Dia (Greek Δία ['ði.a]), also pronounced locally Ntia (Ντία ['di.a]), is an uninhabited island off the northern coast of the Greek island of Crete. The island is approximately 7 nautical miles north of Heraklion. Administratively, Dia is part of the community of Elaia within the municipal unit of Gouves, Heraklion regional unit, by the municipality of Elias.

History

The island was formerly known as Standia, and was the principal port of Crete for centuries.

Islet morphology

The islet looks like a giant lizard when viewed from the city of Heraklion. There is also a legend that a giant lizard tried to destroy the island of Crete, but Zeus turned it in to stone with a thunderbolt, thus creating the island.

Mythology

The island is visible from Crete's capital city of Heraklion, as it would have been in the time of the Minoan kingdom, from the capital of Knossos. Because of this, it was sometimes identified as the island that Theseus escaped to after killing the Minotaur.

Environmentally protected

Greece (ⁱ/ɡriːs/ GREESS; Greek: Ελλάδα, Elláda [eˈlaða]), officially the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía [eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a]) and known since ancient times as Hellas (/ˈhɛləs/; Greek: Ελλάς, Ellás), is a country located in southeastern Europe. According to the 2011 census, Greece's population is around 10.8 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki, which is commonly referred to as the co-capital.

Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast. Greece consists of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecanese and Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands, of which 227 are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres (9,573 ft).

In European elections, Greece is a constituency of the European Parliament, currently represented by twenty-one MEPs. It covers the member state of Greece.

Current MEPs

As of October 2007

1981

The 1981 European election was a by-election held after Greece joined the European Communities in 1981. The rest of the EC had voted in 1979.

1984

The 1984 European election was the second European election and the first time Greece voted with the rest of the Community.

1989

The 1989 European election was the third election to the European Parliament and was held on June 15 for Greece.

1994

The 1994 European election was the fourth election to the European Parliament and was held on June 12 for Greece.

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1999

The 1999 European election was the fifth election to the European Parliament and was held on June 13 for Greece.

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2004

The 2004 European election was the sixth election to the European Parliament and was held on June 13 for Greece. The ruling New Democracy party made strong gains, while the opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement made smaller gains, both at the expense of minor parties.

Greece may refer to:

See also