Jeju Province, officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province,[2] is one of the nine provinces of South Korea. The province is situated on and conterminous with the nation's largest island of Jeju (Korean:제주도;RR:Jejudo; Korean pronunciation:[tɕe.dʑu.do]), formerly transliterated as Cheju, Cheju Do, etc. It was previously known as Quelpart to Europeans and during the Japanese occupation as Saishū. The island lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of South Jeolla Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is Jeju City.
Jeju has an independent visa policy that varies from that of the South Korean mainland. So all ordinary passport holders excluding those from Afghanistan, Cuba, Ghana, Iraq, Kosovo, Libya, Republic of Macedonia, Nigeria, Palestine, North Korea, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can stay visa-free 30 days in Jeju, even if they normally require a visa for the South Korean mainland.[3]
Domestic flights from the mainland do not require identification; however, passengers who try to enter the mainland from Jeju must bring ID Card such as National ID Card, Jeju Resident Card  , South Korean Drivers Licence issued by National Police Agency or Jeju Municipal Police Agency or passport with proper visa or visa-free passport or passport with valid United States visa.
History

Early history
According to legend, three demi-gods emerged from Samsung, which is said to have been on the northern slopes of Mt. Halla and became the progenitors of the Jeju people who founded the Kingdom of Tamna.
It has also been claimed that three brothers—including Ko-hu—who were the 15th descendants of Koulla, one of the Progenitors of the Jeju people, were received by the court of Silla, at which time the name Tamna was officially recognized, while the official government posts of Commander, Prince and Governor were conferred by the court upon the three. However, there is no concrete evidence of when the "Three Names" (Samseong-Ko, Yang and Pu) appeared nor for the exact date of when Ko-hu and his brothers were received by Silla. It may be supposed that the "Three Names" Founding Period occurred during the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) Period on the mainland of Korea.
Taejo, founder of Goryeo, attempted to establish the same relationship between Goryeo and Tamna as Tamna had had with Silla. Tamna refused to accept this position and the Goryeo court dispatched troops to force Tamna to submit. Ko ja-gyeon, chief of Tamna, submitted to Goryeo in 938 and sent his son, Prince Mallo, to Goryeo's court as a de facto hostage. In 1105 (King Sukjong's 10th year), the Goryeo court abolished the name Takna, which had been used up to this time and, from that year on, the island was known as "Tamna-gun" (district) and Goryeo officials were sent to handle the affairs of the island.
Tamna-country was changed to Tamna-county in 1153 during the reign of King Uijong and Choi Cheok-kyeong was posted as Tamna-Myeong or Chief of Tamna. During the reign of Gojong of Goryeo, Tamna was renamed "Jeju," which means "province across the sea".[4]:93
In 1271, General Kim Tong-jeong escaped with what remained of his Sambyeolcho force from Jindo and built the Hangpadu Fortress at Kwiil-chon from where they continued their fight against the combined Korean government-Mongolian army but within two years, faced by an enemy army of over 10,000 troops, the Sambyeolcho was annihilated.
During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Jeju islanders were treated as foreigners and Jeju was considered as a place for horse breeding and exile for political prisoners.[4]:95 In the 17th Century, Injo of Joseon issued an edict prohibiting islanders from travelling to the Korean mainland.[4]:95 Consequently, Jeju islanders staged several major uprisings, including the Kang Je Geom Rebellion (1862), Bang Seong Chil Rebellion (1898), and the Lee Jae Su Rebellion (1901).[4]:95
Modern history
Japanese occupation
In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, including Jeju, inaugurating a period of hardship and deprivation for the islanders, many of whom were compelled to travel to the mainland or Japan for work.[4]:99 Residents of Jeju were active in the Korean independence movement during the period of Japanese rule.[4]:100 On Jeju, the peak of resistance came in 1931–32 when haenyeo ("sea women") from six eastern villages launched a protest against the Japanese-controlled Divers Association.[4]:101 Before it was brutally crushed, the protests spread and eventually 17,000 people participated, with over 100 arrested in Korea's largest protest movement ever led by women and fisheries workers.[4]:101
Jeju Uprising, 1948

On April 3, 1948, against a background of an ongoing ideological struggle for control of Korea and a variety of grievances held by islanders against the local authorities, the many communist sympathizers on the island attacked police stations and government offices. The brutal and often indiscriminate suppression of the leftist rebellion resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of both villagers and communist radicals and the imprisonment of thousands more in internment camps.[5]
While claims have been made that the U.S. government oversaw and supported "anti-communist" activities administratively if not openly in the field, validation remains to be made. It is a fact the US was heavily involved in counter-insurgence operations across Korea at this time leading up to the Korean War and UN involvement.[6] Similarly, the Northwest Youth League, a Korean government sponsored watchdog group made up of refugees who had fled North Korea, actively repressed any and all "communist sympathizers" with a campaign of shooting on sight anyone entering or leaving the president's "enemy zone" and using open, armed violence and what would be labeled today as terrorist activities. This led to the deaths of hundreds of islanders, with many other islanders being raped and tortured. Intolerance by mainland Korean officials of islanders in general at the time, government- and organization-sponsored isolation of the island and a rumored cover-up of evidence linking the rebellion's suppressors with foreign powers and people who have gone unprosecuted is believed to be the primary cause of public ignorance, hedging on denial, over the April 3, 1948 genocide on Cheju-do.[7] A documentary by the BBC and PBS, Korea: The Unknown War and many activities and publications, including Sun-i Samch'on by Hyun Ki Young, by organizations and persons from within Cheju-do and around the world continue to attempt shedding the light on this event. The Uprising has become a symbol of Jeju's Independence from Korean Peninsula.[8]
The provincial administrative building was burned to the ground in September 1948 and a new building was completed in 1-do, 2-dong in December, 1952.
Becoming The World Heritage
Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes unanimously at the 31st World Heritage Committee June 27, 2007, was inscribed on the World Natural Heritage.
Administrative divisions
Historical
In 1273, the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty established a military governor on the island, and for nearly a hundred years the island was effectively under the complete control of these governors.
During the Joseon Dynasty, all of the administrative rights and systems of Jeju island, which had maintained some independence until this time, were absorbed into the centralized form of government established by Joseon.
In 1402, the titles of Commander and Prince were abolished. In 1416, the island was divided into three major administrative districts: The area lying generally north of Mt. Halla was headed by a 'Moksa' or county magistrate, while the eastern area of Jeongui-county (today's Seongeup Folk village) and the south western area of Daejeong-county (today's Moseulpo, Daejeong-eup and Mt. Sanbang) were each headed by a Hyeon-gam (also county magistrate).
In August 1864, both Jeongui and Daejeong hyeons were removed from the control of the 'moksa' north of the mountain in today's Jeju-si area and were renamed 'Gun" (county) and came under the direct control of the Gwanchalsa (governor) of Jeolla province. Because of strife between these 'Guns' and the Jeju 'moksa', the system was abolished in January, 1880 and the two 'Guns' reverted again to 'hyeon'.
In 1895, Jeju-mok was redesignated as Jeju-Bu with a governor (Gwanchalsa) and Vice-governor (Chamsagwan) and a police agency was newly established, while in both Jeongui and Daejeong the offices of 'Gunsu' (county chief) were re-established. The very next year, the office of 'Gunsu' was abolished and the old system was restored.
Then in 1906, abolishing the Moksa system altogether, the Gunsu or County chief system was adopted. In 1910, Jeongui and Daejeong were included in Jeju gun while Chuja-myeon was placed under the jurisdiction of Wando-gun, part of South Jeolla province.
Modern
Japan annexed Korea in 1910. In 1915 the gun or county system that had been adopted in 1906 was abolished and Jeju island was designated as part of the 'island' system and called Jeju myeon under South Jeolla province. In 1931, Jeju-myeon was raised to the status of Jeju-eup or 'township,' which gave the island one township (today's Jeju-si area) and 12 'myeon'.
On September 1, 1955, Jeju Township was elevated to city status with 40 administrative wards, which, on January 1, 1962, were reduced to 14 wards. On July 8, 1956, Seogwi, Daejeong and Hallim-myeons were raised to the status of townships while the southwestern portion of Hallim Township was separated and newly designated as the Hankyeong district (myeon), which gave the province one city, two counties, three townships and 10 myeon or districts with 14 wards in Jeju City. May 23, 1979 saw the restructuring of the Jeju-si wards and the addition of three more, giving 17 wards.
In March, 1980, the construction of a new provincial office was started in Yeon-dong of Jeju-si and in December of that year the four myeon of Aewol, Gujwa, Namwon and Seongsan were elevated to the status of townships giving the administrative area one city, two counties, seven townships, six districts and, within Jeju-si, 17 wards.
In 1981, the development of the Jungmun Tourist Complex brought about the unification of Seogwi township and Jungmun-myeon (district) into one as Seogwipo-si consisting of 12 wards (dong) giving the province two cities, two counties, six townships, five districts and 29 wards.
On October 1, 1983, Jeju-si's Samdo ward was divided into two wards to give a total of 30 wards in the province.
Yongdam ward in Jeju-si was restructured into Yongdam ward one and Yongdam ward two on October 1, 1985. On April 1, 1986 Jocheon myeon (district) was elevated to the status of Township and Yeonpyeong-ri Gujwa township was raised to the status of Udo district (myeon). The provincial area now administered 2 cities, 2 counties, 7 townships, 5 districts and 31 wards, the status of the province as of 3 December 1996.
Current
Until 2005, Jeju Province was divided into two cities (si), Jeju and Seogwipo, and two counties (gun), Bukjeju (North Jeju) and Namjeju (South Jeju) respectively. The two cities were further divided into thirty-one neighbourhoods (dong), while the two counties were divided into seven towns (eup) and five districts (myeon). The seven towns and five districts were in turn divided into 551 villages (ri).
In 2005, Jeju residents approved, by referendum, a proposal to merge Bukjeju County into Jeju City, and Namjeju County into Seogwipo City. Effective 1 July 2006, the province was also renamed Jeju Special Self-Governing Province with two nominal subdivisions, Jeju City and Seogwipo City. In addition to the changes in name, the province was given extensive administrative powers that had previously been reserved for the central government. This is part of plans to turn Jeju into a "Free International City".[9]
Jeju, on 1 July 2006, was made into the first and only Self-Governing Province of South Korea
Naming
In Korean, do is the phonetic transcription of two distinct hanja (Chinese characters) meaning "island" (島) and "province" (道). However, Jejudo generally refers to the island, while Jeju-do refers to the government administrative unit. The table below also includes the name of Jeju City, the provincial capital.

Cities

Symbols
Provincial flower: Rhododendron (Rhododendron Weyrichii / Max (Chamkkot))
Provincial tree: Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora siebold / Noknamu)
Provincial bird: Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos quelpartensis)
Society and culture

Because of the relative isolation of the island, the people of Jeju have developed a culture and language that are distinct from those of mainland Korea. Jeju is home to thousands of local legends. Perhaps the most distinct cultural artifact is the ubiquitous dol hareubang ("stone grandfather") carved from a block of basalt.
Another distinct aspect of Jeju is the matriarchal family structure, found especially in Udo and Mara, but also present in the rest of the province. The best-known example of this is found among the haenyeo ("sea women"), who were often the heads of families, because they controlled the income. They earned their living from free diving, often all year round in quite cold water, without scuba gear, in order to harvest abalones, conches, and a myriad of other marine products. It is thought that women are better at spending all day deep-water diving because they resist cold better.[10] In the early 1960s, 21% of women on the island were free divers, providing 60% of the island's fisheries revenue.[11] However, because of rapid economic development and modernization, as of 2014 only about 4,500 haenyeo, most aged over 60, were still actively working.[11][12][13]
Bangsatap
Bangsatap are small, round towers made of many stones. There are many Bangsataps and you can see them near the countryside in Jeju.
People usually pile up many stones, making a shape like a tower in order to protect themselves from the bad luck in their village.
They built Bangsatap according to the theory of divination because they believe that geography is very important in choosing the right place for them. It is also a good example to demonstrate religious belief in Jeju island because it is an object in which people put faith: people put a rice paddle inside the Bangsatap to gather as much money as possible, as well as an iron pot to overcome disaster and fight fire in their village. Nobody knows that when the Bangsatap was built over the year previous.[14]

Controversies
Influx of Chinese tourists and developers
In recent years, Jeju province has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists and commercial developers.   These Chinese are enticed to travel to Jeju for a number of reasons, including the island’s close proximity to China (just a two-hour flight from Beijing), Jeju’s policy of allowing foreigners to travel to Jeju without a visa and the willingness of Jeju officials to grant Chinese condominium owners permanent resident status.[15][16] Because of these attractive policies, the presence of Chinese citizens on Jeju has increased dramatically.  According to the New York Times, nearly half of the 6.1 million Chinese tourists who visited South Korea last year visited Jeju, a fivefold increase from 2011.[16] Additionally, Chinese now own 2,050 acres (830ha) on Jeju, up from just five acres in 2009.[16]
While it may be beneficial to Jeju’s economy, this phenomenon has a lot of Jeju residents worried.  With the legacy of Japanese occupation still fresh in their minds, some Jeju inhabitants fear their island home is now turning into a "Chinese colony".[16]  These fears are exacerbated by China's increased military activity in the East and South China Seas and South Korea’s growing economic reliance on China.[16]
More day-to-day concerns include the fact that while the Chinese certainly spend a lot of money on Jeju, much of the money is spent in restaurants and hotels owned by Chinese, not by Jeju residents.[16] Similarly, some residents have expressed anger over Chinese owned hotels and casinos popping up near schools.[15] In a recent poll, 68% of Jeju residents said the influx of Chinese tourists did not help Jeju’s development.[16] The sentiment among many Jeju residents that the Chinese do not respect South Korea or local customs has led to frequent scuffles between locals and Chinese tourists in bars and shops.[15][16]
Jeju Naval Base

In June 2007, the South Korean government selected Gangjeong, a village on the southern coast of the island, as the site of a controversial $970 million naval base.[17] Villagers have protested and filed lawsuits to try to block construction and have widely publicized their opposition.[18]
Religion

According to the census of 2005, of the people of Jeju 32.7% follow Buddhism and 17.5% follow Christianity (10.3% Protestantism and 7.2% Catholicism).[19] 49.8% of the population is mostly not religious or follows indigenous religions.
Sports
International competition
Jeju-do served as one of the host cities of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, with matches hosted at Jeju World Cup Stadium.

Jeju City  hosted the AIBA 2014 Women's World Boxing Championships at the Halla Gymnasium.[20]
Football
Jeju United is the only professional sports club on Jeju-do. Jeju United was runner-up in the K League in 2010. Jeju-do has a famous high-school football tournament that began in 1971.
Cuisine

Jeju Island is the southernmost and largest island isolated from the Korean peninsula. Due to its lack of fresh water, paddy farming is only done on a small scale, with the cultivation of cereal crops such as millet, barnyard millet, buckwheat, and barley being the main feature of agriculture. Therefore, the traditional Jeju meal generally consists of japgokbap, which is a bowl of steamed multiple grains as a main dish, with salted dried fish called jaban[21][22] as banchan (side dishes), and a soup based on doenjang (soybean paste) such as baechuguk made with Napa cabbage, kongnipguk made with soybean leaves, or muguk made with radish. Jeju dishes are made with simple ingredients, and the taste is generally salty.
Raw seafood called hae is commonly consumed as a part of the meal. The warm weather affects Jeju cuisine in that gimjang, preparing kimchi in late autumn for winter consumption, is not necessary to Jeju, as it is in the other provinces. Only a small amount of kimchi is pickled by Jeju locals. Representative main dishes in Jeju cuisine are porridge made with fish, seafood, seaweed, or mushrooms. Examples include jeonbokjuk made with abalone, okdomjuk made with red tilefish,[23] gejuk made with crabs, gingijuk made with small crabs called bangge (Helice tridens),[24] maeyeoksae juk made with young miyeok (미역) (wakame),[25] and chogijuk made with shiitake.[26]
Gamgyul is a type of orange similar to the Mandarin orange or tangerine, commonly harvested in Jeju island. Black pig is a delicacy on the island as well. Black pigs are famous for their black hair and their meat for its chewy texture. The meat is nutritious and does not have the unique smell of pork. Black pigs' other notable features are their long faces, narrow snouts and small ears that stand up. Horse meat is also a delicacy of the island.

Myths and legends
In Jeju, a tale, myth, legend, folktale do not mean much to the old man. There is the only word, yetmal (Korean:옛말, means ‘old language’). This yetmal contains the whole meaning of the tale, myth, legend, folktale. Moreover, it has a meaning of a proverb, tabooed tale, or foreseeing tale. In Jeju, a Story divides into ‘myth’, ‘legend’, and ‘folktale’. These are all passed down in the form of prosaic story and it has characteristics that speaker and listener comes face to face and they share the story goes on. And the story has a common character although all story contains truth, but it is a fiction. This fictional story could be an oral literature but in the eye of ideological aspect, the story also becomes a philosophy. So, the story of Jeju Province could be a dream of jeju people, literature, and philosophy by the special condition and the historical circumstance of Jeju island.[27]
The characteristic of story of Jeju can be found from the nature legend and historical legend. In the Ahunahopgol legend (Korean:아흔아홉골 전설, means ’myth of 99 canyon’), it shows the regret that it cannot produce the King or talented person because of the nature of island. It expesses the geomatical destiny perspective.
The historical legends mostly talked about the very strong man. The heroine man is usually set to the starving strong man. The example is the malmurlee legend(Korean:말머리전설, means ‘head of horse’). This kind of story shows the limit of the people of Jeju. Although the heroine man is born to strong, they cannot overcome the historical isolation.[28]
The myth of Seolmundae Halmang is well known in Jeju. According to this myth, Seolmundae Halmang (Grandmother Seolmundae) could reach from Seongsan Ilchulbong to Guan Tal island at Aewol in a single stride, and with two strides to Mount Halla. She was very strong, had 500 children, and built Mount Halla with seven scoops of earth. One day, Seolmundae Halmang was making soup for her sons while they were out hunting. While they were gone, she fell into the pot and drowned. On their return, they hungrily ate the soup, without knowing that it contained their mother. However, the youngest son knew. He told the truth to the rest of the sons, and the whole family cried, and eventually turned into 500 stones.[29]
Economy
The Jeju economy has traditionally been supported by primary industry, agriculture and fishing, but tourism has taken a more and more important role as the island receives ten million visitors per year.[30] These are mostly Korean mainlanders but through the opening of the 2010 decade hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists have been arriving and the number is increasing.
In 2006, the GDP of the province was projected at 8.5 trillion won (about US$8.5 billion), approximately 15 million won per capita. The provincial government's budget for 2006 was projected at 1.1 trillion won, an increase of 10% over 2005.
Jeju is also a home for key functions of Daum Communications,[31] a leading Korean internet site, and sole owner of Lycos until August, 2010.
Jeju is also famous for hosting many conferences and international meetings, including the World Scout Conference in July 2008. Jeju has its own international convention center called ICC Jeju. The ASEAN-KOREA Commemorative Summit 2009 was held at ICC Jeju.
In 2010, the South Korean central government tasked Jeju Island to develop itself as an international Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions destination, and since then, the island has hosted a number of notable events such as the 10,000-pax China Baozhen Group incentive and 8,000-pax Amway (South) Korea incentive. In 2010, the destination welcomed 67 events, enabling it to reach 27th spot globally and seventh in Asia in the UIA ranking of global meetings destinations.[32]
Tourism

Tourism commands a large fraction of Jeju's economy. Jeju's temperate climate, natural scenery, and beaches make it a popular tourist destination for South Koreans as well as visitors from other parts of East Asia. The most popular tourist spots on the island are Cheonjeyeon and Cheonjiyeon waterfalls, Mount Halla, Hyeobje cave, and Hyeongje island. There is a variety of leisure sports that tourists can take part in Jeju including golf, horse riding, hunting, fishing, mountain climbing, etc. Depending on the season, Jeju hosts many festivals for tourists including a penguin swimming contest in winter, cherry blossom festival in spring, the midsummer night beach festival in summer, and Jeju horse festival in autumn, among others. For most tourists, traffic to and from the island is mainly taken through Jeju International Airport and transport within the island by rental cars. Some local products are popular with tourists, including Jeju's special tile fish and mandarin oranges, as well as souvenirs and duty-free shopping.
Jeju was chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature through the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign by the New7Wonders Foundation. The campaign saw hundreds of millions of votes and the top seven wonders were announced on 11/11/11.
Museums on the island include Nexon Computer Museum.
Tourist attractions

Hallim Park[33] is one of the oldest and most popular tourist attractions on Jeju. It is on the west coast.
There is an annual fire festival on the island that stems from a custom of removing harmful insects and old grass in villages in winter. The fire festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Dal-gip (to pile up much wood) is burned when the moon rises while praying for good harvests and making good wishes. Jeju traditional food is eaten at the site of the festival. This festival was held 13 times until 2009. The "Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival" started in 1997 and become a leading festival of Jeju. This takes place in Saebyeol Oreum in Bongseong ri, Aewol Eup. It takes up to 25 minutes to reach it from Jeju International Airport by car. Jeju citizens do their utmost to prepare the Fire Festival so as to pass down, develop and ultimately develop branding for the unique folk culture resources of Jeju.
Saebyeol oreum has a characteristic of a complex volcano. It has a horseshoe shaped crater that is both very wide and slightly split. It rises high with the little peaks making an oval from the south peak to northwest. The scale is above sea level 519.3 meters (1,704ft), height of 119m (390ft), circumference of 2,713m (8,901ft), area of 522,216m2 (0.201629sqmi). Saebyeol oreum is the middle size among the 360 oreums in Jeju island. It is named after the saying "it brightens like a star".
Olle[34] is a word in the local dialect that refers to the paths between houses and public roads.
The Jeju Olle Trail, called Jeju Olle Gil or simply "jejuolle" in Korean, is a long-distance footpath on Jeju Island. The course, mostly following the coastline, consists of 21 connected, numbered main courses, 5 major spurs, and a short spur that connects to Jeju Airport. The courses have an average length of 16 kilometers (9.9mi) and all together total 404km (251mi). The exact length and locations change over time as trails are modified or re-routed.
The courses pass through small villages, cross beaches, wind through farms and orchards, twist through forests, climb oreums ("low parasitic volcanoes"), and provide a good look at the lives of average islanders and the unique natural beauty of Jeju Island.
Manjanggul[35] is one of the longest lava tubes in the world. Manjang Cave, at Donggimnyeong-ri, Gujwa-eup, North Jeju, 30km (19mi) east of Jeju City, was designated as Natural Monument No. 98 on March 28, 1970. The annual temperature inside the cave ranges from 11℃ to 21℃, thus facilitating a favorable environment throughout the year.
The cave is academically significant as rare species live in the cave. Created by spewing lava, "the lava turtle", "lava pillar", and "wing-shaped wall" look like the work of the gods. It is considered to be a world class tourist attraction.
The Geomunoreum lava tube system is the most impressive and significant series of protected lava tubes in the world and includes a spectacular array of secondary carbonate speleothems (stalactites and other formations). It overwhelms other lava tubes with its abundance and diversity. The Geomunoreum lava tube system, which is regarded as the finest such cave system in the world, has an outstanding visual impact even for those experienced with such phenomena. It displays the unique spectacle of multi-colored carbonate decorations adorning the roofs and floors, and dark-colored lava walls, partially covered by a mural of carbonate deposits.
In addition, lava tubes are like those in limestone karst in scale, shape and internal decoration, but completely different in origin. Lava tubes are known from basaltic terrain in most of the world's volcanic regions. The lava tubes of the Geomunoreum system are, however, regarded as internationally important due to their length, massive volume, intricate passage configuration, well preserved internal lava features, abundant and spectacular secondary carbonate formations, ease of access, and their scientific and educational values. Another feature making Geomunoreum globally significant and distinctive is the presence of carbonate deposits and formations. Very small deposits of calcite are common in lava tubes and are more significantly developed as speleothems in Duck Creek cave in the U.S. state of Utah. However, in abundance, density and diversity they are far less impressive than those of Yongcheongul and Dangcheomuldonggul lava tubes in Jeju, and the scale of these decorations within the lava caves of Jeju Island far exceeds any other comparable examples. The nomination is supported by the Commission on Volcanic Caves of the International Union of Speleology — the world's most authoritative scientific body on volcanic caves — which regards Jeju's lava caves as being of the highest international ranking. Yongcheongul Lava Tube has been discovered subsequently and is of equivalent value.

Sangumburi Crater[36] is the crater of an extinct volcano. Unlike its brethren Halla-san and Songsan Ilch'ubong, this one exploded quickly but did not spew much lava nor did it form much of a surrounding cone. This phenomenon is called maru in Korean, and Sangumburi is the only one of its kind in the country, making it Natural Monument #263. The remaining crater is 100m (330ft) deep and an average of 350m (1,150ft)s across. Over 400 species of plants and animals live inside the crater.
Visitors can walk around part of the rim (the rest is private property and fenced off), but they cannot venture down inside the crater. A well-paved path leads from the parking area to the viewing area, which has a small pavilion and several vista points. Also on the grounds are grave sites made in traditional Jeju fashion: a wide, trapezoidal stone wall surrounding the burial mound. Several of the sites have small stone figures that guard the mound from evil spirits. At the park entrance are large rocks from the crater. During the eruption, molten rock flew from the volcano into the air and cooled into many exotic shapes.
Seongsan Ilchulbong, also called ‘Sunrise Peak’, is an archetypal tuff cone formed by hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed about 5,000 years ago. On the eastern seaboard of Jeju Island and said to resemble a gigantic ancient castle, this tuff cone is 182 meters high, has a preserved bowl-like crater, and displays diverse inner structures resulting from the sea cliff. These features are considered to be of geologic worth, providing information on eruptive and depositional processes of hydromagmatic volcanoes worldwide as well as past volcanic activity of Seongsan Ilchulbong itself.
 is a 20-meter-tall pillar-shaped rock in Sammaebong, Seogwipo. It was created 1.5 million years ago by a volcanic eruption. At the top of Oedolgae, there are pine trees growing naturally. According to legend, an old woman became a rock after waiting for her husband who went to sea to catch fish and didn’t return for a long time. So people call it 'halmang bawi' meaning grandmother rock. On the left side of Oedolgae, there is a rock called someri bawi. A large grass area covers the rock, and the surrounding area is great for fishing. Oedolgae is a popular tourist destination, particularly with foreigners.
Mt. Halla[37] is the mountain of one of the three gods. It stands at the center of Jeju Island, spreading east and west. The east face is steep, the north side is gentle, and the east and west form a flat, wide highland.
Mount Halla is a dormant volcano created by volcanic activities during the quaternary period of the Cenozoic era. It is primarily covered with basalt. On its top is a crater and Baeknok Lake. This mountain is a home to alpine plants and houses as many as 1,800 species of flora. It also boasts luxuriant natural forests and vast grasslands.
In addition, precipitous cliffs and slopes and unusual rock formations standing along valleys produce magnificent scenic views. The community of azaleas adds to the beauty of Mount Halla. Mount Halla's autumnal tints and snow-covered scenes have been selected as the best of the best.
The 43-kilometer (27mi) long Road 5.16 crossing the eastern waist of the mountain from Jeju City to Seogwipo City is considered to be one of the best tourist roads in Korea. Along this road, there are many tourist attractions such as Sancheondan and Seongpanak. People can enjoy the royal azalea blossoms in spring, lush, green woods in summer, colorful foliage in fall, and a glistening landscape of snow in winter. While enjoying the scenes, the road takes you to Seogwipo City and brings a scenic view of many beaches.
The 37-kilometer-long (23mi) Road 110 crossing the western waist of the mountain from Jeju-si to Jungmun runs through a high area that is 1,100 meters (3,600ft) high above sea level. It passes by Eoseungsang Reservoir, which is a source of water for Jeju islanders. The 99 Passes where, a legend says, neither a king nor a tiger are born because it is one short to 100 passes. It also passes closely by Youngsil Giam (Youngsil Grotesque Rocks). It is possible to climb up to Wetse Oreum along Eorimok Trail and Youngsil Trail and to the top along Seongpanak Trail and Kwaneumsa Temple Trail.
Udo, (also called U-island, since do means island) is on the northeast of Seongsan-ri, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) off the coast. This is the largest of the islands included in Jeju-si. Udo, literally "Cow Island" in Chinese, has this name because it looks like a cow lying down. The whole of Udo is a lava plateau and a fertile flatland where major agricultural products such as sweet potatoes, garlic, and peanuts are produced. There is a parasitic cone, called shoi meori oreum, in the southeast.
Jungmun Saekdal Beach is at the Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo-si. It is near the hotel zone it has a convenient accessibility: Sinla Jeju hotel, Lotte hotel, Jeju Hana hotel are around 2 kilometers near the beach. Jungmun Saekdal Beach has a particular geographical feature. The beach shore is faced to the north and the water level is steady knee height until about 200 meters off the shore. There are lots of great and small waves under the influences of the Maparam (Korean:마파람, means the wind from the north in Korean) so the beach is clouded by the people who came from many other regions to enjoy surfing in summer.
Visa policy
All ordinary passport holders except the following can stay visa-free 30 days in Jeju Province, even if they normally require a visa for South Korea:[3]

Afghanistan
Cuba
Ghana
Iraq
Kosovo
Libya
Macedonia
Nigeria
Palestine
Sudan
Syria
Media
There are five local newspapers on Jeju Island: the Cheju Daily News,[38] Jeminilbo,[39] Hallailbo,[40] Seogwipo-News,[41] Jejumaeil.[42][43] The Jeju Weekly is the only print English-language newspaper on the island.[44] JejuWorldWide.com is a daily online news and events Web site that opened in early 2013.[45]
TV and radio stations include Jeju Free International City Broadcasting System (an affiliate of SBS), KBS Jeju, and Jeju MBC, and KCTV Jeju.
Sister provinces
Jeju's international sister provinces are also primarily islands (with the exception of California):
 – Hainan Province
 – Bali Province
 – Sakhalin Oblast
 – Aileu Municipality
 – State of Hawaii
 – Autonomous Region of Madeira
 - California[46]
See also
List of Korea-related topics
Subdivisions of South Korea
Geography of South Korea
Jeju dialect
Love Land, a sex-themed sculpture park on the island
Notes and references

 at Curlie

Coordinates:


Walter Devereux, jure uxoris 7th Baron Ferrers of Chartley  (c.1432 – 22 August 1485), Knight of the Garter, was a member of the English peerage and a loyal supporter of the Yorkist cause during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the inner circle of King Edward IV of England, and died fighting for Edward's younger brother, King Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth (1485).
Origins
He was born about 1432 in Weobley, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Walter Devereux (1411–1459), Lord Chancellor of Ireland (from 1449 to 1450), and Elizabeth Merbury, the daughter and heiress of Sir John Merbury, Chief Justice of South Wales by his first wife, Alice Pembridge.
Marriage & progeny
Walter Devereux married twice:
Firstly in about 1446, at the age of only thirteen,[1] he married Anne de Ferrers (d.9 January 1469), the daughter and heiress of William de Ferrers, 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley,[2][3] and thereby became jure uxoris Baron Ferrers of Chartley (in right of his wife) on 26 July 1461.[4] His wife Anne inherited great wealth upon the death of her father. Through the marriage, the Devereux family gained Chartley Castle as well as its barony.[5] By his wife, who predeceased him by seventeen years, he had at least six children including:
Sir Robert Devereux of Ferrers (c1455 to ?),[6] who was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Shropshire on 24 February 1473, and again on 8 Nov 1473.
John Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley (1463 - 3 May 1501)[4][2]
Elizabeth Devereux, who married firstly to Sir Richard Corbet of Morton Corbet, and secondly to Sir Thomas Leighton of Wattlesborough.[4][2]
Anne Devereux, who married, as his first wife, Sir Thomas Tyrrell (c.1453–1510?), son of Sir William Tyrrell (slain at the Battle of Barnet in 1471) by his wife, Eleanor Darcy.[7][2][8]
Isabel ("Sybil") Devereux, who married Sir James Baskerville.[4]
Sir Richard Devereux[4][2]
Sir Thomas Devereux[4][2]
Secondly, he married a certain lady named Jane (fl.1522),[9] by whom he had no further children. She survived him and remarried thrice: firstly to Thomas Vaughan, secondly to Sir Edward Blount of Sodington, and thirdly to Thomas Poyntz (d.1501) of Alderley, Gloucestershire,[4] an Esquire of the Body of King Henry VII at the baptism of his first-born son, Prince Arthur. He was the second son of Sir Robert Poyntz (died 1520), Lord of the manor of Iron Acton in Gloucestershire, a supporter of King Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.[10]
Career
On 6 November 1450 the Escheator of Buckinghamshire was instructed to deliver the manor of Dorton to Elizabeth, widow of the late Baron Ferrers of Chartley. An Inquisition post mortem declared that her heir was Anne, wife of Walter Devereux. His father was attainted for treason in 1452 for supporting Richard, Duke of York, on his march to London and subsequent confrontation with the king at Dartford Heath. On 6 March 1453 he attended Parliament as Lord Ferrers, and represented Herefordshire in place of his father. On 17 March 1453 Walter and Anne Devereux were granted livery of her father's lands as she was 14 years of age or older,[11] deemed the  age of majority for females.
On 20 March 1453 the escheators were ordered to take the fealty of Walter Devereux for his wife's lands.[lower-alpha 1] On 24 January 1454 the Escheator of Warwickshire released to Walter and Anne Devereux her lands there.[lower-alpha 2] An agreement was acknowledged on 4 March 1454 between Walter and Anne Devereux and Elizabeth, widow of the late Sir William Ferrers of Charteley, that they would honor her dower rights when she entered the church, and Anne would receive the inheritance of these estates when she reached 21 years of age.[12] On 8 June 1455 Urias and Elizabeth de la Hay, and Henry and Joan ap Griffith, granted to Walter Devereux and his father,
Sir William Herbert; John Barrow; and Miles Skull a moiety of Wellington manor, and Adzor manor; and 100 acres of land and 20 shillings of rent in Wellington forever. Devereux acquired half the manor of Tonge, Shropshire, on 1 November 1456 as his wife's inheritance from a distant cousin, Sir Richard Vernon.[13]
Walter Devereux and William Mayell acquired from Henry Gryffith of Bakton and Thomas Herbert of Billingsley the wardship and marriage of Thomas, minor heir of Edmund de Cornewaylle on 1 July 1453.[14] Walter Devereux and his father were appointed on 14 December 1453 to investigate the escape of prisoners in Herefordshire.[15] On 22 May 1455 Richard, 3rd Duke of York, led the Yorkists to victory at the First Battle of St Albans, and captured Henry VI. On 25 May the Duke crowned Henry VI again, and was re-instated as Protector of the Realm. Walter Devereux's father was pardoned shortly after at the Parliament meeting on 9 July 1455. Over the next several years the Devereux carried on an intermittent war with the Tudors along the Welsh Marches. Walter Devereux, along with other prominent Yorkists of Herefordshire, were placed under a recognizance of 5000 marks on 13 May 1457 if they did not immediately present themselves for imprisonment at Marshalsea.[16] His father was added to the group on 2 June.
Following his father's death on 22 April 1459, Walter Devereux assumed his place as the Steward of York's lands in Radnor, and in the Duke's retinue.[17] He was with the Duke of York at the Battle of Ludford Bridge on 12 October 1459, but surrendered and threw himself on the King's mercy when York fled to Ireland following the defeat. Granted his life, he was attainted on 20 November 1459, and his lands awarded to Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham.[18] Devereux was permitted in 1460 to redeem his properties for a fine of 500 marks.[19][20]
On 26 June 1460 the earls of Warwick and Salisbury landed at Sandwich, and raised a Yorkist rebellion. They marched on London, and captured Henry VI at the Battle of Northampton on 10 July 1460.  Walter Devereux was appointed to arrest and imprison any in Herefordshire resisting the rebellion,[21][22] Richard of York returned to England and Walter Devereux attended Parliament on 7 October as a knight of the shire for Herefordshire. The Duke became Protector of the Realm again on 31 October, and Devereux was granted a general pardon.
In December 1460 Walter Devereux accompanied Edward, Earl of March, to Wales to raise an army to counter a Lancastrian rebellion led by the Tudors. On 30 December, Richard, 3rd Duke of York, was killed at the Battle of Wakefield, and a Lancastrian army moved south towards London. Devereux fought on behalf of Edward, now the 4th Duke of York, at his victory in the Battle of Mortimer's Cross on 2 February 1461, and commanded his left wing.[23] He remained at the side of the future Edward IV on his advance from Gloucester to London. The Lancastrian army marching south was again victorious at the Second Battle of St Albans on 17 February, and recovered Henry VI here. On 3 March 1461, Walter Devereux was present at the council held at Baynard's Castle where it was resolved that Edward would be made King, and rode at his side to Westminster where Henry VI was deposed in absentia and Edward IV proclaimed King of England.
Walter Devereux was with the army as Edward IV marched north, and fought in the victory at the Battle of Towton on 29 March 1461, where he was knighted.[24] On 8 July Devereux was appointed Justice of the Peace, and place on the Commission of Array for Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Shropshire to raise troops to stamp out Lancastrian resistance in Wales.[25] He was also placed on a commission of Oyer and terminer to inquire into all treasons, insurrections and rebellions in South Wales, and granted the authority to receive submission into the king's peace of rebels.[26] In September Walter Devereux met with the king and William Herbert at Ludlow Castle where they were assigned to take into the king's hands all the castles, lordships, manors, land and possessions of the late Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham, in South Wales.[27] On 30 September 1461, Herbert and Devereux captured Pembroke Castle. On 16 October Herbert and Devereux defeated the Lancastrians under Pembroke and Exeter at the Battle of Twt Hill, effectively ending resistance in Wales. Walter Devereux attended Parliament on 4 November 1461, but was back in Wales for the capture of Denbigh Castle in January 1462.
On 10 February 1462 Devereux was again Justice of the Peace for Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and would effectively retain these offices for the rest of his life, at times extending his authority to Shropshire as well.[28][29][30] On 20 February 1462, Devereux received an extensive grant of forfeited lands for his service,[31] and was assigned to raise further troops in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. John Salwey granted the manor of Stanford, Worcestershire, to Walter Devereux on 18 April, and Herbert and Devereux captured Carreg Cennen Castle in Wales in May 1462.
In October 1462 Margaret of Anjou landed and raised a Lancastrian rebellion in northern England. Devereux accompanied King Edward on an expedition to the north in November 1462, which put the rebellion down by January 1463. Walter attended Parliament on 29 April 1463 where he was rewarded with an exemption from the crown's Act of Resumption revoking various gifts and grants.[lower-alpha 3]
On 18 June 1463 Devereux was appointed as Constable of Aberystwyth Castle for life,[32] and 10 August 1464 joint keeper of the Haywood in Herefordshire.[33] In late 1467 he was granted Oyer and terminer in Wales with power to pardon or arrest, and specifically tasked with investigating counterfeiting, clipping, sweating and other falsifications of money.[34] This was extended into Herefordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Shropshire in early 1468,[35] and Devonshire and Gloucestershire later in the year.[36] Devereux was further rewarded on 30 May 1468 with the grant of the custody of all castles, lordships, manors, lands, rents, and possessions with knights’ fees, advowsons, courts leet, views of frankpledge, fairs, markets, privileges and franchises of the late Sir Roger Corbet,[37] and in the king's hands by reason of the minority his son and heir, Richard.[lower-alpha 4] In June 1468, Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke landed near Harlech Castle and captured Denbigh. Walter Devereux and William Herbert were assigned to raise an army in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, and the marshes of Wales to attack the rebels;[38] and on 14 August 1468, Harlech castle finally surrendered to the Yorkists.
In 1468 Edward IV announced his intent to invade France. On 3 August 1468 Walter Devereux was assigned to muster at Gravesend with his men for service overseas,[39] but other events in the kingdom prevented this from occurring. On 12 February 1469 he was commanded to deliver prisoners to the gaol of Hereford Castle.[40] On 22 May he was appointed to a commission of Oyer and terminer for the counties of York, Cumberland, and Westmoreland; and the city of York.[41] He was probably at the Battle of Edgecote Moor on 26 July 1469 when the Earl of Warwick defeated King Edward, and Devereux's brother-in-law, William Herbert, was killed. Edward IV was captured, but Warwick was forced to release him within a few months. By September 1469 Walter Devereux was assigned to raise new troops for the Yorkists in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Worcestershire.[42] On 16 November he was rewarded with the grant of the offices of Constable of the Castles of Brecon, Hay, and Huntington; and Steward of the Lordships of Brecon, Hay, and Huntington during the minority of Henry Stafford.[43]
On 6 January 1470 he was granted Oyer and terminer over Wales.[44] He probably fought for Edward IV at the resounding victory of the Battle of Losecoat Field, which resulted in the flight of the earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence to France. On 26 March Devereux was assigned to raise additional troops in Herefordshire to defend against the rebels.[45] On 28 July 1470 he was rewarded with appointment as sheriff of Caernarfonshire and Master-Forester of the Snowdon Hills in North Wales for life.[46]
On 13 September 1470 after Edward IV had been lured north to deal with rebels, Warwick landed at Plymouth raising a Lancastrian rebellion in his rear. Edward was forced to flee to Flanders, and Henry VI was readapted to the throne of England on 3 October. When Edward IV returned, landing at Ravenspur, Yorkshire, on 14 March 1471, Devereux joined him for the victory at the Battle of Barnet on 14 April 1471, which deposed Henry VI once again. Walter Devereux was assigned to raise more troops in Shropshire, and Herefordshire,[47] and fought at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 where Edward IV finally secured his throne. Devereux was at the king's side when he entered London in triumph, and was one of the Lords who swore in the Parliament Chamber at Westminster on 3 July 1471 to accept Edward, Prince of Wales, as heir to the crown.[48] On 27 August he was granted the power to receive the submission of all rebels in South Wales and the marshes,[49] and to raise an army in South Wales, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, and the marches to resist Jasper Tudor.[50]
He was selected on 20 February 1473 to serve on the Council of Wales as a tutor and councilor of the king's heir until the Prince of Wales reached the age of 14 years.[51] On 26 February 1474 he was assigned to raise troops in Herefordshire and Shropshire to suppress another rebellion.[52] On 1 July, Margaret, widow of John Walsh and wife of Henry Turner, remised and quitclaimed (for 9L annually during her life) to Walter Devereux the following in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire: Andrews manor; 1 messuage, 20 acres of land, and 20 acres of pasture; and a moiety of La Mote manor. She also quitclaimed 1 messuage in Holborn (London). On 25 October Walter Devereux, Lord Dacre, and the king's chaplain were granted the collation to the next vacant prebend in the king's College of St George within Windsor Castle.[53][54]
On 26 May 1475 Devereux and others were granted a license to found a perpetual guild in St Bride's Church near his London properties.[55] He was with Edward IV when he led an army into France in July, and at the Conference at Saint-Christ in Vermandois, France, on 13 August where the king agreed to withdraw in exchange for a yearly payment.[56] Devereux was rewarded on 31 January 1476 with the grant of the manor and lordship of Wigston, Leicestershire, in the king's hands following the attainder of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford; and the Welshman, a brewhouse outside Ludgate in the ward of Farringdon Without (St Martin parish, London).[57]
Over the next 4 years Walter Devereux served on various commissions of Oyer and terminer in Middlesex, Yorkshire, and London.[58] On 14 February 1480 he was identified as a member of the king's council hearing petitions in the Star Chamber at Westminster.[59] Devereux was assigned on 12 June 1481 to survey the land of the king's lordship of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire; the land of Thomas, abbot of Waltham, in Essex; and the boundary between the counties there.[60]
As a member of the Council of Wales, Walter Devereux was probably with Edward V when he was declared king following the sudden death of Edward IV on 9 April 1483. It would be expected that he accompanied Edward as he set out for London, and was probably among the retinue that was dismissed when Richard, Duke of Glouucester intercepted them at Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire on 29 April. Following the deposition of Edward V and crowning of the Duke as Richard III on 6 July 1483, Walter Devereux transferred his allegiance to the new king and was confirmed as Justice of the Peace for Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, and Hertfordshire. On 1 August Walter Devereux of Ferrers; his son, Sir John Devereux of Ferrers; and others were assigned in Herefordshire to assess and appoint collectors of the subsidies granted by the last Parliament from aliens (with the exception of the nations and merchants of Spain, Brittany, and Almain).[61] Devereux attended Parliament on 23 January 1484,[62] and was assigned to raise an army on 1 May 1484 in Hertfordshire, and Herefordshire.[63] He was rewarded with the grant of Cheshunt manor, Hertfordshire, for life on 12 August;[64] and assigned to investigate certain treasons and offenses committed by William Colingbourne late of Lidyard, Wiltshire; and John Turburville late of Firemayne, Dorset.[65]
Elevation to Peerage and Honors
On 26 July 1461 Walter Devereux was raised to the rank of Baron in right of his wife and on account of his great services against Henry VI, the Duke of Exeter, the earls of Pembroke and Wiltshire, and the other rebels and traitors, thereby becoming Lord Ferrers.
On 24 April 1472 he was honored by creation as a Knight of the Garter.
Death
Walter Devereux supported Richard III of England during his reign, and fought by his side at the Battle of Bosworth (22 August 1485). There, Lord Ferrers commanded in the vanguard under John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, alongside Sir Robert Brackenbury and Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. Devereux was slain during the initial fight with the opposing van under John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, fighting next to the young John, Lord Zouche. An in-law, Sir John Ferrers, was also killed at Bosworth. He was attainted after his death on 7 November 1485.
Specific References

General References
Cokayne, G.E. Complete Baronetage. (New York; St. Martin's Press, 1984). Volume V, page 321 to 333, Ferrers
(Subscription or  required.)
Notes

Walter Devereux, 7th Baron Ferrers of Chartley

When did Walter Devereux become the 7th Baron Ferrers of Chartley?


Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Kríti ['kriti]; Ancient Greek: Κρήτη, Krḗtē) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete (Greek: Περιφέρεια Κρήτης), one of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece. The capital and the largest city is Heraklion. As of 2011, the region had a population of 623,065.
Crete forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece, while retaining its own local cultural traits (such as its own poetry and music). It was once the centre of the Minoan civilisation (c. 2700–1420 BC), which is the earliest known civilisation in Europe. The palace of Knossos lies in Crete.[2]
Name
The island is first referred to as Kaptara in texts from the Syrian city of Mari dating from the 18th century BC,[3] repeated later in Neo-Assyrian records and the Bible (Caphtor). It was also known in ancient Egyptian as Keftiu, strongly suggesting a similar Minoan name for the island.[4]
The current name of Crete is thought to be first attested in Mycenaean Greek texts written in Linear B, through the words ke-re-te (*Krētes; later Greek: Κρῆτες, plural of Κρής),[5] ke-re-si-jo (*Krēsijos; later Greek: Κρήσιος),[6] "Cretan".[7][8] In Ancient Greek, the name Crete (Κρήτη) first appears in Homer's Odyssey.[9] Its etymology is unknown.  One proposal derives it from a hypothetical Luwian word, *kursatta (cf. kursawar "island", kursattar "cutting, sliver").[10] In Latin, it became Creta.
The original Arabic name of Crete was Iqrīṭiš (Arabic: اقريطش < (της) Κρήτης), but after the Emirate of Crete's establishment of its new capital at ربض الخندق Rabḍ al-Ḫandaq (modern Iraklion), both the city and the island became known as Χάνδαξ (Chandax) or Χάνδακας (Chandakas), which gave Latin and Venetian Candia, from which were derived French Candie and English Candy or Candia. Under Ottoman rule, in Ottoman Turkish, Crete was called Girit (كريت).
Physical geography

Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea separating the Aegean from the Libyan Sea.
Island morphology
The island has an elongated shape: it spans 260km (160mi) from east to west, is 60km (37mi) at its widest point, and narrows to as little as 12km (7.5mi) (close to Ierapetra). Crete covers an area of 8,336km2 (3,219sqmi), with a coastline of 1,046km (650mi); to the north, it broaches the Sea of Crete (Greek: Κρητικό Πέλαγος); to the south, the Libyan Sea (Greek: Λιβυκό Πέλαγος); in the west, the Myrtoan Sea, and toward the east the Karpathian Sea. It lies approximately 160km (99mi) south of the Greek mainland.
Mountains and valleys

Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by three different groups of mountains:
The White Mountains or Lefka Ori 2,454m (8,051ft)
The Idi Range (Psiloritis  2,456m (8,058ft)
Kedros 1,777m (5,830ft)
The Dikti Mountains 2,148m (7,047ft)
Thripti 1,489m (4,885ft)
These mountains lavished Crete with valleys, such as Amari valley, fertile plateaus, such as Lasithi plateau, Omalos and Nidha; caves, such as Gourgouthakas, Diktaion, and Idaion (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god Zeus); and a number of gorges.
Gorges, rivers and lakes
The island has a number of gorges, such as the Samariá Gorge, Imbros Gorge, Kourtaliotiko Gorge, Ha Gorge, Platania Gorge, the Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros, Sitia) and Richtis Gorge and (Richtis) waterfall at Exo Mouliana in Sitia.[11][12][13][14]
The rivers of Crete include the Ieropotamos River, the Koiliaris, the Anapodiaris, the Almiros, the Giofyros, and Megas Potamos. There are only two freshwater lakes in Crete: Lake Kournas and Lake Agia, which are both in Chania regional unit.[15] Lake Voulismeni at the coast, at Aghios Nikolaos, was formerly a freshwater lake but is now connected to the sea, in Lasithi.[16] Lakes that were created by dams also exist in Crete. There are three: the lake of Aposelemis Dam, the lake of Potamos Dam, and the lake of Mpramiana Dam.

Ha Gorge
Samariá Gorge
Aradaina Gorge
Venetian Bridge over Megalopotamos River

Surrounding islands

A large number of islands, islets, and rocks hug the coast of Crete. Many are visited by tourists, some are only visited by archaeologists and biologists. Some are environmentally protected. A small sample of the islands includes:
Gramvousa (Kissamos, Chania) the pirate island opposite the Balo lagoon
Elafonisi (Chania), which commemorates a shipwreck and an Ottoman massacre
Chrysi island (Ierapetra, Lasithi), which hosts the largest natural Lebanon cedar forest in Europe
Paximadia island (Agia Galini, Rethymno) where the god Apollo and the goddess Artemis were born
The Venetian fort and leper colony at Spinalonga opposite the beach and shallow waters of Elounda (Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi)
Dionysades islands which are in an environmentally protected region together the Palm Beach Forest of Vai in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi
Off the south coast, the island of Gavdos is located 26 nautical miles (48km) south of Hora Sfakion and is the southernmost point of Europe.
Climate

Crete straddles two climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the North African, mainly falling within the former. As such, the climate in Crete is primarily Mediterranean. The atmosphere can be quite humid, depending on the proximity to the sea, while winter is fairly mild. Snowfall is common on the mountains between November and May, but rare in the low-lying areas. While some mountain tops are snow-capped for most of the year, near the coast snow only stays on the ground for a few minutes or hours. However, a truly exceptional cold snap swept the island in February 2004, during which period the whole island was blanketed with snow. During the Cretan summer, average temperatures reach the high 20s-low 30s Celsius (mid 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit), with maxima touching the upper 30s-mid 40s.
The south coast, including the Mesara Plain and Asterousia Mountains, falls in the North African climatic zone, and thus enjoys significantly more sunny days and high temperatures throughout the year. There, date palms bear fruit, and swallows remain year-round rather than migrate to Africa. The fertile region around Ierapetra, on the southeastern corner of the island, is renowned for its exceptional year-round agricultural production, with all kinds of summer vegetables and fruit produced in greenhouses throughout the winter.[17] Western Crete (Chania province) receives more rain and is more erosive compared to the Eastern part of Crete.[18]
Geography
Crete is the most populous island in Greece with a population of more than 600,000 people. Approximately 42% live in Crete's main cities and towns whilst 45% live in rural areas.[19]
Administration

Crete with its nearby islands form the Crete Region (Greek: Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, Periféria Krítis), one of the 13 regions of Greece which were established in the 1987 administrative reform.[21] With the 2010 Kallikratis plan, the powers and authority of the regions were redefined and extended. The region is based at Heraklion and is divided into four regional units (pre-Kallikratis prefectures). From west to east these are: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion, and Lasithi. These are further subdivided into 24 municipalities.
The region's governor is, since 1 January 2011, Stavros Arnaoutakis, who was elected in the November 2010 local administration elections for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement.
Cities

Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete. The principal cities are:
Heraklion (Iraklion or Candia) (173,993 inhabitants)[22]
Chania (Haniá) (108,642 inhabitants)[22]
Rethymno (34,300 inhabitants)[22]
Ierapetra (23,707 inhabitants)
Agios Nikolaos (19,462 inhabitants)
Sitia (14,338 inhabitants)

Venetian fortress in Heraklion
Chania cathedral
Rethymno Fortrezza Mosque

Economy

The economy of Crete is predominantly based on services and tourism. However, agriculture also plays an important role and Crete is one of the few Greek islands that can support itself independently without a tourism industry.[23] The economy began to change visibly during the 1970s as tourism gained in importance. Although an emphasis remains on agriculture and stock breeding, because of the climate and terrain of the island, there has been a drop in manufacturing, and an observable expansion in its service industries (mainly tourism-related). All three sectors of the Cretan economy (agriculture/farming, processing-packaging, services), are directly connected and interdependent. The island has a per capita income much higher than the Greek average, whereas unemployment is at approximately 4%, one-sixth of that of the country overall.
As in many regions of Greece, viticulture and olive groves are significant; oranges and citrons are also cultivated. Until recently there were restrictions on the import of bananas to Greece, therefore bananas were grown on the island, predominantly in greenhouses. Dairy products are important to the local economy and there are a number of speciality cheeses such as mizithra, anthotyros, and kefalotyri.
Transport infrastructure

The island has three significant airports, Nikos Kazantzakis at Heraklion, the Daskalogiannis airport at Chania and a smaller one in Sitia. The first two serve international routes, acting as the main gateways to the island for travellers.  There is a long-standing plan to replace Heraklion airport with a completely new airport at Kastelli, where there is presently an air force base.
The island is well served by ferries, mostly from Athens, by ferry companies such as Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines.
Although the road network leads almost everywhere, there is a lack of modern highways, although this is gradually changing with the completion of the northern coastal spine highway.[24]
Also, during the 1930s there was a narrow-gauge industrial railway in Heraklion, from Giofyros in the west side of the city to the port.  There are now no railway lines on Crete. The government is planning the construction of a line from Chania to Heraklion via Rethymno.[25][26]
Development
Newspapers have reported that the Ministry of Mercantile Marine is ready to support the agreement between Greece, South Korea, Dubai Ports World and China for the construction of a large international container port and free trade zone in southern Crete near Tympaki; the plan is to expropriate 850ha of land. The port would handle 2million containers per year, but the project has not been universally welcomed because of its environmental, economic and cultural impact.[27] As of January 2013, the project has still not been confirmed, although there is mounting pressure to approve it, arising from Greece's difficult economic situation.
There are plans for underwater cables going from mainland Greece to Israel and Egypt passing by Crete and Cyprus: EuroAfrica Interconnector and EuroAsia Interconnector.[28][29] They would connect Crete electrically with mainland Greece, ending energy isolation of Crete.  Now Hellenic Republic covers for Crete electricity costs difference of around €300million per year.[30]
History

In 2002, the paleontologist Gerard Gierlinski discovered fossil footprints left by ancient human relatives 5,600,000 years ago.[31]
Hominids settled in Crete at least 130,000 years ago. In the later Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, under the Minoans, Crete had a highly developed, literate civilisation. It has been ruled by various ancient Greek entities, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Emirate of Crete, the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. After a brief period of independence (1897–1913) under a provisional Cretan government, it joined the Kingdom of Greece. It was occupied by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Prehistoric Crete

The first human settlement in Crete dates before 130,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age.[32][33][34] Settlements dating to the aceramic Neolithic in the 7th millennium BC, used cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and dogs as well as domesticated cereals and legumes; ancient Knossos was the site of one of these major Neolithic (then later Minoan) sites.[35] Other neolithic settlements include those at Kephala, Magasa, and Trapeza.
Minoan civilization

Crete was the centre of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoan (c. 2700–1420 BC).[2] This civilization wrote in the undecipherable script known as Linear A. Early Cretan history is replete with legends such as those of King Minos, Theseus and the Minotaur, passed on orally via poets such as Homer. The volcanic eruption of Thera may have been the cause of the downfall of the Minoan civilization.
Mycenean civilization

In 1420BC, the Minoan civilization was overrun by the Mycenaean civilization from mainland Greece. The oldest samples of writing in the Greek language, as identified by Michael Ventris, is the Linear B archive from Knossos, dated approximately to 1425–1375BC.[36]
Archaic and Classical period
After the Bronze Age collapse, Crete was settled by new waves of Greeks from the mainland. A number of city states developed in the Archaic period. There was very limited contact with mainland Greece, and Greek historiography shows little interest in Crete, so that there are very few literary sources.
During the 6th to 4th centuries BC, Crete was comparatively free from warfare. The Gortyn code (5th century BC) is evidence for how codified civil law established a balance between aristocratic power and civil rights.
In the late 4th century BC, the aristocratic order began to collapse due to endemic infighting among the elite, and Crete's economy was weakened by prolonged wars between city states. During the 3rd century BC, Gortyn, Kydonia (Chania), Lyttos and Polyrrhenia challenged the primacy of ancient Knossos.
While the cities continued to prey upon one another, they invited into their feuds mainland powers like Macedon and its rivals Rhodes and Ptolemaic Egypt. In 220 BC the island was tormented by a war between two opposing coalitions of cities. As a result, the Macedonian king Philip V gained hegemony over Crete which lasted to the end of the Cretan War (205–200 BC), when the Rhodians opposed the rise of Macedon and the Romans started to interfere in Cretan affairs.
In the 2nd century BC Ierapytna (Ierapetra) gained supremacy on eastern Crete.
Roman rule

Crete was involved in the Mithridatic Wars, initially repelling an attack by Roman general Marcus Antonius Creticus in 71BC. Nevertheless, a ferocious three-year campaign soon followed under Quintus Caecilius Metellus, equipped with three legions and Crete was finally conquered by Rome in 69BC, earning for Metellus the title "Creticus". Gortyn was made capital of the island, and Crete became a Roman province, along with Cyrenaica that was called Creta et Cyrenaica. When Diocletian redivided the Empire, Crete was placed, along with Cyrene, under the diocese of Moesia, and later by Constantine I to the diocese of Macedonia.
Byzantine Empire – first period

Crete was separated from Cyrenaica c.297. It remained a province within the eastern half of the Roman Empire, usually referred to as the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire after the establishment of a second capital in Constantinople by Constantine in 330. Crete was subjected to an attack by Vandals in 467, the great earthquakes of 365 and 415, a raid by Slavs in 623, Arab raids in 654 and the 670s, and again in the 8th century. In c.732, the Emperor Leo III the Isaurian transferred the island from the jurisdiction of the Pope to that of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.[37]
Arab rule

In the 820s, after 900 years as a Roman, and then Eastern Roman (Byzantine) island, Crete was captured by Andalusian Muladis led by Abu Hafs,[38] who established the Emirate of Crete. The Byzantines launched a campaign that took most of the island back in 842 and 843 under Theoktistos. Further Byzantine campaigns in 911 and 949 failed. In 960/1, Nikephoros Phokas' campaign completely restored Crete to the Byzantine Empire, after a century and a half of Arab control.
Byzantine Empire – second period

In 961, Nikephoros Phokas returned the island to Byzantine rule after expelling the Arabs.[39] Extensive efforts at conversion of the populace were undertaken, led by John Xenos and Nikon "the Metanoeite".[40][41] The reconquest of Crete was a major achievement for the Byzantines, as it restored Byzantine control over the Aegean littoral and diminished the threat of Saracen pirates, for which Crete had provided a base of operations.
In 1204, the Fourth Crusade seized and sacked the imperial capital of Constantinople.  Crete was initially granted to leading Crusader Boniface of Montferrat[39] in the partition of spoils that followed. However, Boniface sold his claim to the Republic of Venice,[39] whose forces made up the majority of the Crusade. Venice's rival the Republic of Genoa immediately seized the island and it was not until 1212 that Venice secured Crete as a colony.
Venetian rule

From 1212, during Venice's rule, which lasted more than four centuries, a Renaissance swept through the island as is evident from the plethora of artistic works dating to that period. Known as The Cretan School or Post-Byzantine Art, it is among the last flowerings of the artistic traditions of the fallen empire.  The most notable representatives of this Cretan renaissance were the painter El Greco and the writers Nicholas Kalliakis (1645–1707), Georgios Kalafatis (professor) (c.1652–1720), Andreas Musalus (c.1665–1721) and Vitsentzos Kornaros.[42][43][44]
Under the rule of the Catholic Venetians, the city of Candia was reputed to be the best fortified city of the Eastern Mediterranean.[45] The three main forts were located at Gramvousa, Spinalonga, and Fortezza at Rethymnon. Other fortifications include the Kazarma fortress at Sitia. In 1492, Jews expelled from Spain settled on the island.[46]  In 1574–77, Crete was under the rule of Giacomo Foscarini as Proveditor General, Sindace and Inquistor. According to Starr's 1942 article, the rule of Giacomo Foscarini was a dark age for Jews and Greeks. Under his rule, non-Catholics had to pay high taxes with no allowances. In 1627, there were 800 Jews in the city of Candia, about seven percent of the city's population.[47] Marco Foscarini was the Doge of Venice during this time period.
Ottoman rule

The Ottomans conquered Crete in 1669, after the siege of Candia. Many Greek Cretans fled to other regions of the Republic of Venice after the Ottoman–Venetian Wars, some even prospering such as the family of Simone Stratigo (c. 1733 – c. 1824) who migrated to Dalmatia from Crete in 1669.[48] Islamic presence on the island, aside from the interlude of the Arab occupation, was cemented by the Ottoman conquest. Most Cretan Muslims were local Greek converts who spoke Cretan Greek, but in the island's 19th-century political context they came to be viewed by the Christian population as Turks.[49] Contemporary estimates vary, but on the eve of the Greek War of Independence (1830), as much as 45% of the population of the island may have been Muslim.[50] A number of Sufi orders were widespread throughout the island, the Bektashi order being the most prevalent, possessing at least five tekkes. Many among them were crypto-Christians who converted back to Christianity in subsequent years, while many Cretan Turks fled Crete because of the unrest, settling in Turkey, Rhodes, Syria, Libya and elsewhere. By 1900, 11% of the population was Muslim. Those remaining were relocated in the 1924 Population exchange between Greece and Turkey.
During Easter of 1770, a notable revolt against Ottoman rule, in Crete, was started by Daskalogiannis, a shipowner from Sfakia who was promised support by Orlov's fleet which never arrived. Daskalogiannis eventually surrendered to the Ottoman authorities. Today, the airport at Chania is named after him.
Crete was left out of the modern Greek state by the London Protocol of 1830, and soon it was yielded to Egypt by the Ottoman sultan. Egyptian rule was short-lived and sovereignty was returned to the Ottoman Empire by the Convention of London on 3 July 1840.
Heraklion was surrounded by high walls and bastions and extended westward and southward by the 17th century. The most opulent area of the city was the northeastern quadrant where all the elite were gathered together. The city had received another name under the rule of the Ottomans, "the deserted city".[45] The urban policy that the Ottoman applied to Candia was a two-pronged approach.[45] The first was the religious endowments. It made the Ottoman elite contribute to building and rehabilitating the ruined city. The other method was to boost the population and the urban revenue by selling off urban properties. According to Molly Greene (2001) there were numerous records of real-estate transactions during the Ottoman rule. In the deserted city, minorities received equal rights in purchasing property. Christians and Jews were also able to buy and sell in the real-estate market.
The Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869 or Great Cretan Revolution (Greek: Κρητική Επανάσταση του 1866) was a three-year uprising against Ottoman rule, the third and largest in a series of revolts between the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 and the establishment of the independent Cretan State in 1898. A particular event which caused strong reactions among the liberal circles of western Europe was the Holocaust of Arkadi. The event occurred in November 1866, as a large Ottoman force besieged the Arkadi Monastery, which served as the headquarters of the rebellion. In addition to its 259 defenders, over 700 women and children had taken refuge in the monastery. After a few days of hard fighting, the Ottomans broke into the monastery. At that point, the abbot of the monastery set fire to the gunpowder stored in the monastery's vaults, causing the death of most of the rebels and the women and children sheltered there.
Cretan State 1898–1908

Following the repeated uprisings in 1841, 1858, 1889, 1895 and 1897 by the Cretan people, who wanted to join Greece, the Great Powers decided to restore order and in February 1897 sent in troops. The island was subsequently garrisoned by troops from Great Britain, France, Italy and Russia; Germany and Austro-Hungary withdrawing from the occupation in early 1898. During this period Crete was governed through a committee of admirals from the remaining four Powers. In March 1898 the Powers decreed, with the very reluctant consent of the Sultan, that the island would be granted autonomy under Ottoman suzerainty in the near future.[51]
In September 1898 an outbreak of rioting in Candia, modern Heraklion, left over 500 Cretan Christians, and 14 British servicemen, dead. As a result, the Admirals ordered the expulsion of all Ottoman troops and administrators from the island, a move that was ultimately completed by early November. The decision to grant autonomy to the island was enforced and a High Commissioner, Prince George of Greece, appointed, arriving to take up his post in December 1898.[52] The flag of the Cretan State was chosen by the Powers, the white star representing the Cretan Muslim minority population.

In 1905, disagreements between Prince George and sections of the Cretan population over the question of enosis, union with Greece and the Prince's autocratic style of government resulted in the Theriso revolt, one of leaders of which being Eleftherios Venizelos.
Prince George resigned as High Commissioner and was replaced by Alexandros Zaimis, a former Greek prime minister, in 1906. In 1908, taking advantage of domestic turmoil in Turkey as well as the timing of Zaimis's vacation away from the island, the Cretan deputies unilaterally declared union with Greece.  This was not recognised internationally until 1 December 1913.[52]
Second World War

During World War II, the island was the scene of the famous Battle of Crete in May 1941. The initial 11-day battle was bloody and left more than 11,000 soldiers and civilians killed or wounded. As a result of the fierce resistance from Allied forces and Cretan locals, Adolf Hitler forbade further large-scale paratroop operations. During the initial and subsequent occupation, German firing squads routinely executed male civilians in reprisal for the death of German soldiers; civilians were rounded up randomly in local villages for the mass killings, such as at the Massacre of Kondomari and the Viannos massacres. Two German generals were later tried and executed for their roles in the killing of 3,000 of the island's inhabitants.[53]
Tourism

Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece. 15% of all arrivals in Greece come through the city of Heraklion (port and airport), while charter journeys to Heraklion last year made up 20% of all charter flights in Greece. Overall, more than two million tourists visited Crete last year, and this increase in tourism is reflected on the number of hotel beds, rising by 53% in the period between 1986 and 1991, when the rest of Greece saw increases of only 25%.
Today, the island's tourism infrastructure caters to all tastes, including a very wide range of accommodation; the island's facilities take in large luxury hotels with their complete facilities, swimming pools, sports and recreation, smaller family-owned apartments, camping facilities and others. Visitors reach the island via two international airports in Heraklion and Chania and a smaller airport in Sitia (international charter and domestic flights starting May 2012)[54] or by boat to the main ports of Heraklion, Chania, Rethimno, Agios Nikolaos and Sitia.
Popular tourist attractions include the archaeological sites of the Minoan civilisation, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, the gorge of Samaria, the islands of Chrysi, Elafonisi, Gramvousa, Spinalonga and the Palm Beach of Vai, which is the largest natural palm forest in Europe.
Transportation
Crete has an extensive bus system with regular services across the north of the island and from north to south. There are two regional bus stations in Heraklion. Bus routes and timetables can be found on KTEL website.[55]
Holiday homes and immigration
Crete's mild climate attracts interest from northern Europeans who want a holiday home or residence on the island. EU citizens have the right to freely buy property and reside with little formality.[56] A growing number of real estate companies cater to mainly British immigrants, followed by German, Dutch, Scandinavian and other European nationalities wishing to own a home in Crete. The British immigrants are concentrated in the western regional units of Chania and Rethymno and to a lesser extent in Heraklion and Lasithi.[25]
Archaeological sites and museums

There is a large number of archaeological sites which include the Minoan sites of Knossos, Malia (not to be confused with the town of the same name), Petras, and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, and the diverse archaeology of the island of Koufonisi which includes Minoan, Roman, and World War II ruins. The latter, however, has restricted access for the last few years due to conservation concerns so it is best to check before heading to a port.
There are a number of museums throughout Crete. The Heraklion Archaeological Museum displays most of the archaeological finds of the Minoan era and was reopened in 2014.[57]

View of Gortyn
Archaeological site of Phaistos
Ruins of the Palace of Knossos
Archeological Museum of Chania
Museum of Chania
Chania Naval museum
Pluto and Persephone in Heraklion Museum
Jars in Malia, Crete

Fauna and flora
Fauna
Crete is isolated from mainland Europe, Asia, and Africa, and this is reflected in the diversity of the fauna and flora. As a result, the fauna and flora of Crete have many clues to the evolution of species. There are no animals that are dangerous to humans on the island of Crete in contrast to other parts of Greece. Indeed, the ancient Greeks attributed the lack of large mammals such as bears, wolves, jackals, and poisonous snakes, to the labour of Hercules (who took a live Cretan bull to the Peloponnese). Hercules wanted to honor the birthplace of Zeus by removing all "harmful" and "poisonous" animals from Crete. Later, Cretans believed that the island was cleared of dangerous creatures by the Apostle Paul, who lived on the island of Crete for two years, with his exorcisms and blessings. There is a Natural History Museum operating under the direction of the University of Crete and two aquariums – Aquaworld in Hersonissos and Cretaquarium in Gournes, displaying sea creatures common in Cretan waters.
Prehistoric fauna
Dwarf elephants, dwarf hippopotamus, dwarf mammoths, dwarf deer, and giant flightless owls were native to Pleistocene Crete.[58][59]
Mammals

Mammals of Crete include the vulnerable kri-kri, Capra aegagrus cretica that can be seen in the national park of the Samaria Gorge and on Thodorou,[60] Dia and Agioi Pantes (islets off the north coast), the Cretan wildcat and the Cretan spiny mouse.[61][62][63][64] Other terrestrial mammals include subspecies of the Cretan marten, the Cretan weasel, the Cretan badger, the long-eared hedgehog, the edible dormouse and the Cretan shrew, an endemic mammal of Greece, which is threatened with extinction.[65]
Bat species include: Blasius's horseshoe bat, the lesser horseshoe bat, the greater horseshoe bat, the lesser mouse-eared bat, Geoffroy's bat, the whiskered bat, Kuhl's pipistrelle, the common pipistrelle, Savi's pipistrelle, the serotine bat, the long-eared bat, Schreibers' bat and the European free-tailed bat.[66]

The Kri-kri (the Cretan ibex) lives in protected natural parks at the gorge of Samaria and the island of Agios Theodoros.
Male Cretan ibex
Cretan Hound or Kritikos Lagonikos, one of Europe's oldest hunting dog breeds

Birds
A large variety of birds includes eagles (can be seen in Lasithi), swallows (throughout Crete in the summer and all the year in the south of the island), pelicans (along the coast), and cranes (including Gavdos and Gavdopoula). The Cretan mountains and gorges are refuges for the endangered lammergeier vulture. Bird species include: the golden eagle, Bonelli's eagle, the bearded vulture or lammergeier, the griffon vulture, Eleanora's falcon, peregrine falcon, lanner falcon, European kestrel, tawny owl, little owl, hooded crow, alpine chough, red-billed chough, and the hoopoe.[67][68]
Reptiles and amphibians
Tortoises can be seen throughout the island. Snakes can be found hiding under rocks. Toads and frogs reveal themselves when it rains.
Reptiles include the aegean wall lizard, balkan green lizard, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, ocellated skink, snake-eyed skink, moorish gecko, turkish gecko, Kotschy's gecko, spur-thighed tortoise, and the stripe-necked terrapin.[66][69]
There are four species of snake on the island and these are not dangerous to humans. The four species include the leopard snake (locally known as Ochendra), the Balkan whip snake (locally called Dendrogallia), the dice snake (called Nerofido in Greek), and the only venomous snake is the nocturnal cat snake which has evolved to deliver a weak venom at the back of its mouth to paralyse geckos and small lizards, and is not dangerous to humans.[66][70]
Turtles include the green turtle and the loggerhead turtle which are both endangered species.[69] The loggerhead turtle nests and hatches on north-coast beaches around Rethymno and Chania, and south-coast beaches along the gulf of Mesara.[71]
Amphibians include the green toad, American toad, common tree frog, and the Cretan marsh frog.[66][69]
Arthropods
Crete has an unusual variety of insects. Cicadas, known locally as Tzitzikia, make a distinctive repetitive tzi tzi  that becomes louder and more frequent on hot summer days. Butterfly species include the swallowtail butterfly.[66] Moth species include the hummingbird moth.[72] There are several species of scorpion such as Euscorpius carpathicus whose venom is generally no more potent than a mosquito bite.
Crustaceans and molluscs
River crabs include the semi-terrestrial Potamon potamios crab.[66] Edible snails are widespread and can cluster in the hundreds waiting for rainfall to reinvigorate them.
Sealife
Apart from terrestrial mammals, the seas around Crete are rich in large marine mammals, a fact unknown to most Greeks at present, although reported since ancient times. Indeed, the Minoan frescoes depicting dolphins in Queen's Megaron at Knossos indicate that Minoans were well aware of and celebrated these creatures. Apart from the famous endangered Mediterranean monk seal, which lives in almost all the coasts of the country, Greece hosts whales, sperm whales, dolphins and porpoises.[73] These are either permanent residents of the Mediterranean or just occasional visitors. The area south of Crete, known as the Greek Abyss, hosts many of them. Squid and octopus can be found along the coast and sea turtles and hammerhead sharks swim in the sea around the coast. The Cretaquarium and the Aquaworld Aquarium, are two of only three aquariums in the whole of Greece.  They are located in Gournes and Hersonissos respectively. Examples of the local sealife can be seen there.[74][75]
Some of the fish that can be seen in the waters around Crete include: scorpion fish, dusky grouper, east Atlantic peacock wrasse, five-spotted wrasse, weever fish, common stingray, brown ray, mediterranean black goby, pearly razorfish, star-gazer, painted comber, damselfish, and the flying gurnard.[76]

The loggerhead sea turtle nests and hatches along the beaches of Rethymno and Chania and the gulf of Messara.

Flora
Common wildflowers include: camomile, daisy, gladiolus, hyacinth, iris, poppy, cyclamen and tulip, among others.[77] There are more than 200 different species of wild orchid on the island and this includes 14 varieties of Ophrys Cretica.[78] Crete has a rich variety of indigenous herbs including common sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.[78][79] Rare herbs include the endemic Cretan dittany.[78][79] and ironwort, Sideritis syriaca, known as Malotira (Μαλοτήρα). Varieties of cactus include the edible prickly pear. Common trees on the island include the chestnut, cypress, oak, olive tree, pine, plane, and tamarisk.[79] Trees tend to be taller to the west of the island where water is more abundant.

Snake lily (Dracunculus vulgaris)
The Ophrys Cretica orchid.

Environmentally protected areas
There are a number of environmentally protected areas. One such area is located at the island of Elafonisi on the coast of southwestern Crete. Also, the palm forest of Vai in eastern Crete and the Dionysades (both in the municipality of Sitia, Lasithi), have diverse animal and plant life. Vai has a palm beach and is the largest natural palm forest in Europe. The island of Chrysi, 15 kilometres (9 miles) south of Ierapetra, has the largest naturally-grown Juniperus macrocarpa forest in Europe. Samaria Gorge is a World Biosphere Reserve and Richtis Gorge is protected for its landscape diversity.
Mythology

Crete has a rich mythology mostly connected with the ancient Greek Gods but also connected with the Minoan civilisation.
According to Greek Mythology, The Diktaean Cave at Mount Dikti was the birthplace of the god Zeus. The Paximadia islands were the birthplace of the goddess Artemis and the god Apollo. Their mother, the goddess Leto, was worshipped at Phaistos. The goddess Athena bathed in Lake Voulismeni. The ancient Greek god Zeus launched a lightning bolt at a giant lizard that was threatening Crete. The lizard immediately turned to stone and became the island of Dia. The island can be seen from Knossos and it has the shape of a giant lizard. The islets of Lefkai were the result of a musical contest between the Sirens and the Muses. The Muses were so anguished to have lost that they plucked the feathers from the wings of their rivals; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera ("featherless") where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai (the islands of Souda and Leon).[80] Hercules, in one of his labors, took the Cretan bull to the Peloponnese. Europa and Zeus made love at Gortys and conceived the kings of Crete, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon, and Minos.
The labyrinth of the Palace of Knossos was the setting for the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in which the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus were captives of King Minos and crafted wings to escape. After his death King Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades, while Rhadamanthys became the ruler of the Elysian fields.
Culture

Crete has its own distinctive Mantinades poetry. The island is known for its Mantinades-based music (typically performed with the Cretan lyra and the laouto) and has many indigenous dances, the most noted of which is the Pentozali.
Cretan authors have made important contributions to Greek Literature throughout the modern period; major names include Vikentios Kornaros, creator of the 17th-century epic romance Erotokritos (Greek Ερωτόκριτος), and, in the 20th century, Nikos Kazantzakis. In the Renaissance, Crete was the home of the Cretan School of icon painting, which influenced El Greco and through him subsequent European painting.
Crete is also famous for its traditional cuisine. The nutritional value of the Cretan cuisine was discovered by the American epidemiologist Ancel Keys in the 1960, being later often mentioned by epidemiologists as one of the best examples of the Mediterranean diet.[81]
Cretans are fiercely proud of their island and customs, and men often don elements of traditional dress in everyday life: knee-high black riding boots (stivania), vráka breeches tucked into the boots at the knee, black shirt and black headdress consisting of a fishnet-weave kerchief worn wrapped around the head or draped on the shoulders (sariki).  Men often grow large mustaches as a mark of masculinity.
Cretan society is well known for notorious family and clan vendettas which persist on the island to date.[82][83] Cretans also have a tradition of keeping firearms at home, a tradition lasting from the era of resistance against the Ottoman Empire. Nearly every rural household on Crete has at least one unregistered gun.[82] Guns are subject to strict regulation from the Greek government, and in recent years a great deal of effort to control firearms in Crete has been undertaken by the Greek police, but with limited success.

Dancers from Sfakia.
Old man from Crete dressed in the typical black shirt.
Dakos, traditional Cretan salad.

Sports
Crete has many football clubs playing in the local leagues. During the 2011–12 season, OFI Crete, which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium (Iraklion), and Ergotelis F.C., which plays at the Pankritio Stadium (Iraklion) were both members of the Greek Superleague. During the 2012–13 season, OFI Crete, which plays at Theodoros Vardinogiannis Stadium (Iraklion), and Platanias F.C., which plays at the Perivolia Municipal Stadium, near Chania, are both members of the Greek Superleague.
Notable people

Notable people from Crete include:
Nikos Kazantzakis, author, born in Heraklion 7 times suggested for the Nobel Prize
Odysseas Elytis, poet, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1979, born in Heraklion[84]
Vitsentzos Kornaros, Renaissance author from Sitia, who lived in Heraklion (then Candia)
Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco), Renaissance artist, born in Heraklion
Nikos Xilouris, famous composer and singer.
Psarantonis, Cretan folk singer and Cretan lyra player and brother of Nikos Xilouris.
Nana Mouskouri, singer, born in Chania
Eleftherios Venizelos, former Greek Prime Minister, born in Chania Prefecture
Konstantinos Mitsotakis, nephew of Eleftherios Venizelos and Prime Minister of Greece.
Daskalogiannis, leader of the Orlov Revolt in Crete in 1770
Michalis Kourmoulis, leader of the Greek War of Independence from Messara.
Eleni Daniilidou, tennis player, born in Chania
Louis Tikas, Greek-American labor union leader
Nick Dandolos, a.k.a. Nick the Greek, professional gambler and high roller
Joseph Sifakis, a computer scientist, laureate of the 2007 Turing Award, born in Heraklion in 1946
Constantinos Daskalakis, Associate Professor at MIT's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department.
George Karniadakis, Professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University; also Research Scientist at MIT
John Aniston (Giannis Anastasakis), Greek-American actor, father of Jennifer Aniston
George Psychoundakis,  a shepherd, a war hero and an author.
Ahmed Resmî Efendi: 18th-century Ottoman statesman, diplomat and author (notably of two sefâretnâme). Turkey's first ever ambassador in Berlin[85] (during Frederick the Great's reign). He was born into a Muslim family of Greek descent in the Cretan town of Rethymno in the year 1700.[86][87][88][89]
Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi: Turkey's third ambassador in Berlin and arguably the first Turkish author to have written in novelistic form.
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki – founder of the Husainid Dynasty, which ruled Tunisia until 1957.
Salacıoğlu (1750 Hanya – 1825 Kandiye): One of the most important 18th-century poets of Turkish folk literature.
Giritli Sırrı Pasha: Ottoman administrator, Leyla Saz's husband and a notable man of letters in his own right.
Vedat Tek: Representative figure of the First National Architecture Movement in Turkish architecture, son of Leyla Saz and Giritli Sırrı Pasha.
Paul Mulla (alias Mollazade Mehmed Ali): born Muslim, converted to Christianity and becoming a Roman Catholic bishop and author.
Tahmiscizade Mehmed Macid: Memorialst
Rahmizâde Bahaeddin Bediz: The first Turkish photographer by profession. The thousands of photographs he took, based as of 1895 successively in Crete, İzmir, İstanbul and Ankara (as Head of the Photography Department of Turkish Historical Society), have immense historical value.
Salih Zeki: Turkish photographer in Chania[90]
Ali Nayip Zade: Associate of Eleftherios Venizelos, Prefect of Drama and Kavala, Adrianople, and Lasithi.
Ismail Fazil Pasha: (1856–1921) descended from the rooted Cebecioğlu family of Söke who had settled in Crete.[91] He has been the first Minister of Public Works in the government of Grand National Assembly in 1920. He was the father of Ali Fuad and Mehmed Ali.
Mehmet Atıf Ateşdağlı: (1876–1947) Turkish officer.
Mustafa Ertuğrul Aker: (1892–1961) Turkish officer who sank HMS Ben-my-Chree.
Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı, alias Halikarnas Balıkçısı (The Fisherman of Halicarnassus), writer, although born in Crete and has often let himself be cited as Cretan, descends from a family of Ottoman aristocracy with roots in Afyonkarahisar. His father had been an Ottoman High Commissioner in Crete and later ambassador in Athens. *Likewise, as stated above, Mustafa Naili Pasha was Albanian/Egyptian.[92]
Bülent Arınç (born. 25 May 1948) has been a Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey since 2009. He is of Cretan Muslim heritage with his ancestors arriving to Turkey as Cretan refugees during the time of Sultan Abdul Hamid II[93] and is fluent in Cretan Greek.[94] Arınç is a proponent of wanting to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque, which has caused diplomatic protestations from Greece.[95]
Yoseph Shlomo Delmedigo, rennaissance rabbi, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher.
See also

Cretan Greek
Cretan lyra
Cretan Turks
Cretan wine
List of novels set in Crete
List of rulers of Crete
Mantinades

Sources

No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata. (in Greek)
 at the University of Crete.
 in Heraklion.
 in Hersonissos.
 at Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics.

How long does it take to ride a ferry from Crete to Italy?