Cyprus Geography
LocationMiddle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates
35 00 N, 33 00 E
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
NA; boundaries with Akrotiri and Dhekelia are being resurveyed
Coastline
648 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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, 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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note
the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia)
