Endemism in Crete reaches a percentage that varies from 10 to 50% of species, with the low percentage constantly increasing from year to year.
What does endemism mean, however? It means that there are exclusively specific organisms in a certain area, which implies a greater responsibility for their maintenance.
In absolute numbers, one can find 623 species of plants in Crete, with the native ones reaching 1742 and the imported 140, according to a relevant study.
2 of the 623 species are endemic to Crete, while 159 of the 1742 are also considered endemic.
The reasons that Crete is basically a micro-world of flora is its geographic isolation, the existence of many different biomes, the fact that glaciers never reached Crete, and because it serves as a crossroads between three continents; Europe, Asia and Africa.
Areas such as the White Mountains and some islets are home to many endemic species, essentially serving as an "invitation" for botanists from around the world to study them.
The Minoan civilization is placed from the end of the Neolithic Age to the beginning of the Iron Age (3200 – 1000 BC). Its name is due to the explorer of Knossos, Sir Arthur Evans, who was inspired by the name of the king of the island, also known from mythology as Minos. The palaces […]
It is even honored with a celebration in the village of Fournes each May. It is one of the most picturesque orange-villages of the Municipality of Platanias in the Valley of Keritis. Flower water is made from the distillation of aromatic plants and flowers through steam. In the case of Cretan flower water, it is […]
The quality of the Cretan olive oil, the "gold" of the Cretan land, as it has been characteristically named, is widely known throughout the world. It is a natural product that comes from the simple crushing of the olive, without extracts and enhancing additives. It is a product cultivated with care and passion. Cretan […]
Crete is in and of itself a very unique place in a variety of ways. A very special one of them is its biodiversity. Studies show that there are over 1.800 species of plants in Crete, even much more than England. Crete is an island-example for the preservation of our natural inheritance and the protection […]
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