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Useful information that you may not know about the island of Crete:
- The island was first mentioned as Kaptara. The name Crete appears in Homer's Odyssey.
- It is considered the oldest inhabited part of Europe.
- More than 50% of Crete is located above 500 meters in altitude.
- The Lasithi Plateau is the largest flat area of Crete (altitude 850 meters).
- Crete is 260 km long and 60 km wide. 12 km is the narrowest point.
- There are over 200 gorges.
- The Samaria Gorge is one of the largest in Europe.
- More than 5000 recorded caves.
- Gourgouthakas in the White Mountains is the deepest cave in Greece, 1208 m, 44th in the world.
- There are only 84 caves in the world deeper than 1000 meters.
- Most rivers have water only after a heavy rain.
- The coastline of Crete is 1046 km.
- The sea water is so clear that you can see up to 40 meters deep.
- In 365 BC a devastating earthquake raised the western part of Crete up to 9 meters.
- There are 34 islands around Crete (larger than 100 acres).
- The highest mountain is Psiloritis 2456 meters.
- Snow is common in the large mountains from November to May.
- Every 1,000 years, Crete grows 1 centimeter from the dust of the Sahara brought by the southern winds.
- In southern Crete, swallows remain all year round.
- The distance of Crete from Africa is almost the same as from Europe.
- There are over 1750 species of plants, 160 of which are endemic.
- There are over 30,000,000 olive trees.
Source: PhoenixAnalytica
Nearby Attractions
The nearest village is Skepasti which is a real traditional village where you certainly will not find tourists.
Panormo village and beach is 2 km away and there you can swim at the sandy beaches, eat at the traditional taverns or drink something at the few small bars.
Bali village and beaches is 5 km away. There you have a bigger choice of beaches, restaurants, bars etc. Rethymnon is 25 km away and Heraklion 50 km.
Panormo beach village
Panormo village is just 2 minutes drive away.
It's a lovely liitle village with perfect restaurants, taverns and cafes that you will love.
But best of all there are some sandy beaches that you can enjoy there.
There is also a scuba diving school you can try.
I am sure this village will not dissapoint you.
Bali beach village
Bali village is 5 minutes drive from our villa.
This is a bigger beach village with lots of cafes, restaurants, taverns, sandy beaches and watersports.
Our choice is the last beach (Karavostasi) or (Evita beach).
Perama
Perama is the closest town.
It's about 10km away.
There are supermarkets where locals do their shopping.
This is the right spot to buy your grocery.
Rethymno
Rethymno is the nearest big city.
This is the capital of the prefecture and it's 25km away.
It's a really beautiful city that you must not miss.
Here you can find everything.
Melidoni cave
Next to the small village named Melidoni is the Melidoni cave.
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