Chania

Chania (Greek: Χανιά, [xaˈɲa], Venetian: Canea, Ottoman Turkish: خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north coast of the island, about 70 km (43 mi) west of Rethymno and 145 km (90 mi) west of Heraklion.

The official population of the municipal unit (the former municipality) is 55,838, while its metropolitan area has 108,310 (2011) inhabitants. This consists of the city of Chania along with 7 towns and villages: Mournies (pop. 6,390), Souda (pop. 5,330), Nerokouros (pop. 4,175), Daratsos (pop. 3,287), Perivolia (pop. 3,065), Galatas (pop. 2,131) and Vamvakopoulo (pop. 1,769).

The region of Chania is dominated by the impressive White Mountains (in Greek: Lefká Óri) and its famous National Park, which occupy the largest part of the region.The Prefecture of Chania provides tourist services and activities of all kinds, satisfying all the choices. The city of Chania maintains unaltered all of its characteristics, from the time of the Venetian Rule up until today.

Elafonisi beach and Balos Lagoon in Chania Prefecture were rated 6th and 19th among the 25 top beaches in Europe according to tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cDestinations-g4

• Prefecture of Crete, Regional Union of Chania - http://www.chania.eu/index.php?lang=en
• Chania (wikipedia) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chania
• Chania Prefecture (wikipedia) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chania_Prefecture
• The Botanical Park of Crete - http://www.botanical-park.com
  

(src: wikipedia and www.visitgreece.gr)