HERAKLION OF CRETE

Heraklion is the largest urban city of Crete, the capital of the region and the economic center of the island. The city is also the commercial and scientific center of the island. It holds a strategic geopolitical position in the southeast Mediterranean region, linking three continents and many different cultures.

It consists of 150,000 inhabitants and extends in an area of 120 sq. km. The climate in the region is temperate Mediterranean. Heraklion of Crete is the birthplace of the first European civilization from the Minoan period 3,000 BC, with seat of the government the Minoan Palace of Knossos. The local economy is mainly based on three sectors: tourism, agriculture and trade, while olive trees, vineyards, oranges and vegetables are cultivated. The famous Cretan diet is based on olive oil, legumes, vegetables, fruits and wine. The flora of the county consists of unique herbs.

Heraklion has a long historical heritage that is presented in museums: the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, the Crete History Museum, the Museum of Natural History and the Museums of the Battle of Crete.
Furthermore, it has significant academic institutions, as the University of Crete and the technological colleges, as and other major research centers, the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH), the Technology Park (Science and Technology Park of Crete STEP-C), the Center for Marine Research and Aquarium Crete (CretAquarium).

In addition, it has the second international airport of the country, the "NICK KAZANTZAKIS", which is the first in chartered flights, it has a large harbor, two hospitals, the Regional University of PEPAGNE and the Venizelio and many hotels, hostels and rental rooms.

The city of study and research
From the Minoan period, the region is associated with technical advances. Here, Daedalus invented the flying machine, and here, according to the legend, was Talos, the bronze giant, a work of Hephaestus, which is considered as the first robot in human history.

Nowadays, the city of Heraklion houses important research institutions with the most important, the Technology Research Institute, which is one of the most spacious, well organized, equipped and staffed research centers of the country.

Heraklion has shown high academic performance and great social and economic promotion. There is also the Greek Center for Marine Research, which has created the largest group of marine research, technology and craft in the Mediterranean, "Seaworld", part of which is the Aquarium "Cretaquarium".

At the University of Crete, many departments of Science and of Medicine operate and along with the Technological Institutes, Heraklion has thousands of students that give vitality to the city.