Economy
Unemployment is relatively low on Crete, with a large proportion of its labour force employed in the services sector, notably in occupations related to tourism. Tourism has replaced agriculture as the economic mainstay of the island and contributes a large proportion of the gross domestic product. Since the 1970s—when the number of tourists visiting the island increased dramatically—much of the traffic has come in the form of package tours for people who prefer to enjoy the sunshine and amenities of hotels along the coast rather than trekking in the mountains and staying in the smaller towns and villages. Cruise ships also provide a large proportion of tourists, while large numbers of summer residents and retirees from northern Europe also add to the population.
Only about one-third of Crete’s total area can be cultivated, and its farmers have traditionally worked small patches of land with little help from mechanization. The one exception is the Mesara Plain, which is relatively well watered and is one of the few areas that can be farmed efficiently using large machinery, but even there the grain crops are for domestic consumption only. Despite its inefficient agriculture, Crete is one of Greece’s leading regions for producing olives and olive oil, grapes, vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini), fruits (oranges), and carob beans (the flour made from which is used in a variety of foods). Most of that produce is exported. Grapes are used for both wines and raisins and as table grapes, and Crete’s olive trees provide more than one-third of the total national olive crop. In addition to vegetables and fruits, the island produces nuts, herbs, and honey, and for decades Cretans have prospered by using plastic hothouses to grow vegetables and flowers for the winter market in Europe. Stock breeding of sheep and goats is widespread, providing the island’s greatly esteemed yogurt as well as edible meat.
Because the Mediterranean has been overfished since the 1960s, fishing does not significantly contribute to the island’s economic prosperity, but it satisfies local needs.
Crete’s industry is largely confined to food-processing equipment (grape and olive presses), building materials (quarried stone and marble, processed lime, and building blocks), and a few ceramics, textiles, soap, leather, and beverage-bottling enterprises. Crete has to import all but the most basic items, including fuels.
Crete has a good road network. There are two international airports, one in Irákleio and the other in Chaniá, the cities where the island’s principal seaports are also located. A smaller airport in Siteía handles domestic flights. Smaller ports are in Réthymno and Áyios Nikólaos. Ferries operate between Crete and mainland Greece as well as other islands in the Aegean.
Government and society
For a more-detailed discussion of administration and social conditions in Crete, see Greece: Government and society.
The administrative region of Crete is divided into four regional units perifereiaké enótites (regional units)—Chaniá, Réthymno, Irákleio, and Lasíthi—each of which is administered by a prefect appointed by the central government. The regional units are divided into dímoi (municipalities) for local government purposes; each has its own mayor and council, elected by popular vote. Crete also sends deputies to the Greek parliament.
Primary and secondary schooling is mandatory and free for all children on the island. Students attend a lyceum, a university, or polytechnical school after completing high school (gymnasium). Many Cretans study in Athens or abroad in Europe; others attend the University of Crete in Irákleio or in Réthymno, the Technical University of Crete in Chaniá, or the Technological Education Institute. Virtually the entire population is literate.
Cultural life
A melting pot of cultures from Europe, Asia, and Africa, Crete is where the first European civilization—the Minoan—thrived. Minoan remains and sites are found at Knossos (Knosós or Cnossus), Phaestus (Phaestos), and numerous other locations throughout the island. The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion (Irákleio) contains a collection of most of the Minoan civilization’s major artifacts; other Minoan remains are housed in regional museums, whereas remnants of Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, and Turkish structures found virtually everywhere are reminders of other periods of Crete’s rich history.
Traditional folk culture survives to some degree in villages and small towns. Song forms such as rizitika and mandinades are accompanied by such traditional instruments as the lyre and lute, and dances include the pentozalis, which is traditionally performed by men; the chaniotikos (sirtos); and the faster, livelier maleviziotikos, sousta, and sitiakos. Pottery making, weaving and needle crafts of all kinds, wood carving, and leatherwork are still widely practiced.
Cretan cuisine has become internationally renowned for its healthfulness. It is based on the use of fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oil, freshly caught fish that is either grilled or baked, and such local cheeses as graviera and myzithra. Meals typically are accompanied by homemade wine and such desserts as patouda (a nut-filled tart) and yogurt made from sheep’s milk with honey.
Rural life remains based on the Cretan traditions of farming, stock breeding, fishing, and handicrafts, while urban life blends traditional culture with elements more characteristic of modern cities—boutiques, coffeehouses, cybercafes, cinemas, popular music clubs, and fast-food restaurants. Adult city dwellers frequently spend leisure time in cafés drinking coffee and playing card and board games and, in the evening, lingering over restaurant dinners or attending movies. Thus, a more cosmopolitan culture is increasingly replacing a traditional one, although many young urban dwellers do carry on the traditional music and dances when they return to their ancestral villages. City streets designed for donkeys now carry automobiles, and traffic and air pollution are growing problems. Multistoried urban apartments made of whitewashed concrete blocks contrast with the small houses in the rural villages. Water sports are popular among Cretans, as they are with tourists. Association football (soccer), basketball, and volleyball are also widely played.