Heraklion regional unit

Heraklion is the capital and largest city of Crete. It is the seat of the Decentralized Administration of Crete, the Region of Crete (returned as capital in 1971), as well as the seat of the Church of Crete and its Archbishop.

The Municipality of Heraklion, as determined by the Kallikratis program, is the fourth most populous in the country with 179,302 residents (2021 census). The population of the city of Heraklion is 162,591 residents (2021 census). The main economic sectors of the city are industry, agriculture, trade, livestock farming and tourism. It has an industrial area 4 kilometers southeast of the center. Heraklion also has one of the largest airports in Greece (second in total after Athens and first in charter flights), the "Nikos Kazantzakis" airport, as well as a port with frequent ferry connections mainly with Piraeus, Santorini and other islands. The city of Heraklion was declared for the year 2017 as the fastest growing tourist area in Europe. According to the ranking, Heraklion was ranked the 19th city in Europe for 2018 with 3.4 million arrivals. Heraklion is home to two of the monuments on the list of monuments under consideration for inclusion in UNESCO, Knossos and the Venetian Fortifications.

Heraklion is located on the north coast of central Crete, opposite the islet of Dia (Ndia), in the Gulf of Heraklion. The coast of Heraklion is characterized by the existence of small hills a few dozen meters high and small flat parts. Towards Nea Alikarnassos in the east there are also low hills, while to the west, in the Stomio-Ammoudara area, the relief is milder, due to the mouth of the Giofyros River, which has brought sediment. Inland, to the south, is the Heraklion Plain, which is divided in two by Mount Giuchtas. The Heraklion area is tectonically characterized by the existence of faults on a north-south axis.