Crete is the biggest island in Greece and the second biggest, after Cyprus, in the East Mediterranean. It lies at the crossroads of three continents Europe, Asia and Africa, covering an area of 8.336 sq.kms and 630.000 inhabitants. Crete is one of the 13 regions of Greece divided into four prefectures (Chania, Rethymnon, Heraclion and Lassithi) and 70 municipalities, each of which is consisted of various towns and villages. Cretan History starts at 6000 BC, but recent discoveries date human existence to Crete back to 135000 years.
The best known period is the Bronze Age (2600-1100 BC), the period of the Minoan Civilization. Crete is known for its fabulous natural beauty, diversity of landscape, 1040km-long coastline, mild climate and numerous cultural resources that constitute its principal tourist resources and economy along with agriculture.