Katharo is a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

on the

Dikti Dikti or Dicte () (also Lasithiotika Ori; "Lasithian Mountains"; anciently, Aigaion oros () or ) is a mountain range on the east of the island of Crete in the regional unit of Lasithi. On the west it extends to the regional unit of Heraklion. Ac ...

mountain on the island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, in the regional unit of

Lasithi Lasithi () is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra and Sitia. The mountains include the Dikti in the west and the Thrypti in the ...

. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Agios Nikolaos, (municipal division of

Kritsa Kritsa () is one of the oldest and most picturesque villages in Crete, Greece, built amphitheatrically on a rock hill, named Kastellos, surrounded by olive groves, at an altitude of 375 m. It is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos (municip ...

). It is from

(asphalt road) and from Mesa Lasithi (rough mountain road). It is long, wide and at an average altitude of above sea level, ( higher than Lasithi Plateau). On the west of Katharo are the peaks of Spathi () and Lazaros (), and on the North East and East are the peaks of Tsivi () and Platia Koryfi (). The waters of the Plateau drain through the Havgas gorge into the much larger but lower

Lasithi Plateau The Lasithi Plateau (, ''Oropedio Lasithiou'') is a high endorheic plateau, located in the Lasithi regional unit in eastern Crete, Greece. Since the 1997 Kapodistrias reform, it is a municipality whose seat is and the second biggest village is Ag ...

, thus Katharo is part of river Aposelemis drainage area. Due to its altitude the plateau is not inhabited in winter; in summer it has about 500 inhabitants, mainly shepherds and a few tavernas. Katharo has a special property status and is essentially community-owned. The fertile soil of the plateau is used for the production of vegetables, potatoes and fruit (grapes, pears, apples).

External links

Landforms of Lasithi Plateaus of Crete {{Crete-geo-stub