Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about 160 km (99 mi) south of the Greek mainland, and about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of 8,450 km2 (3,260 sq mi) and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south. Crete covers 260 km from west to east but is narrow from north to south, spanning three longitudes but only half a latitude.
The economy of Greece is the 53rd largest in the world, with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $242.385 billion per annum. In terms of purchasing power parity, Greece is the world's 54th largest economy, at $416.969 billion per annum. As of 2022, Greece is the sixteenth-largest economy in the European Union. According to the International Monetary Fund's figures for 2023, Greece's GDP per capita is $23,173 at nominal value and $39,864 at purchasing power parity.
Heraklion or Herakleion, sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a municipal population of 177,064 and 211,370 in its wider metropolitan area, according to the 2011 census.
Tourism in Greece has been a key element of the economic activity in the country, and is one of the country's most important sectors. Greece has been a major tourist destination and attraction in Europe since the 1970s for its rich culture and history, which is reflected in large part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe and the world as well as for its long coastline, many islands, and beaches.
The National Bank of Greece is a global banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. It is the largest Greek bank by total assets.
Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate business has actively acquired commercial real estate. Blackstone is also active in credit, infrastructure, hedge funds, insurance, secondaries, and growth equity. As of June 2023, the company's total assets under management were approximately US$1 trillion, making it the largest alternative investment firm globally.
Nikos Xylouris, Cretan nickname: Psaronikos (Ψαρονίκος), was a Greek singer, Cretan Lyra player and composer, who was and remains to this day among the most renowned and beloved Greek folk musicians of all time. Xylouris' outstanding vocal ability and diverse discographic repertoire, which encompassed both rural traditional and urban orchestral music, managed to capture the essence of the Greek psyche, ethos and demeanor, rendering him extremely popular among the youth of his day, and making his work an essential part of the Great Greek Songbook. His remarkable artistic charisma, his appealing physical features and his enormous personal affability along with an onstage presence that Greek urban audiences always deemed majestic, inspiring and dignified earned him the honorific moniker Archangel of Crete which he is known by all across Greece, and especially in Athens. His songs continue to be played regularly on Greek radio stations, his contribution is universally recognized among his fellow musicians, and his legacy is held in the highest regard throughout the Greek Nation, both within the homeland and across the Greek Diaspora as well.
Eurobank is a financial organisation that operates in Greece, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Bulgaria and the UK. As of December 2018, the Eurobank Group counts, €58 billion in assets, 653 customer service locations in Greece and abroad, and 13,162 employees.
TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company; it is the largest such company in the world. TUI is an acronym for Touristik Union International. TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to tourism. It is headquartered in Hanover, Germany.
STX Finland Oy, formerly Aker Yards Oy, was a Finnish shipbuilding company operating three shipyards in Finland, in Turku, Helsinki and Rauma, employing some 2,500 people. It was part of STX Europe, a group of international shipbuilding companies owned by the South Korean STX Corporation.
The Port of Piraeus is the chief sea port of Piraeus, located on the Saronic Gulf on the western coasts of the Aegean Sea, the largest port in Greece and one of the largest in Europe.
Nicholas X. Notias, is an American businessman, shipowner and ship-manager, owner of Seabridge Chartering LLC located in Wall Street, Vice President and director of operations of Independence Maritime Agency Inc. and Trojan Maritime Inc. He's also a large shareholder of the real estate Notias Constructions Company, director of operations of Cardiff Holdings Inc., director of operations of Liverpool Holdings Inc., and until June 2013, the major shareholder and Vice President of the famous Greek football club AEK Athens.
Water supply and sanitation in Greece is characterised by diversity. While Athens receives its water from a series of reservoirs, some of which are located 200 km away, some small islands are supplied with water from tankers. Greeks have suffered from repeated droughts, the most recent one occurring in 2007. The EU supported the construction of numerous wastewater treatment plants since the 1990s in order to achieve EU environmental standards. While the wastewater discharge of the biggest cities is now in compliance with these standards, some smaller towns still lag behind.
Rethymno is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants.
Evangelos Marinakis is a Greek media mogul, ship owner, lyricist and member of the Piraeus city council. He is the owner of the football clubs Olympiacos in Greece, Nottingham Forest in England and Rio Ave in Portugal.
The treasure hunt in Rethymno is a game played by local people in Crete and takes place two weeks before Carnival. Rethymno currently holds the Guinness World Record for Treasure Hunt.
OYO Rooms, also known as OYO Hotels & Homes, is an Indian multinational hospitality chain of leased and franchised hotels, homes, and living spaces. Founded in 2012 by Ritesh Agarwal, OYO initially consisted mainly of budget hotels. As of January 2020, it has more than 43,000 properties and 1 million rooms across 800 cities in 80 countries.
Thanasis Laskaridis is a Greek shipowner and businessman based in the United Kingdom. He was president and CEO of Lavinia Corporation from 1977 until 2021. He is also founder of the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, The People's Trust in Greece, and co-founder of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. He has six children.
Tripsta S.A. is the parent company of tripsta, airtickets and travelplanet24, online travel agencies that provide transportation services—including airlines, ferry and train - through their websites.
Tuber is an instrumental rock band formed in Crete, Greece, but currently located in Serres, Greece. Since its formation, the band has consisted of siblings Nikos Gerostathos (drums) and Yannis Gerostathos (guitar), and Paris Fragkos. Yannis Artzoglou (guitar) joined the trio later on.
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