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Holidays to Crete
Crete is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece. It is also the largest of the Greek islands at 8,336 km² (3,219 square miles) and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean. Crete is a location of significant ancient history and a popular tourist destination; its attractions include the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, the Venetian castle at Rethymno, and the Samaria Gorge, as well as many other natural sites, monuments, and beaches. Crete was the centre of the Minoan civilization (ca. 2600-1400 BC), the oldest form of Greek and hence European civilization. For centuries it was known as Candia a Venetian adaptation of the Latin word "Candida o Candidus" referring to whiteland.