克里特(Crete)

希腊语作Kríti

古称Creta

地中海东部岛屿，希腊的一个行政区。长245公里，宽12～56公里，地形以山地为主。为西元前3000年左右的米诺斯文明的发源地，在西元前16世纪达到全盛时期，以在克诺索斯（Knossos）、费斯托斯（Phaestus）和马利亚（Mallia）等地建筑的宏伟宫殿闻名。约西元前1450年被来自希腊本土的迈锡尼人征服，标志着米诺斯时代的结束。西元前67年被罗马人并吞，西元395年转属拜占庭。1204年被十字军卖给了威尼斯，1669年经过一场史上最长的围城之役後，被鄂图曼土耳其人夺占，直到1898年土耳其人被希腊人驱逐，1913年正式划归希腊。经济以农业为主，为该国主要的橄榄、橄榄油、葡萄产地之一；观光业是重要的外汇资源，伊拉克利翁（Iraklion）的博物馆有最完善的米诺斯艺术收藏品。行政中心位於西北海岸的干尼亚（Khania）。面积8,261平方公里。人口约536,980（1991）。

English version：

Crete

ancientCreta.Island (pop., 1991: 537,000), eastern Mediterranean Sea. An administrative region of Greece, it stretches for 152 mi (245 km) and varies in width from 7.5 to 35 mi (12 to 56 km). Dominated by mountains, it was home to the Minoan civilization from c. 3000 BC, and was known for its palaces on sites that include Knossos, Phaestus, and Mallia; it reached its peak in the 16th century BC. A major earthquake c. 1450 marked the end of the Minoan era. In 67 BC Rome annexed Crete; in AD 395 it passed to Byzantium. In 1204 Crusaders sold the island to Venice, from which it was wrested by the Ottoman Turks in 1669 after one of history's longest sieges. Taken by Greece in 1898, it was autonomous until its union with Greece in 1913. Agriculture is the economic mainstay of the island, and it is one of Greece's leading producers of olives, olive oil, and grapes; tourism is also important. The museum at Iráklion houses a fine collection of Minoan art.