Geography of Cyprus
Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
648 km
Maritime claims:
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:
Natural resources:
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment[?]
Land use:
Irrigated land:
390 km² (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:
total:
9,250 km² (of which 3,355 km² are in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
land:
9,240 km²
water:
10 km²
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
12 nm
lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Olympus 1,951 m
arable land:
12%
permanent crops:
5%
permanent pastures:
0%
forests and woodland:
13%
other:
70% (1993 est.)
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