Sitia Mountains

Sitia Mountains
A telescoping photograph of the northern end of the West Sitia Range taken from Mochlos Island, site of a partly drowned Minoan town. In the foreground is the village of Mochlos, situated on the coast of the Western Siteia Foothills visible in the uplands behind it. In the right background is the western flank of Kapsas, the northernmost peak of Thrypti. In the left background are the Ornon Mountains.
Highest point
Peak	Afentis Stavromenos
Elevation	1,476 m (4,843 ft)[1]
Prominence	1,354 m (4,442 ft)
Isolation	26.2 km (16.3 mi) W
Coordinates	35°03′46″N 26°09′15″E / 35.062853°N 26.154282°E / 35.062853; 26.154282
Naming
Native name	Σητειακά βουνά (Greek)
Geography
Terrain map of Crete. For a close-up of eastern Crete, expand image.
Location	Trending SW on the south coast to NE in front of Sitia on the north coast.
Country	Hellenic Republic
Region (periphereia)	Crete
Regional unit (periphereiakis enotetas)	Lasithi

The Sitia or Siteia Mountains, also known as the Sitiaka Range, are a group of four mountain ranges extending SW-NE in Lasithi in eastern Crete, Greece. Stretching from the southern coast to the plain of the city of Sitia on the northern coast, they tend to isolate east Crete from the rest of Crete, creating a refugium for the rare plant and animal species and a refuge for the ancient people practising the Minoan culture.^[2] In this ancient refuge are now to be found the ruins of Minoan sites at Mochlos, Kato Zakro, Palaikastro, and Kavousi. These are four of the major sites of East Crete, but the number of sites recorded or excavated is in the hundreds. Endemic species, many rare or endangered, are to be found in the gorges that cut from upland to ocean or valley on all sides.