MGRN+climate+and+geographic+factors

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- According to Homer, Crete had 90 cities, of which Knossos was the most important one - Crete is a mountainous island in the Mediterranean with natural harbors. During the ancient period - The island was wrecked by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and winter storms. - - The island of Crete is located in the center of the eastern Mediterranean at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe. - It measures about 200 Km from east to west, and between 12 to 58 Km from north to south at its narrowest and widest distances, making it one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean sea. - Crete's largest modern town is Heraklion (35° 20' latitude, 25° 08' longitude) - Its landscape differes between tall, rugged mountains, gentle slopes, and plateaus - All of these are connected by the Aegean to the North, and the Lybian Sea to the south. - The climate of Crete has short, mild winters and dry, warm summers - Along with the fertility of the Cretan plains, Crete produces sufficient food supplies to support a local population, and helps with exports - The inhabitants of ancient Minoan Crete produced a culture reliant on the abundance of the land's natural resources, and on immense importing - Today the island seems completely deforested - In ancient times timber was one of the natural resources that was commercially exploited and exported to countries like Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, the Aegean Islands and the Greek mainland - - Crete is extremely mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from West to East, formed by three different groups of mountains - These are: * the White Mountains or Lefka Ori (2,452 m);

- * the Idi range (2,456 m); - * the Dikti mountains (2,148 m); - * Kedros (1,777 m); - * Thripti (1,489 m) - These mountains gifted Crete with plateaux, such as Lasithi, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Diktaion and Idaion; and gorges, such as the famous Gorge of Samaria. - There are a number of rivers on Crete, including the Ieropotamos River on the southern part of the island.

Hammond, N. G. L. "Crete." //Encyclopedia Americana//. 2009. Grolier Online. 29 Apr. 2009 <[]>. //** Minoan Crete **// 24 April 2009 [] Castleden Rodney "Minoans: Life in Bronze Age Crete" //Routledge// 1993. 24 April 2009 []

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