority control Landforms of Lasithi Uninhabited islands of Crete Mediterranean islands Forests of Greece National parks of Greece Tourist attractions in Crete Islands of Greece
Chrysi or Chrisi ( el, Χρυσή, Chrysí, lit=golden; also known as Gaidouronisi, el, Γαϊδουρονήσι, Gaïdouronísi, lit=donkey island) is an uninhabited Greek island approximately south of 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, ...
close to 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 ...
in the Libyan Sea
The Libyan Sea ( Greek , Latin ''Libycum Mare'', Arabic البحر الليبي) is the portion of the Mediterranean Sea north of the African coast of ancient ''Libya'', i.e. Cyrenaica, and Marmarica
(the coast of what is now eastern Libya ...
. Approximately east of the island is the island of Mikronisi. Administratively these islands fall within the 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 ...
municipality in 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 Th ...
.
It contains a small harbour and church, the Church of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Dem ...
, on its northwestern coast.
Tourism
It is possible to visit Chrissi by sea from Ierapetra and from Myrtos. There is a nudist
Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...
beach on the north coast of the island. The highest point on the island is called Kefala ("Head") and it is above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
Th ...
. On the western part of the island is the chapel of Saint Nicholas (estimated to date to the 13th century). There are also a salt pan, an old port, some Minoan ruins, a lighthouse and a Roman cemetery. Owing to the shallow waters around Chrissi, snorkelling and diving are popular pastimes. The Belegrina, Hatzivolakas, and Kataprosopo bays have a wide diversity of shells.
It is possible to reach the island from Ierapetra between middle of May and late October. During the summer months, excursion boats from Ierapetra leave the quay every morning and return in the afternoon.
Environmental protection
Chrissi is protected as an "area of intense natural beauty". The island has the largest naturally formed ''Juniperus macrocarpa
''Juniperus macrocarpa'' (large-fruited juniper, syn. ''J. oxycedrus'' subsp. ''macrocarpa'' (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball) is a species of juniper, native across the northern Mediterranean region from southwestern Spain east to western Turkey and Cyprus, ...
'' forest in Europe. There is no fresh drinking water on the island. The majority of trees have an average age of 200 years and average height of up to , some of the trees are up to 300 years old and tall. The density is approximately 28 trees per hectare (69.16/acre).
Archaeology
Archaeologists excavated a Minoan settlement dating to between 1800 and 1500 B.C. At the settlement they also found purple dye workshops and many artifacts./ref>
See also
*List of islands of Greece
Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227.
The largest Greek island by ...
References
External links
Chrissi Island
(English, Italian, Greek and auto translation options)
Ierapetra Community, Island Chrysi
(Greek)
(English) {{Authority control Landforms of Lasithi Uninhabited islands of Crete Mediterranean islands Forests of Greece National parks of Greece Tourist attractions in Crete Islands of Greece