Chania regional unit, often informally termed 'Western Crete', is a part of the island which includes the capital
Chania, and the districts of
Platanias and
Apokoronas in the north, and
Sfakia and
Selino in the far south west corner. Other towns in the Chania prefecture include
Hora Sfakion,
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 Mt Pachnes, at 2,453 meters above sea level (Crete’s second highest peak). Other prominent peaks are Mt Agkathes (1,511 m) in the eastern Lefka Ori, and Mt Agios Dikaios (1,182 m) in the far west. The regional unit also includes three
headlands, known as the "three heads" of Crete. From west to east, they are:
Gramvousa peninsula (with a peak of 762 m), Rodopos peninsula, also known as Spatha (with a peak of 749 m), and
Akrotiri (with a peak of 523 m). The
Apokoronas region also has a prominent peak (527 m). 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 bicycle rental shops line part of the shore. There are numerous rivers in the Chania region most flowing from the White Mountains to the north coast. These include, from west to east, the Tavronitis, Keritis (Iardanos), Kladissos, Koiliaris, Almiros, Delfinos and Mouselas rivers. 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 (Chania prefecture) has more precipitation than any other region on an average basis. ==Administration==