Sea of Crete

The Sea of Crete, also called the Cretan Sea, is a part of the Aegean Sea in its southern area. It covers about 45,000 km² (17,000 sq mi) and lies north of the island of Crete. The sea stretches east of the islands of Kythera and Antikythera, south of the Cyclades, and west of the Dodecanese islands such as Rhodes, Karpathos, and Kassos.

To the west of the Sea of Crete is the Ionian Sea, and to the northwest is the Myrtoan Sea, which is part of the larger Mediterranean Sea. On the other side of Crete lies the Libyan Sea, and further east-southeast is more of the Mediterranean Sea, sometimes called the Levantine Sea.

Ferry services connect places like Piraeus and Heraklion across this area, helping people travel to and from the southern Aegean islands and the Dodecanese. The sea has very deep parts, with some places reaching nearly 3,293 meters (10,000 feet) deep.

Port towns and cities

The Sea of Crete has many important port towns and cities along its coast. Some of these include Kastelli-Kissamos, Chania, Souda, Rethymno, Heraklion, Agios Nikolaos, Sitia, Kasos, Anafi, and Thira. These ports are found all around the sea, from southwest to northeast.

Bays

The Sea of Crete has many pretty bays. One is Chania Bay, to the south. Another is Souda Bay, to the southeast. There is also Almyros Bay to the south and Mirabello Bay to the southeast.