Cyprus Geography:
Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)
land:
9,240 sq km
water:
10 sq km
Area - comparative:
About 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: NA
border countries: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia NA km
note: Boundary with Dhekelia is being resurveyed
Coastline:
648 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m NM depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
Temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Terrain:
Central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m
Natural resources:
Copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
Land use:
arable land: 7.79%
permanent crops: 4.44%
other: 87.77%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
382 sq km (2001 est.)
Natural hazards:
Moderate earthquake activity; droughts
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, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia) |
