Crete is the largest island that belongs to Greece. It sits in the southeast of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Greek mainland. People have lived there for a very long time. Between about 3000 BC and 1100 BC, a rich civilisation we call the Minoan civilisation had its heart on Crete; the palaces, the wall paintings, and the old stories of the Minotaur all grow out of that island. Today Crete is still a real place with towns, mountains, and a long coast — not only a name in a history book. The English name comes from Ancient Greek Krētē. In English we say Crete for the island and Cretan for the people and the adjective. It is not related to the Cretaceous period, and it is not the offensive word cretin.