Crete (Greece)

I

Introduction

Crete (Greece) or Kríti, island, Greece, southeast of the mainland, fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea, constituting a region of the country. The island is oblong in shape, extending 260 km (160 mi) from east to west; its breadth ranges from 10 to 56 km (6 to 35 mi). The area is 8,260 sq km (3,190 sq mi).

II

The Land

Crete has a mostly mountainous terrain with extreme elevations in the western portion in which are located the Lévka Óri range, of which some peaks exceed 2,300 m (7,500 ft) in height. Elevations are generally lower in the east, where only a few peaks exceed 1,500 m (5,000 ft). Notable among the physiographic features of the island are a series of flat upland basins and the large number of caves. The northern coast of Crete has a number of good harbors, notably Suda Bay (Kólpos Soúdhas). The southern coast, consisting largely of precipitous escarpments, is inaccessible to shipping. The island is relatively well watered by numerous natural springs and several rivers.

III

Economy and Population

Agriculture has long been the foundation of Crete’s economy. Modern methods are employed in the cultivation of olives, the leading crop. Other important crops include oranges, lemons, grapes, and grain. Sheep and goats are raised as well. The population of Crete is over 600,000. Iráklion is Crete’s capital and largest city. Khaniá, the former capital, is the second largest city.

IV

History

Modern archaeological discoveries reveal that from about 3000 to 1200 bc Crete was the center of a flourishing Bronze Age civilization, classified as the Aegean, which was preceded by a Neolithic stage of development dating from about 6000 bc. The Cretan cultural achievements of the Aegean period, sometimes called the Minoan (see Minoan Culture), rivaled those of contemporary Egypt and Mesopotamia.

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One of the earliest historical references to Crete occurs in the Odyssey by Homer. The population of the island, according to this source, was unusually diverse, consisting of Achaeans, Dorians, Pelasgians, Cydonians, and Eteocretans, the pre-Hellenic natives. The island had 90 independent cities, the greatest of which was Knossos (Knosós), capital of the realm of the legendary Cretan king Minos. Few traces of the Aegean civilization of Crete remained at the beginning of the classical period of history. The Cretans, then predominantly of Dorian stock, figured only slightly in the affairs of ancient Greece. In 67 bc the island was conquered by the Romans. In ad 395 it passed to the Byzantine Empire. The island fell to the Arabs in 826 and remained under their rule until 961, when it was reconquered by Nicephorus Phocas, later Byzantine emperor. Following the Fourth Crusade Crete was sold (1204) to the Venetians.

In 1645 the Ottoman Empire began military operations in Crete against the Venetians, securing control of the island in 1669. Cretan revolts against Ottoman rule subsequently occurred, notably during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829), but the Ottomans maintained control of the island until 1830. In that year, by agreement of the European powers, Crete was ceded to Egypt, which in 1840 returned control of the island to the Ottoman Empire. Thereafter, friction between the Orthodox Christian and Muslim sections of Crete’s population resulted in successive rebellions by the Christians, culminating in a full-scale revolt in 1896. The following year Greek forces intervened in behalf of the revolutionists. The ensuing war between Greece and the Ottoman Empire was terminated (1898) by Britain, France, and Russia. These European powers then administered the island through an international commission headed by Prince George of Greece. Although popular unrest forced George’s resignation in 1906, and despite insistent Cretan demands for annexation to Greece, Crete remained an Ottoman possession under international control until 1912. A Cretan uprising in March 1912 resulted in the establishment of an independent provisional government, the delegates of which were formally installed in the Greek parliament the following October. By the terms of the Treaty of London (1913), which ended the First Balkan War between Greece (supported by Balkan allies) and the Ottoman Empire, the Ottomans formally ceded Crete to Greece.

After conquering the Greek mainland in 1941, during World War II, the Germans launched an airborne invasion of Crete, rapidly occupying the entire island. British forces liberated it in 1945.

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