Messara plain
The Messara Plain ( Greek Πεδιάδα Μεσαράς ( f. Sg. )) Is a lowland plain in the south of the Greek island of Crete . It is mainly located a good 45 kilometers south of the city of Heraklion in the regional district of the same name . The largest towns are Mires (about 6500 inhabitants) and Tymbaki .
In the northwest lies the Ida Mountains , which rise up to a height of 2456 meters. In the south, the plain is separated from the southern Mediterranean by the Asteroussia Mountains, which are up to 1231 meters high . In the west the plain borders on the Mediterranean Sea.
The plain is almost 50 kilometers long, up to eight kilometers wide and has an area of over 150 km². It drops from a height of 250 meters in the east to the Mediterranean in the west.
The river Geropotamos flows through the fertile plain and supplies the water for numerous cultivated areas, so that intensive agriculture is possible in this rain-poor area.
The region mainly lives from olive cultivation. The trees are watered by local wells. In the plain on the edge of the river (often in greenhouses or on artificially irrigated areas) vegetables and other crops are grown. The edges of the plain are quite densely populated compared to other drier regions of Crete.
The historical archaeological sites of Gortyn and Phaistos are also located here .
A similarly located plain on the island of Cyprus bears the same name in the form of Mesaoria .
- Panagia Kaliviani Monastery
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 2 ′ N , 25 ° 0 ′ E