Sfakia
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Sfakia municipality Δήμος Σφακίων |
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| Basic data | |||
| State : |
 Greece
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| Region : | Crete | ||
| Regional District : | Chania | ||
| Geographic coordinates : | 35 ° 12 ' N , 24 ° 8' E | ||
| Area : | 467.589 km² | ||
| Residents : | 1,889 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 4 people / km² | ||
| Seat: | Chora Sfakion | ||
| LAU-1 code no .: | 7407 | ||
| Districts : | no | ||
| Local self-government : | 9 local communities | ||
| Website: | www.sfakia.gr | ||
| Location in the Crete region | |||
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Sfakia ( Greek Σφακιά ( n. Pl. )), Also transcribed Sphakia , is a municipality (Δήμος, Dimos ) in the southeast of the regional district of Chania , on the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete . The island forms one of the 13 regions of Greece .
According to the 2001 census, a total of 2419 residents lived permanently in the municipality at that time. According to the 2011 census, there are still 1889 inhabitants. The administrative seat is the village of Chora Sfakion with 265 inhabitants on the south coast of the municipality on Sfakia Bay (Όρμος Σφακίων).
geography
Geographical location
The south coast of Crete, on which the municipality of Sfakia is located, borders the Libyan Sea , part of the Mediterranean . The municipality has an area of 467.6 km². The east-west extension is about 40 kilometers, the north-south extension 18 kilometers.
The municipal area includes the west, the mountains of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) east of Omalos - Plateau . Along the eastern foothills of the Lefka Ori, the road from the north to the south coast passes the Askifou plateau. The mountains drop steeply into the sea in western Sfakia, and small beaches have formed at some of the gorge exits. To the east of the road, the mountains stretch to the municipality of Finikas. Here, the mountains are preceded by a larger coastal plain with sandy beaches and numerous smaller bays.
Several large gorges, with smaller side gorges, run in a north-south direction. From the west these are the Tripiti, Kladou (or Domata), Samaria , Eligia, Aradena , Iligias, Sfakiano, Imbros , Asfendou and Kallikratis gorges. Up until the road was built, the Imbros Gorge was the main entrance to Sfakia from the north.
Neighboring communities
Sfakia borders in the east on the municipality of Agios Vasilios , in the west on Anatoliko Selino , in the northwest on Moussouri . To the north bordering places are Therissos , Kerami , Armeni , FRE , Kryonerida, Georgioupolis and the municipality Asi Gonia . With the exception of Agios Vasilios, which belongs to the Rethymno regional district, the other neighboring municipalities are part of the Chania regional district.
Districts and settlements
The municipal area of Sfakia is identical to that of the former province (επαρχία) Sfakia, which consisted of nine rural communities (κοινότητες), which were combined into a single municipality (δήμος) according to the Kapodistrias plan, the Greek municipal reform of 1997. It remained unchanged even after the Kallikratis Law . The community consists of nine localities, each with a few villages and settlements (2011 population).
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The way of life of the traditional shepherd society is reflected in the togetherness of the places and settlements: Asfendos, for example, is located in the mountains on a small plateau, Agios Nektarios, Vouvas and Nomikiana are almost at the foot of the mountain range on the northern edge of the coastal plain of Frangokastello. The same applies to Imbros and Vraskas and to Kallikratis and Patsianos / Kapsodasos. The mountain villages are connected to the coastal towns by a gorge. Traditionally they were only inhabited in summer. In autumn, when the sheep and goats could no longer graze, the inhabitants moved with their flocks near the coast. The mountain villages are now partially inhabited all year round thanks to better road connections to the villages, power supply and improved heating options.
The western coastal towns of Loutro, Likos and Agia Roumeli do not (yet) have a road connection and can only be reached on foot, donkey paths or by boat. That is why they participate very little in package tourism. During the summer they are visited by individual and hiking tourists who are attracted by the numerous hiking opportunities around the Samaria and Aradena gorges and the European long-distance hiking trail E4. In the winter months, these places are often closed off from shipping and almost completely deserted.
climate
In Sfakia Crete, there is a mild Mediterranean climate with over 300 days of sunshine a year, with strong southerly winds ( Sirkos ) occasionally driving the temperatures up in the summer in the southeast . Rainfalls are rarer in Sfakia, as in general in the south of the island, than on the north coast and in the mountain regions.
The central summit region of the Lefka Ori is one of the few European desert areas . Sufficient precipitation falls, especially in the cold season, but when the snow melts, all the water seeps into the ground immediately, so that the vegetation normally found at this altitude cannot thrive.
History, culture and sights
archeology
Archeology and History of Sphakia are currently in a Field Survey of the University of Oxford acquired.
Museums
Jorgos Chatzidakis War Museum in Kares / Askifou: On the northern edge of the Askifou plain in the village of Kares, Jorgos Chatzidakis (died 2007) and his father have collected all kinds of war equipment from all those involved in the war, documents, magazines and books. The focus is on the German occupation of Crete, but exhibits from earlier wars, agricultural equipment, a raki furnace and a Cretan room can also be viewed. Many finds were thrown away by the Allied soldiers on their retreat to Chora Sfakion at the end of May 1941, or by the Wehrmacht soldiers who were chasing them. The museum has no fixed opening times, the owners live on the premises, show the exhibition and offer raki or coffee in the outdoor seating area. A voluntary contribution in order to keep the exhibition going is expected.
Economy and Infrastructure
The largest municipality in terms of area in the Chania regional district is only accessed by a few thoroughfares due to its topography. From the north coast a road leads over Vrysses and the Askifou plateau to Chora Sfakion and from there on over Anopolis to Agios Ioannis. Two roads branch off from this road in an easterly direction: at Imbros the road that leads via Asfendos and Kallikratis to Asi Gonia , re. Myriokefala , and from there via Argyroupolis to the north coast and between Komitades and Chora Sfakion a descent to the villages of the Frangokastello coastal plain and on to Plakias . The serpentine descent from Asfendos-Kallikratis-Straße down to Patsianos / Kapsodassos has been paved since 2007. Numerous gravel roads and some paved roads lead to the sheep and goat pastures, the smaller high plateaus, to the more remote villages and to abandoned and derelict settlements.
From Chania there are regular buses via Vrysses to Chora Sfakion and once a day to Anopolis and the Frangokastello plain. During the tourist season, numerous coaches carry the Samaria hikers back to the north coast from the ferry terminal in Chora Sfakion twice a day.
There are regular ferry connections to the island of Gavdos and between Chora Sfakion, Loutro and Agia Roumeli and from there on to Sougia and Paleochora . The places Loutro and Agia Roumeli (at the exit of the Samaria Gorge ) can only be reached by boat or on foot. From Chora Sfakion, boats go to Glyka Nera Beach in the tourist season and from Loutro to Marmara Beach at the exit of the Aradena Gorge.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)
- ↑ Information from the Greek statistical office (p. 322)
- ↑ Information from the Greek Statistics Office (Απογραφή Κτιρίων και Πληθυσμού-Κατοικιών 2011) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ The Archeology of Crete , Simon RF Price , L. Nixon, 2002 online
- ↑ The Sphakia Survey: Internet Edition , Simon RF Price, L. Nixon, J. Moody and O. Rackham, 2000 online
