Cyprus
Cyprus, republic, and third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, located west of Syria and south of Turkey. The island has a maximum length of about 220 km (about 140 mi) from Cape Andreas in the northeast to the western extremity of the island. Its maximum width, from Cape Gáta in the south to Cape Kormakiti in the north, is about 90 km (about 60 mi). The total area of the country is 9,251 sq km (3,572 sq mi). Nicosia is the capital and largest city. Since 1974 the northern third of Cyprus has been occupied by Turkish troops and has formed a separate—though officially unrecognized—state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Land and Resources
In the extreme northeast of Cyprus, the island narrows abruptly to form the Karpas Peninsula, which extends east toward the Syrian coast. Much of the land is a flat, treeless plain located in the interior and called the Mesaoria, meaning “between the mountains” in Greek; it extends from the western to the eastern coasts and is bordered on the north and south by mountain ranges. The northern range, known as the Kyrenia Range, is notable for its rocky, unbroken character. The Kyrenia Range parallels the coastline, extending into the Karpas Peninsula; its highest point is 1,019 m (3,343 ft). The southern range, called the Troödos Mountains, covers most of the southwestern portion of the island. This range is broken and has many abrupt cliffs. Mount Olympus (1,951 m/6,401 ft) is its highest peak.
Cyprus has no permanent rivers. A number of watercourses bring the overflow from the winter rains down to the Mesaoria plain in spring but are dry for most of the year. The island has a few freshwater lakes and two large saltwater lakes.
Climate
Cyprus has a typical Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers and a cool, rainy season that extends from October to March. The mean annual temperature is 21°C (69°F). The annual rainfall averages less than 500 mm (less than 20 in).
Natural Resources
The chief natural resource of Cyprus is its arable land. The mountain soils tend to be peaty on higher flatlands but are shallow and stony on the slopes. Farming provides income for much of the population. Copper and other minerals were formerly a major source of export earnings, but mining has declined considerably in importance.
Plants and Animals
Forest growths of pine, cypress, and cedar cover about one-seventh of the total area of Cyprus, principally in the mountainous areas. Other indigenous trees include juniper, plane, oak, olive, and carob; the eucalyptus has been planted extensively as a reforestation measure.
Cyprus has few wild animals; the most notable of these, the mouflon, a wild sheep, is no longer common. Birdlife is varied because the island is visited by migratory flocks. Among the prominent native birds are several varieties of partridge, especially francolin, and other game birds, including snipe, quail, woodcock, and plover.
Environmental Issues
Cyprus was famed in antiquity for its extensive forests, but over the centuries the trees that once covered the island’s central plain have been cut down for firewood, shipbuilding, and other construction. Great Britain undertook a serious effort to replant and conserve forests in Cyprus during its occupation of the island in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the country’s remaining trees were destroyed by fires that resulted from the armed conflict between Greek and Turkish partisans in 1974.
Freshwater resources are extremely limited on Cyprus. Seawater is contaminating the country’s major aquifer, and other sources of fresh water are becoming polluted by industrial wastes and raw sewage. Centuries of deforestation have damaged the island’s drainage system, and no permanent rivers remain. Major waterways are fed by rainfall during the winter months and become dry during the summer. A network of dams and reservoirs stores runoff from rainfall, which averages less than 500 mm (20 in) annually.
Cyprus is attempting to reduce its reliance upon rain-fed sources of water. A permanent desalinization plant, capable of converting 40,000 cubic meters (1.4 million cubic feet) of salt water into fresh water per day, opened on the island in 1997. Several additional desalination projects are under way, including two portable plants.
Cyprus has established several game reserves and a state forest, protecting 8.1 percent (1996) of the island’s land. In addition, the country has ratified international agreements protecting biodiversity, endangered species, and the ozone layer, and limiting air pollution, environmental modification, ship pollution, and whaling.
Population
Greek-speaking Cypriots make up about 85 percent of the population. About 12 percent of the population is of Turkish extraction, and the remainder is made up of Armenians and other ethnic groups. Both the Greek and Turkish communities retain the customs, and, to a great extent, the national identity of their counterparts on the mainland. Since the Turkish invasion in 1974 mass migrations of Greeks and Turks have taken place, so that now the two groups are geographically separated. The Greek Cypriots occupy the southern two-thirds of the island and the Turkish Cypriots occupy the northern third. The people are predominantly farmers who work the land surrounding their villages.
A Population Characteristics and Principal Cities
The combined population of the Greek and Turkish sectors (2004 estimate) is 775,927. The overall population density is 84 persons per sq km (218 per sq mi). The principal city is Nicosia, the capital, which is divided into Greek Cypriot and Turkish zones. Lemesós (Limassol), Larnaca, and Famagusta are the chief ports.
Religion
Members of the Greek community adhere to the Church of Cyprus, which is in doctrinal agreement with the Eastern Orthodox Church, but is independent and has no allegiance to any patriarch. The archbishop primate, who is bishop of Nicosia, and the three other bishops of the Cypriot church are elected by the church membership.
The Turkish minority is mostly Muslim. Other small religious groups include Maronites (Christian Arabs), Roman Catholics, and Jews.
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