Although Crete is the largest island in Greece, the culture and overall feeling you get when you’re on the island is that you are in a mountainous place.
Most people are involved in agriculture and animal husbandry, and purely maritime elements exist in very few areas of the island. The number of fishermen is small compared to the population of the island, and generally, professions related to the sea are very few in comparison to those associated with the land and the mountains.
People from rural Crete usually have no connection to the sea, and many of them never swim and, of course, don’t know how to swim. It’s not part of the culture of people in the countryside to go to the sea for leisure. In Crete, shepherds are definitely five times more numerous than fishermen. This is also influenced by the topography of Crete, as three – quarters of the island consists of mountainous areas, and there are three large mountains with peaks higher than 2,000 meters.
So, in the countryside of Crete, you’ll find shepherds with sheep and goats, farmers with olive trees, orange groves, and avocados, and there is also a portion of farmers who cultivate grapes for winemaking.
