Editing Crete (section)

===Mountains and valleys===
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Crete is mountainous, and its character is defined by a high mountain range crossing from west to east, formed by six different groups of mountains:
*The White Mountains or [[Lefka Ori]] {{convert|2453|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*The Idi Range ([[Psiloritis]]) {{convert|2456|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Asterousia Mountains]] {{convert|1231|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Mount Kedros|Kedros]] {{convert|1777|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*The [[Dikti|Dikti Mountains]] {{convert|2148|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Thrypti]] {{convert|1489|m|ft|abbr=on}}

These mountains lavish Crete with valleys, such as [[Amari Valley|Amari valley]], fertile plateaus, such as [[Lasithi Plateau|Lasithi plateau]], [[Omalos]] and [[Nidha]]; caves, such as [[Gourgouthakas]], [[Diktaion]], and [[Idaion]] (the birthplace of the ancient Greek god [[Zeus]]); and a number of gorges.

The mountains have been seen as a key feature of the island's distinctiveness, especially since the time of Romantic travellers' writing. Contemporary Cretans distinguish between highlanders and lowlanders; the former often claim to reside in places affording a higher/better climatic and moral environment. In keeping with the legacy of Romantic authors, the mountains are seen as having determined their residents' 'resistance' to past invaders which relates to the oft-encountered idea that highlanders are 'purer' in terms of less intermarriages with occupiers. For residents of mountainous areas, such as [[Sfakians|Sfakia]] in western Crete, the aridness and rockiness of the mountains is emphasised as an element of pride and is often compared to the alleged soft-soiled mountains of others parts of Greece or the world.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kalantzis |first1=Konstantinos |title=Tradition in the Frame: Photography, Power, and Imagination in Sfakia, Crete |date=2019 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-03713-8 |pages=23–58 |url=http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=809810 |access-date=2 October 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216181203/http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=809810 |url-status=dead }}</ref>