Αway from the coast, land that is not too rocky and mountainous is mainly given over to agriculture. One of the most fertile areas on Crete is the Lasithi plateau, a plain rising some 840 meters above sea level directly behind Áyios Nikólaos. Dotted with rural villages, orchards, and fields growing potatoes and cereals, it is also known for its white-sailed windmills, used to pump underground water for irrigation. Most tourists also visit a nearby attraction, the Diktean Cave, filled with stalagmites and stalactites and supposedly the birthplace of the king of gods, Zeus.