Makry Gialos - Demographics

Demographics

The population of the area is approximately 4,200. Before the introduction of tourism and greenhouses, the life revolved mainly up in the villages, which you find nestled in the mountains. A lot of them are not visible from the sea, for this reason they were safe from pirates. Back in the early days the main work for the villagers was farming or tending their flocks on the higher peaks. Today, life revolves around the coast. People have come down from the villages to the coast to live, as there is more work in the towns and resorts. The older generations still live up in the villages along with their history and old stories. Also foreigners who have bought old houses, using them as holiday homes are settling in the old charming villages.

The main industry today around Makrigialos is tourism, greenhouses and the harvesting of the olive trees. The Cretan dialect spoken in this region is near to ancient Greek.

The modern villages are built along the coastal road between Sitia and Ierapetra. On the boundary of the area are Achlia, Mavros Kolimbos, Koutsouras, Makry-Gialos village, Analipsi, Lagada and Kalo Nero with many apartments, studios and hotels.

There are gorges in the region. The Butterfly gorge in Koutsouras, Pefki gorge above the White River hamlet, and Pervolakia gorge which starts from the monastery Kapsa.

The highest peak is Afendis Stavromenos 1,500 metres (4,500 feet). The only possible way to reach the top is to walk or in a jeep 4 X 4. The summit affords views of Eastern Crete, Sitia, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda, Ierapetra and the surrounding islands of Chrissi and Koufonisi, depending on the visibility. On this peak is the small windswept chapel of Jesus Cross. During the winter months the peak is covered with snow.

Other places nearby are Schinokapsala, Orino, Stavrochori, Bebonas, Chrisopigi, Lapithos, Aghios Stefanos, Pefki, Lithines, Upper and Lower Pervolakia. These feature stone built houses and narrow paved streets, along with ancient stonewashed houses. There are many small churches scattered around the hillside on the top of peaks, built in caves, and by the side of springs. These churches represent the predominant Orthodox religion.

Along the coast about 6 km from Makry Gialos, is the Monastery Kapsa, built on a sheer rock face, close to the spectacular Perivolakia Gorge which is believed to have been founded in the 15th century. In 1471 it was destroyed by pirates and abandoned. In 1841 it was renovated by Yerontoyannis a reformed robber who lived there as a hermit. He built the church and dedicated it to John the Baptist. Inside the chapel Yerontoyannis’ skull can be found. The monastery celebrates its feast day on 29 August.

The area often experiences strong winds, like most of the Greek Islands. These winds are called "Meltemi". They are strong northern winds, blowing mostly in January and February and in July and August. During the summer these winds help to keep the temperatures down and during the winter months they give clear and sunny days. The area has a long summer, six to seven months, but not too hot. The winter is short and mild. Rainy days are few and a long time passes between them. The temperatures almost never go as low as six degrees.