Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total:
9,250 km² (of which 3,355 km² are in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
land:
9,240 km²
water:
10 km²
Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
648 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate:
temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, variably rainy winters; mean annual precipitation from 1971 to 2000 was 460 mm
This image, acquired by NASA's Terra satellite on 30 January 2001, shows the three distinct geologic regions of the island. In the central and western part of the island is the Troodos Massif, a mountain range whose surface layer is mostly basaltic lava rock, and whose maximum elevation is 1953 m (6407 ft). Running in a thin arc along the northeast margin of the island is Cyprus's second mountain range, a limestone formation called the Kyrenia Range. The space between these ranges is home to the capital Nicosia, visible as a grayish-brown patch near the image's center.
Terrain:
central plain (Mesaoria) with the Kyrenia and Pentadactylos mountains to the north and the Troodos mountain range to the south and west; scattered but significant plains along the southern coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Olympus 1,953 m
Natural resources:
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
Land use:
arable land:
12%
permanent crops:
5%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
13%
other:
70% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
400 km² (1999 UN est.)
Natural hazards:
moderate earthquake activity
Environment - current issues:
water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
- See also : Cyprus
