Agia Roumeli

Agia Roumeli
Αγία Ρουμέλη
Community
View of Agia Roumeli from the ferry
View of Agia Roumeli from the ferry
Agia Roumeli is located in Greece
Agia Roumeli
Agia Roumeli
Coordinates: 35°13′48″N 23°57′37″E / 35.23000°N 23.96028°E / 35.23000; 23.96028
CountryGreece
Administrative regionCrete
Regional unitChania
MunicipalitySfakia
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Community
78
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Websitewww.agiaroumeli.com

Agia Roumeli (Greek: Αγιά Ρούμελη) is a small village in southwest Crete, Greece. It consists of two parallel streets along the water, with several restaurants and souvenir shops.[2] There is an old fortress, called Castle Agia Roumeli, that sits on top of a hill to the west of the village.[3]

Geography

Agia Roumeli sits at the exit of the Samaria Gorge and a 16 kilometer hiking path from the mountainous inland region.[2]

Agia Roumeli from surrounding mountains.

History

Agia Roumeli was originally known as Tarra, an ancient city-state referenced by Homer in the Iliad as one of the Hundred Cities of Greece. In 1867, Turkish soldiers landed on Crete and attempted to move up the Samaria Gorge. They failed to reach it, but did burn down the town of Agia Roumeli.[3]

Ecology

Near the village on Fournoti beach is a plant micro-reserve for the rare shrub Hypericum aciferum. The reserve covers approximately 6.5 hectares and contains more than a hundred plants of the vulnerable species.[4]

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Agia Roumeli.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agia Roumeli.
  1. ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b A.E, Corissia Hotels-I. Tsiledakis. "The breathtaking Samaria Gorge in Crete is spectacular – but it is not tame". Corissia Hotels - I.Tsiledakis A.E. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  3. ^ a b Kenny, Stuart (8 March 2022). "How Samaria Gorge in Crete Became a Haven for Freedom Fighters". Much Better Adventures. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  4. ^ Thanos, Costas; Fournaraki, Christini; Georghiou, Kyriacos; Dimopoulos, Panayotis (2013). "PMRs in western Crete" (PDF). Plant Micro-Reserves: From Theory to Practice. Utopia Publishing. ISBN 978-618-80647-2-0.


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