CRETE,GREECE

Name: Helena Teacher: Ms. Babb Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Grade: 7

Table of Contents

Crete
Cre is locate in Europe it is in the te d , Ae e Se g an a.
I chose Greece, Crete because it has many fascinating histories and I wanted to learn about new places including this one. T hese two maps show Greece and Crete. T he top map shows the entire island, Crete and the bottom map shows where Greece is in the world. Crete has sandy beaches, rocky shores, and high mountains. T he relative and absolute location of Crete is 35.18 degrees N and 24.82 degrees E.

Gre ceis locate at thesouthe e d ast e of Europe nd .

Pg 1 .

Flag of Crete
T he ag of Crete shows that it is divided by a white cross. Three quarters of the ag are blue and the other quarter is red with a white star in it. The star in the left corner was to symbolize the minority M uslim population. The large white cross in the ag was adopted from the Greek ag. History goes the Great Powers at the time Britain, France and Russia did not listen to the people so they ofcially made this ag the Flag of Crete. The people on the island did not like the ag very much. But it is part of their history and so the ag lasted for 15 years between 1898 - 1913. T he blue parts of the ag represent the sky and the sea. The white represents the sea foam and the clouds. The red part of the ag represents the blood that was spilled in the countless revolutions. The cross represents the Christian majority. Lastly, the star represents the Muslim minority.

Pg 2 .

Movement, Interaction, and Region

Lets Take a Quiz!

This will be a quiz! But rst Ill tell you some facts about Crete and some of the facts will be in the quiz, So be ready! These are going to be explained in the facts: Population Popular attractions Ocean/ seas surrounding Crete Pg 4 .

Population

T he population of the Greek island of Crete is close to 630 000.

Pg 5 .

Popular Attractions
T he most popular attractions in Crete are The Palace of K nossos, T he Cave of Zeus, T he Monastery of Arkadi, and much more.

ThePalaceof Knossos is oneof the TheCaveof Ze is whe according to us re worlds most amazing sig e place. It htse ing s Gre k mythology Rhe hid baby Ze from e , a us cove a total of 20 000 squareme rs rs te . Crono . This placeis particularly worth to s The aresomeparts that arere re constructe d visit for thepe who e Gre k mythology ople njoy e . by archae g . olo ists TheMonaste of Arkadis construction is re mbling ve much to a fortre . ry se ry ss Themonaste was a ve important placeduring the16th ce . ry ry ntury

Pg 6 .

Oceans/seas surrounding Crete

The Mediterranean Sea surrounds Crete. T here is also a sea named Sea of Crete and another sea name Aegean Sea right next to Crete. Pg 7 .

Quiz Time
What is the population of Crete?
 Close to 500 000  Close to 630 000  Close to 670 000

The answer is close to 630 000.

Pg 8 .

Quiz Time
(This one is pretty easy.) Which one of these would

be worth going to if you like Greek mythology?

 The Palace of Knossos  The Monastery of Arkadi  The Cave of Zeus

The answer is The Cave of Zeus.

Pg 9 .

Quiz Time
Which sea on this map surrounds Crete? (A bit

Tricky)
 Mediterranean Sea  Aegean Sea  Sea of Crete
The answer is the Mediterranean Sea.

Pg 10 .

History
Crete has a long history that goes back to the Neolithic times. However, it is known for the M inoan civilization that ourished from 2600 to 1100 B.C. In the to the Neolithic times. However, it is Recent for the Minoan civilization Crete has a long history that goes back Neolithic period (6000-2600 BC), known digging have demonstrated the existence of various small communities during the Neolithic period. In the M inoan period, the Minoan civilization is probably the biggest reason Crete is known. T he M inoans established an empire in the Mediterranean during this period. Huge tidal waves swept away all of the traces of the M inoan civilization and that was the end of the M inoan period. During the period of the Dorians (1100-67 BC), were marked by the rst appearance of iron tools and the deterioration of the M inoan Empire. After that, Crete was occupied at 67 BC by Romans. Gortys became the capital of the province of Crete. From 325 to 824 AD, Crete was converted to Christianity and becomes part of the Byzantine empire. During the Arab occupation period (824-961 AD), The Arabs occupied Crete and founded the city of Chandax. T he city was liberated by the Byzantine emperor at 961 AD. T his marked the beginning of the Second Byzantine Period. T hen, Crete becomes part of the Byzantine empire. During the Venetian occupation (1204-1669 AD), Crete was sold to the Venetians. Artists and scholars from all parts of the former Byzantine empire ed Crete. Arts and science ourished once again. Turkish occupation (1669-1898 AD) lasted until 1878. During these years the Cretans organized numerous revolutions that were always put down by the Turks. In 1898, with the intervention of the Great Powers, Crete was nally declared an autonomous state. Crete remained autonomous until 1913 when is was united with Greece.

Pg 11 .

Famous People


Domenico Theotokopoulos (El Greco, 1541-1614) Renaissance painter, born in Fodele near Heraklion. Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936) The greatest statesman of Greece. Epimenides of Knossos (semi-mythical 6th century BC) Greek Philospher and mystic. Michalis Damaskinos (1530-1591) Painter. Representative of the Cretan school of art. Kong Minos (mythical figure) Mythical king from Greek mythology. Nikos Kasantzakis (1883-1957) The greatest Greek writer of the 20th century. Visentzos Kornaros (?-1677) The author of Erotokritos. A masterpiece in Greek renaissance litterature. Kalliroi Siganou-Parren (1859-1940) Journalist, writer and feminist activist. Nana Mouskouri (1934-) 0 Internationally renowned singer. Georgios Samaras (1985-) International football player. Odysseas Elytis (1911-1996) Internationally renowned poet. Received the Nobel prize in 1979.

Pg. 12

Weather
The weather in Crete is mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The climate of Crete is a temperate Mediterranean climate.

Coastal zone: Dry summer, mild winter. The rainy season starts in late October and lasts until March or April. Snowfalls are very rare in Crete, especially in the eastern part of the island. The east part of Crete is drier and warmer than the west part. This is obvious in the vegetation. The same difference applies between the north coast and the south coast of Crete. South being drier and and warmer than the north. The weather in the Mountainous zone of Crete can be very cold with severe snowfalls. Sometimes, with the different changes of weather in Crete, it could affect certain people. For example, in July and August, it gets windy and very hot. Not the best weather for people who cannot stand high temperatures which go up to 30-35 C.

Pg 13 .

Customs and Traditions

Christenings and weddings in Crete are usually a big occasion. T he wedding ceremony is a very complicated and serious affair, but at the same time it is very relaxed. All the guests are given a small gift. At a christening it is often a framed picture of the child. Guests go to the couple or the parents and gift them with 10 - 20 Euro. Instead of celebrating birthdays, they celebrate name days from ancient times. Birthdays are being celebrated in the city but in villages they celebrate name days. Every day 2 names, one male and one female; the name day is celebrated just like a birthday party. From May into September, many different events and village festivities are arranged such as parties, concerts, competitions in dancing, music or cooking.

Pg 14 .

Celebrations
The celebrations in Crete are just like the main ones all around the world, but the one that they celebrate the most is Name day.
January 1st - Feast of St Basil. T his is a good start for the new year. An old Byzantine custom of slicing the new year cake gives the person who nd the hidden coin in their slice has good luck for the year. February 1st- St. Tryphons name day. 3rd - Symeon and Annis day. 10th - name day for Heraclia and Haralambos. 14th - Saint Valentina. M arch 2nd- Saint Theodore day. 19th - Crysanthos day.

6th - Epiphany is celebrated throughout Crete when the Blessing of the Waters April take place. A cross is thrown into the sea, lakes or rivers and the cross is 23rd - Anastasia and Anastasios retrieved by swimmers who are entitled celebrate their name day on Easter. good luck. 15th - Leonidas name day. 8th - Name day for Yannis and Yanna. 24th - Elizabeths name day. 18th - Saint Athanasios day. 27th - Saint Crisostomos day. 25th- Saint Markos name day.

M ay 1st- Labor day and the Feast of the Flowers. 21st - In Chania and Rethymnon they celebrate the anniversary of the battle of Crete. 21st - 23rd - celebration day of Saints Constantine and Eleni.

Saint Thomas name day is celebrated the Sunday after Easter.

Pg 15 .

Celebrations
June

J une

September

September

December

December

At the end of June and early J Navy Week is uly, celebrated with entertainment in many of the ports of all Greece. J uly 20th - T he Panagiri day of the Prophet Elias, usually held at the highest church or monastery. August 15th - T he day of the Virgin Mary. 30th - name day for Saint Alexandros.

17th - name day for Saint Sophia. 29th - name day for Saint K ryiakos. October 21st - name day for Socrates. 26th - name day for Saint Dimitris. 28th - Ochi day, celebrating the Greek Refusal to let Italy occupy the country during World War II. November 8th - celebration day for Michael and Gabriel. 14th - name day for Philippos.

4th - Saint Barbara day. 5th - Saint Savas day. 6th - Saint Nicholas day. 9th - Saint Anna day. 13th - name day for Saint Efstratos. 17th - name day for Dionysos of Zakynthos. 24th - Christmas Eve and young children walk around singing carols on the streets, squares and neighbourhoods. 25th - name day for Christos. 27th - name day for Stefanos.

21st - name day for any Mary that is a virgin and children. 30th - name day for Saint Andreas.

New years day is spent celebrating playing cards with friends on a green card table, while children sing carols and people exchange gifts children sing carols and people exchange gifts.

Pg. 16

Food and Drink

T he food and drinks in Crete nowadays are common foods that you would nd in our own country. T he specialities in Crete are not as fancy like our country, just simple, traditional life. T here is olive oil, different types of cheese such as Graviera, M yzitra, and Anthotiros. Paximadi, herbs, honey, meat, sh, local drinks, cretan wine, and fruits and vegetables.

Pg 17 .

Clothing

The clothing in Crete is not cheap like in some places and the choice is limited so when you want to visit Crete, you have to bring your own clothes. When going to Crete you need to know how the weather and which season it is. If you go in the summer, hot weather clothes such as T-shirts or shorts are needed. If you go in spring, it rains heavily at times and nights can be cold so you have to bring some comfortable warm clothing. In Crete, you dont have to pressure yourself of how you look. Cretan people dont care if you look sloppy, but for women they tend to pressure their selves into what they would wear.

Pg. 18

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Crete

http://www.webcrete.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1261&Itemid=69

http://www.overseasattractions.com/the-best-attractions-in-crete/

http://www.holiday-crete.com/celebrities_en.html

http://www.explorecrete.com/nature/crete-weather.html

http://www.plata.gr/crete/festival/

Bibliography

http://www.amazingcrete.com/traditions_crete.htm

http://greatgreece.weebly.com/5-themes-of-geography.html

http://west-crete.com/crete-regions.htm

http://west-crete.com/food_drinks-cretan-specialities.htm

http://west-crete.com/clothes.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete#Notable_people_from_Crete

Google and Globe