Chania regional unit, often informally termed 'Western Crete', is a part of the island which includes the districts of Apokoronas, Sfakia, and Selino in the far South West corner. Other towns in the Chania prefecture include Hora Sfakion, Kastelli-Kissamos, Palaiochora, Maleme, Vryses, Vamos, Georgioupolis and Kalives. The natural park of Samariá Gorge, a tourist attraction and a refuge for the rare Cretan wild goat or kri-kri, is in the South of the regional unit. The White Mountains or Lefka Ori, through which the Samaria, Aradena, Imbros and other gorges run, are the limestone peaks topped by snow until May that occupy much of Chania regional unit. They contain more than 40 peaks over 2,000 meters high. The highest peak in this area is Pachnes, at 2,453 meters above sea level. The regional unit also includes three headlands, known as the "three heads" of Crete. From east to west, they are: Akrotiri, Rodopos and Gramvousa. Western Crete is popular with tourists for its spring flowers that linger on into early May in the mountains. Birdwatching is also common, with the lammergeier and golden eagle especially sought for. As an island, Crete has many endemic species of plant and animal. Crete's only freshwater lake, Lake Kournas, is in the regional unit close to the border with Rethymno regional unit, 47 km from Chania. It is relatively large, with a perimeter of 3.5 km. The lake used to be called 'Korisia' after ancient 'Korion', a city thought to be in the area with a temple to Athena. The lake used to be reportedly full of eels but now is better known for its terrapins and tourists. Tavernas and pedalo rental shops line part of the shore. Chania is the regional unit of Crete that receives the most precipitation. The Exkursionsflora von Kreta by Jahn & Schoenfelder has a precipitation map and text confirming that in general, western Crete, in casu Chania prefecture, has more precipitation than any other region on an average basis.
Administration
The regional unit Chania is subdivided into seven municipalities. These are :
Apokoronas
Chania
Gavdos
Kantanos-Selino
Kissamos
Platanias
Sfakia
Prefecture
The Chania prefecture was created while Crete was still an autonomous state, and was preserved after the island joined Greece in 1913. As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the Chania regional unit was created out of the former prefecture. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below.
