Environment

The Municipality of Minoa Pediados is the center of the mainland of Crete in the Prefecture of Heraklion. It is located 25 km southeast of Knossos in Heraklion and on the south it reaches the coast of the Libyan Sea in the area of Tsoutsouras.

The main characteristic of the environment are the Great Plains and the rural landscape with the vineyards and olive groves. Southeast the plain of Arkalochori extends to the foot of the Lasithi mountains and south of the settlements of Skinias, Favriana, Upper and Lower Kastelliana where it stops at the river Anapodaris, the steep slopes and gorges of Mintri, Demati, Trolla and Tsoutsouras. At the end of these gorges the land meets the Libyan Sea and forms the splendid beach of Tsoutsouras. North of Arkalohori lie the plains of Kastelli and Thrapsano, while on the west lies the plain of Houmeri and St. Semni which encounters the big plain of Messara and southwest the Asterousia mountains.