Heraklion or Iraklion with its 160.000 habitants  is today the largest city and capital of Crete. It is also the fourth largest city in Greece. For centuries it was known as Candia, a Venetian adaptation of the earlier Greek name 'Chandax'. In the local vernacular,it is often called 'Kástro' "castle". Favoured by its central position and in particular because of the expansion of the port, Heraklion is the economic centre and main point of the island. At the same time it is the axis of tourism. It is the capital of Heraklion Prefecture, with an international airport named after the writer Nikos Kazantzakis.
Heraklion is close to the ruins of the palace of Knossos, which in Minoan times was the largest centre of population on Crete. Though there is no archaeological evidence of it, Knossos may well have had a port at the site of Heraklion as long ago as 2000 BC.
The prefecture of Heraklion is bounded with the prefectures of Rethymno to the west and Lasithi to the east. The valley of farmlands are situated in the central and the northern parts and within the coastline . The mountains dominate the rest of the prefecture including the south. The main mountains are parts of Idi Mountain to the west and Asterousia in the south. The prefecture includes the island of Dia to the north.Within the Heraklion Prefecture's boundaries are a number of significant Neolithic and Minoan settlements, most notably the ancient palace complexes of Knossos and Phaistos.While both archaeological sites evince Neolithic habitation, it is the rich finds of Minoan civilisation, which flourished approximately 2000 to 1600 BC, that command the greatest scholarly attention.