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Cyprus Information
Geography
The island of Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean
(1.5 times the size of Delaware). Cyprus lies off the southern
coast of Turkey and the western shore of Syria. Two parallel
mountain ranges straddle the island running approximately
east to west, the highest peak being Mount Olympus at 6,406
ft (1,953 m) in the southern range, the Troodos mountains.
The highest peak in the northern Kerynia range is Selvili
Tepe at 3,356 ft (1,023 m). Between the mountain ranges lies
a relatively flat plain – the Mesaoria, which stretches
to the major bays of Morphou in the west and Famagusta in
the east. The national name for the island is Kypriaki Dimokratia
– Kibris Cumhuriyeti.
Cyprus is divided into 6 district administrative regions
around
- Nicosia
- Paphos
- Limassol
- Larnaca
- Famagusta
- Kyrenia
and is separated into two zones a Greek Cypriot controlled
zone in the south and a Turkish controlled zone in the North.
A thin buffer zone occupying 4% of the land is controlled
by the United Nations Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP). In addition
Great Britain retains sovereignty over two military bases
at Akrotiri and Dhekelia located in the SW and SE respectively.
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