Area of the prefecture of Chania in Crete, which is a province of the same name. It is located on the southwestern edge of Crete and is washed by the Libyan sea. It has an area of 468 sq. km. and a population of 2,484 inhabitants, it is therefore very sparsely populated. In it stretch the White Mountains, or Madares, with a height of 2,452 m., as well as several mountain masses, which make its terrain difficult to reach, rocky and steep. Towards the Libyan sea, the Samaria gorge is formed, which is known throughout the world for its wild beauty and for the wild kri-kri, which lives only there. The inhabitants of the district of Sfakion are mainly engaged in animal husbandry.
Sfakia has its own place in Greek history, thanks to the struggles of its inhabitants against the Turks. They were almost betrayed by the various conquerors of Crete, because the youth of their inhabitants and the formation of the terrain made them impregnable fortresses. Both during the Revolution of 1821 and during the Cretan revolutions it was one of the centers of departure of the fighters.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou