Sougia () is a community and a small village in Chania regional unit 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 ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. It is part of the municipal unit of

East Selino East Selino ( - ''Anatoliko Selino'') is a former municipality in the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kantanos-Selino, of which it is a municipal uni ...

(''Anatoliko Selino''). It is located on the south coast of the island, 70 km south of

Chania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...

. The community consists of the following villages (population in 2021): *Sougia, pop. 95 *

Koustogerako Koustogerako (Greek: Κουστογέρακο) is a small village in Chania regional unit on the island of Crete, Greece. It has 25 residents (2021 census) and it belongs to the municipal unit of East Selino (''Anatoliko Selino''). The village is ...

, pop. 25 *Livadas, pop. 3 *Moni, pop. 8 Sougia is reached from Chania by car in 2 hours or by ferry boats from

Palaiochora Palaiochora () is a small town in Chania regional unit, Greece. It is located 70 km south of Chania, on the southwest coast of Crete and occupies a small peninsula 400 m wide and 700 m long. The town is set along 11 km of coastline bor ...

Agia Roumeli Agia Roumeli () is a small village in southwest Crete, Greece. It consists of two parallel streets along the water, with several restaurants and souvenir shops. There is an old fortress, called Castle Agia Roumeli, that sits on top of a hill to the ...

, Loutro and

Hora Sfakion Image:Chora Sfakion 1941 evacuation monument.jpg, 200px, Monument commemorating the evacuation during WW2 of British and ANZAC forces from Hora Sfakion in May 1941. ''Click on the left plaque for a closer view'' rect 198 536 320 1082 rect 0 0 900 ...

. Although it is not one of the larger towns of the province of

Selino Selino is a historical region and a former province of Crete. It is located in the remote southwestern corner of the island, in the Chania regional unit. It is a rugged and remote area in the foothills of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) and also ...

, Sougia is interesting to the tourist, providing a beach, walkways, mountains and interesting remains of an ancient city and old

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

churches. Sougia has some tourist services, such as small hotels, rooms to rent and a few taverns, cafes and bars. Sougia was the ancient city of

Syia Syia or Suia (), also Syba (Σύβα),''Stadiasmus Maris Magni'' §§ 321-322. was a maritime town of ancient Crete. It was located on the south coast of Crete and functioned as the harbour of Elyrus. According to the ''Stadiasmus Maris Magni'', w ...

, a harbour of

Elyros Elyrus or Elyros () was a town of ancient Crete, which the ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' places between Kydonia, Cydonia and Lissus (Crete), Lissus. It had a harbour, Syia (Συΐα), situated on the south coast of the island, 60 stadion (unit), s ...

. In the village church, an important basilica of the Byzantine era, was found a beautiful mosaic, now exposed in Chania's

Archeological Museum Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology ...

. In 1943, during German occupation, Germans razed the villages Livadas, Moni and Koustogerako, by way of reprisal for local partisan actions. Legends also suggest that the Cyclops in Odysseus' adventure lived in Sougia. Municipality officer: Nikolas Koltsidis

References

External links

Sougia InfoCrete pictures
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Beaches of CreteLocal sougia taxi
{{Kantanos-Selino div Populated places in Chania (regional unit) Kantanos-Selino