Cyprus Geography

Land and Resources

Location: Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
Total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish Cypriot area) 3,571 sq mi
Land: 9,240 sq km
Water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut, or 1.5 times the size of Delaware
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 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: Olympus 1,953 m
Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
Land use:
Arable land: 8% (2004 est)
Permanent crops: 5%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 13%
Other: 70% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 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

Main Source: Department of Statistics