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There are 5 provinces and 25 administrative regions
(municipalities) in the prefecture of Chania (also written as Hania
or Xania). The provinces are Kydonia, Kissamos and Apokoronas in
the North and Selino and Sfakia in the South.
The North
Kydonia Province
includes the city of Chania, the peninsula of Akrotiri to the east and stretches
westwards almost to Kolymbari. It extends to the south all the way to the
White Mountains.
The coastal part of Kydonia is the main touristic area of West Crete. Along
a very long beach, there is an almost uninterrupted line of hotels and apartments,
one locality merging into the next one.
Moving inland, you will pass through very green lowlands. The main crop here
is oranges and other citrus fruit. Further to the south, you start climbing
into the hills, the vegetation changes to olive groves. Eventually you arrive
into mountainous areas.
Chania, the capital city of West Crete has a population of over
50.000. The centre of Chania is the old town, well worth a visit
with its wealth of ancient buildings and houses. The modern part
of the city is expanding quite fast and Chania is developing a traffic
congestion problem - it simply wasn't built for the present amount
of cars - which can make driving around and parking (mind parking
tickets, they are expensive!) a frustrating experience.
Chania has a beach in town (towards the western end of town) and a couple of
beaches a little further to the west (within walking distance - it is best
to follow the coast and not the road)
The peninsula of Akrotiri is situated
immediately east of Chania. It has its charms and its horrors.
Amongst the charms of Akrotiri are the wild range of hills which run along
the northern edge of it, its monasteries (especially Katholiko), several pretty
beaches (see under beaches)
- which are unfortunately a little overrun by the inhabitants of Chania at
the weekend - and lots of flowers in the spring. There are not many tourist
developments in the area.
On the ugly side, Akrotiri is home to a number of NATO bases and an open air
dump.
Kissamos
Further to the West the region of Kissamos (with Kastelli as its main town)
includes the two peninsulas of Rodopou and Gramvoussa - barren and almost
deserted - the beautiful bay of Kastelli situated between the two peninsulas,
the rocky West coast and the hilly and fertile hinterland to the South where
the olive tree rules. Tourism is not very developed at all here.
Apokoronas
East of Chania, after you pass Souda (the harbour of Chania) and extending
almost all the way to Georgioupolis is the region of Apokoronas. It is one
of the greenest regions of Crete (mainly olive trees) between the sea and
the northern slopes of the White Mountains. There are a few pretty beaches which
are not too overrun and a few (smallish) tourist developments (Kalives, Almirida
and Georgioupolis). Going inland you can visit a lot of pretty villages where
life is still quite traditional.
The South
The south-west of Crete is very different from the
north coast: the mountains fall steeply into the Libyan sea, preventing
roads from being built along the coast. The nature is wilder, the
villages are small and further apart than in the north. The climate
is different too as the mountains form a natural barrier which stops
much of the winter and spring rains, so that the vegetation is drier
and the temperatures a little higher. The Libyan sea is generally
crystal clear.
Selino
The region of Selino stretches from the south-west on Crete to the just beyond
Sougia on the south coast. To the north it extends to the hills beyond Agia
Irini, Kandanos and Elos. This large district of fertile hilly land has a
great many olive trees as well as chestnut trees (in the region of Elos)
and grapes. It is best known for the villages of Paleochora and Sougia, both
well-liked by holiday makers.
Sfakia
The largest of all the regions by far, it is also the most unspoilt and it
retains the strongest traditions. On the south coast it borders Selino to
the west and stretches all the way past Hora Sfakion to a little beyond Frangokastello.
Its northern border runs through the middle of the White Mountains. Being
mainly mountainous it does not have many large areas of cultivated land,
apart from the plateaux of Anopolis and Askifou. It is cut by several deep
gorges which run from the mountains to the Libyan sea, the most famous being
of course the gorge
of Samaria.
The White Mountains
The White Mountains or Lefka Ori are located in the centre part of
the prefecture of Chania. It is the largest mountain range in Crete
with more than 30 summits with a height over 2000m. The highest
summit, Pachnes is only 3 meters lower than Psiloritis (central
Crete) at 2453m.
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