The town of Ierapetra is located on the southeast coast of Crete, along the beach of Ierapetra Bay. It lies south of Agios Nikolaos and southwest of Sitia and is an important regional centre. With its 16,139 inhabitants (in 2011) it is the most populous town in the regional unit of Lasithi, and the fourth town of Crete.
The area's main economic activities are agriculture in the winter and tourism in the summer. The agricultural production can be divided into two main parts. Whereas olive oil has been produced all over the municipality at least since Minoan times, for the last thirty years large quantities of fruit and vegetables have also been exported.
Discovering the nature of Ierapetra you will have the chance to visit its marvelous mountains and arrange your own outing to conquer them. During the summer, people who adore the sea can go for sailing, scuba-diving, sea-sports and fishing. Ierapetra is famous for its tasty cuisine which is based on olive-oil. Ierapetra is a place of vivid and intense nightlife, especially during the spring and summer months.
Mostly gathered in the old city, but also scattered in the new and outside the city, there are various cafes, bars and clubs that you should look for and will keep you up till the dawn, without your noticing.
Ierapetra was chosen among 500 South European destinations by the QualityCoast International Certification Program of EUCC as one of the 50 most attractive tourist destinations for visitors interested in cultural heritage, environment and sustainability. .[21] In 2012 Ierapetra was one of the only three destinations in Greece that won the Gold QualityCoast award, ranking 2nd among the TOP 100 chosen European destinations.
Crete is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Greece. Fifteen
percent 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.
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) 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, and Spinalonga and the Palm Beach of Vai, which is the largest
natural palm forest in Europe.
Cities
Heraklion is the largest city and capital of Crete. The principal cities
are:
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.
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 waterfall at Exo Mouliana in
Sitia.
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: Lake Kournas and Lake Agia, which are both in Chania
regional unit. Lake Voulismeni at the coast, at Aghios Nikolaos, was
formerly a sweetwater lake but is now connected to the sea, in Lasithi.
Lakes that created by dams also exist in Crete. They are three: the lake of
Aposelemis dam, the lake of Potamos dam, and the lake of Mpramiana dam.
