KRITI, CRETE, or KRETE, Latin CRETA, island in the eastern Mediterranean that is an administrative region of Greece. The center of one of the oldest and most important civilizations, the ancient Minoan civilization, the southernmost point of Europe where its name originated and to which it owes so much. The meeting point of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - and the cradle of most of what we know as classical civilization which has been so instrumental in shaping our world today.