Heraklion Περιφερειακή ενότητα Ηρακλείου | |
|---|---|
 Municipalities of Heraklion | |
  Heraklion Heraklion within Greece  | |
| Coordinates:35°10′N25°10′E / 35.167°N 25.167°E /35.167; 25.167 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Crete |
| Seat | Heraklion |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,641 km2 (1,020 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 303,017 |
| • Density | 114.7/km2 (297.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 70x xx, 71x xx |
| Area code | 2810, 289x0 |
| Vehicle registration | HK, HP, HZ |
| Website | www |
Heraklion (Greek:Περιφερειακή ενότητα Ηρακλείου) is one of the fourregional units ofCrete. The capital is the city ofHeraklion.
The regional unit of Heraklion borders on the regional units ofRethymno to the west andLasithi to the east. Farmlands are situated in the central and the northern parts, at the coast and in valleys. The mountains dominate the rest of the regional unit, notably the south. The main mountains areMt Ida or Psiloritis to the west (reaching 2,456 metres),Mt Juktas near Heraklion (reaching 811 metres) andAsterousia in the south (reaching 1,231 metres). The regional unit includes the island ofDia to the north.
Except for the mountains which receive mild to cool winters unlike northern Greece, the warm to hot Mediterranean climate dominates the regional unit.
Within the Heraklion regional unit's boundaries are a number of significantNeolithic andMinoansettlements, most notably the ancient palace complexes ofKnossos andPhaistos.[2][3][4] While botharchaeological sites evince Neolithic habitation from 7000 BC, it is the rich finds of Minoan civilisation, which flourished approximately 2800 to 1450BC, that command the greatest scholarly attention.
Important ancient cities are:
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991[5] | 265,708 | — |
| 2001[5] | 291,225 | +9.6% |
| 2011[5] | 305,490 | +4.9% |
| 2021[1] | 305,017 | −0.2% |
The regional unit Heraklion is subdivided into 8 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):[6]
The Heraklionprefecture (Greek:Νομός Ηρακλείου) was created in 1915, after Crete joined with the rest of Greece. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Heraklion was created out of the former prefecture Heraklion. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.[6]
| New municipality | Old municipalities | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Archanes-Asterousia | Archanes | Peza |
| Asterousia | ||
| Nikos Kazantzakis | ||
| Faistos | Zaros | Moires |
| Moires | ||
| Tympaki | ||
| Gortyna | Gortyna | Agioi Deka |
| Agia Varvara | ||
| Kofinas | ||
| Rouvas | ||
| Heraklion (Irakleio) | Heraklion | Heraklion |
| Gorgolainis | ||
| Nea Alikarnassos | ||
| Paliani | ||
| Temenos | ||
| Hersonissos (Chersonisos) | Hersonissos | Gournes |
| Episkopi | ||
| Gouves | ||
| Malia | ||
| Malevizi | Gazi | Gazi |
| Krousonas | ||
| Tylisos | ||
| Minoa Pediada | Arkalochori | Evangelismos |
| Thrapsano | ||
| Kasteli | ||
| Viannos | Viannos | Ano Viannos |
Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status inGreece.
The following television channels serve the prefecture:
Administrative division of theCrete Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofChania |  | |
| Regional unit ofHeraklion | ||
| Regional unit ofLasithi | ||
| Regional unit ofRethymno | ||
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Authority control databases: Geographic |
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