During the Ottoman period, the three fortified port towns on the north coast-Chania, Rethymnon and Chandax/Candia (Heraklion)-remained the most significant on Crete in terms of size and activity. The population living in them was mixed, with Muslims clearly outnumbering Christians. Communication between the towns as well as travel and goods transport were carried out by sea. Overland transport relied on a rudimentary road network that did not allow for substantial, regular communication between the towns and the hinterland, where Christians predominated. For that same reason, significant differences as regards the way of life, the economy, perceptions and relations between the two communities existed between the towns and the countryside, especially in the remotest areas.