The Prefecture of
Heraklion covers the Central part of
Crete, its extent is 2.640 square klm, the coast line 250 klm approximately, and it counts circa 300.000 permanent residents. It is divided in 7 provinces: Viannou, Kainourghiou, Monofatsiou, Maleviziou, Temenous, Pyrghiotissis, and Pediados.
Heraklion is the capital city of the prefecture.
Driving from one area to another by car or on motorbike may prove a fascinating experience. The secondary roads, often difficult dirt tracks leading to remote villages, pass from places of extraordinary beauty and driving or even walking there, is an unforgettable souvenir. The central part of the prefecture’s territory is rather flat, with fertile valleys and plains, the most important being the plain of Messara.
At the centre of the western part, the mountain of Idi (Psiloritis for the locals), ending up in the territory of
Heraklion prefecture, is a natural border with Rethymnon, although a few of its highest peaks are found in the territory of
Heraklion. At the eastern part it is separated from Lasithi by the mountain Dikti, also ending up in Heraklion territory. A rather low mountain chain, the Asteroussia Ori, of a height of approximately 1200 meters are found at the middle of the Southern part. Being less mountainous than the rest of Crete,
Heraklion is densely inhabited and the visitor wandering around will find a lot of villages, pretty close to one another.
