An island between three continents
Dominated by the Troodos mountain range and bathed by the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus' closest neighbor is Turkey, located 69 km north of Cape Kormakitis. It is from there that the pipeline supplying the north of the island with water arrives. A resource that is abundant in the south, but poorly distributed.
General information. Cyprus is an island of 9 251 km² which belongs geographically to Western Asia. It is located in the Levantine basin, the eastern part of the Mediterranean, 69 km south of Turkey, 104 km west of Syria, 380 km north of Egypt and 804 km east of mainland Greece. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily (25 460 km²) and Sardinia (23 813 km²). It is comparable in size to Corsica (8,681 km²) and Crete (8,261 km²) and extends 240 km from east to west and 100 km from north to south in its widest part. Cyprus has a population of about 1.2 million and a population density of 96 inhabitants/km²
Coasts and borders. The island has 648 km of coastline. This is slightly more than Normandy (603 km), but significantly less than Corsica (about 1,000 km). The Republic of Cyprus shares 156 km of land borders with the United Kingdom, which has an overseas territory on the island, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (see below). The same Republic also has about 1,500 km of maritime borders with 7 countries: Turkey (539 km), Egypt (303 km), Lebanon (186 km), Syria (135 km), Israel (102 km), Greece (73 km) and the United Kingdom (20 km). The delimitation with Turkey is in dispute, especially regarding the exploitation of gas off the island since 1999
Relief. Located in the center of the island, the Troodos massif (pronounced "tro-dos") is the largest mountain range. It covers 1,500 km² and rises to 1,952 m above sea level with Mount Olympus as the highest point of the island where there is a small ski resort. It is the green lung and the great water reserve of Cyprus. The second massif is that of the Pentadactylos mountains which owes its Greek name to its five peaks evoking "five fingers". Culminating at 1,024 m above sea level at Mount Kyparissovouno, this mountain range extends over 160 km in length between the Bay of Morphou (west) and the Karpas Peninsula (east). The two massifs are connected by the small plain of Morphou (northwest) and especially by the plain of Mesaoria ("between the mountains" in Greek) which is the main agricultural area of the island. The latter is spread over 30 km wide and 100 km long between Nicosia (west) and the bay of Famagusta (east). From a geological point of view, it is the Troodos that gave birth to the island, but it is the Pentadactylos that gives Cyprus its distinctive shape by extending to the end of the Karpas peninsula. Thus this long advance evokes the neck of a guitar or the rostrum of a swordfish. There are five main "points" around the island: Cape Apostolos Andreas (at the end of the Karpas peninsula), Cape Kormakitis (to the north), Cape Greco (to the southeast), the small peninsula of Akrotiri (to the south) and the peninsula of Akamas (to the west).
Water courses. If springs are numerous and water is abundant in the Troodos, the island does not have a permanent river. Thus, the longest river, the Pedios, stretches for 96 km from the Troodos to the bay of Famagusta via the plain of Mesaoria, but it is mostly dried up in summer. This is due to the intense deforestation of the plain, whose forests were long used to provide the charcoal needed for the smelting of copper, the main wealth of Cyprus during antiquity. The result is both a low fertility of the land of Mesaoria and a profound inequality in terms of access to water between the north and south of the island
Geology. The formation of Cyprus began with an underwater volcanic eruption 90 million years ago at the site of the present Troodos massif. During 10 million years, cracks are formed, gases escape, lava flows spread and the cracks are filled by huge quantities of minerals and rocks in fusion: this is where the wealth of the Cypriot subsoil comes from with copper, but also serpentine, asbestos, umber, bentonite, chromite ... Then, during 55 million years, things calm down. This volcanic mass remains under the sea level, slowly covering itself with calcareous deposits and microorganisms. Finally, 25 million years ago, tectonic movements begin to raise the sea floor. Over several million years, earthquakes and compressions propel the volcanic mass out of the water with a large block at about 2 km above sea level, which corresponds today to the Troodos. At the same time, another massif began to form about 200 million years ago: the Pentadactylos. But the movement here is much slower, it results from the collision between the African plate and the Eurasian plate. At their meeting point, a long bar of sediment (limestone and marble) is created on the seafloor. It eventually emerged over the Mediterranean 10 million years ago. Finally, the space between the two massifs is filled by deposits of sediment and alluvium that give rise to the Mesaoria plain 2 million years ago.
A divided island
Since 1964, Cyprus has been "temporarily" cut in two by the UN buffer zone: a no-man's-land that represents nearly 4% of the island's surface. On both sides, Greek and Turkish Cypriots each have their own Republic, one recognized, the other self-proclaimed. Not to mention the British, who keep a confetti of their former empire here
Republic of Cyprus. Founded at the end of the British occupation in 1959, and a member of the EU since 2004, it is one of two political entities on the island recognized by the international community. In theory, it has authority over the entire island except for the Territory of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which are controlled by the United Kingdom. This represents 8,997 km², or 97.26% of the surface of the island. But because of the Turkish occupation and the existence of a buffer zone, it has direct authority over only 5,296 km², in the southern part, or 57.24% of the surface of the island. In theory, the Republic of Cyprus has a population of approximately 1,190,000. In reality, about 850,000 inhabitants, mainly Greek Cypriots, live in the territories directly under its authority. In the southern part of the island, the main urban centers of the Republic of Cyprus are, in order, the southern half of Nicosia (the capital), Limassol, Larnaka, Paphos and Agia Napa. There are the Troodos massif, the forest of Paphos, part of the Mesaoria plain, the Akamas peninsula and Cape Greco.
Zone of Turkish occupation. It extends to the north of the island on 3 355 km ², nearly 36% of the territory. It is considered by all international bodies (EU, UN...) as a territory of the Republic of Cyprus where the latter cannot exercise its authority because of the occupation by Turkey. The territory is organized as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", a state created in 1983. But this state is not recognized by any nation except Turkey. A first separation between the north and south of the island took place in 1963 and was formalized by the creation of a demarcation zone by the UN in 1964. The separation took its current form with the Turkish military invasion of the northern part of the island in 1974. The Turkish occupation zone is home to about 30,000 Turkish soldiers and 330,000 inhabitants, mostly Turks and Turkish Cypriots. The main urban centers are, in order, the northern half of Nicosia (unrecognized capital), Famagusta and Kyrenia. There are the Pentadactylos massif, part of the Mesaoria plain, the Karpas peninsula and the most beautiful beaches of the island
Territory of the sovereignty areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Under British authority, this entity covers 254 km², which is 2.74% of the island's surface. It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, retained after the independence of the Republic of Cyprus. The latter recognizes the authority of the British Crown over this portion of the island. The Sovereign Base Areas Territory consists of the military bases of Akrotiri (123 km²), near Limassol, and Dhekelia (131 km²), between Larnaca and Agia Napa. The term "base" is mainly administrative, since the military facilities occupy only a small part of the territory. Moreover, the border is not materialized with the Republic of Cyprus and 60% of the territory is occupied by Greek Cypriot private owners. But in the Dhekelia area, the Sovereign Base Areas adjoin both the UN buffer zone and the Turkish occupation zone, with controls here exercised by the British authorities. The Territory of the Sovereign Base Areas has a population of about 15,000, mostly Greek Cypriots and British, with Episkopi (in Akrotiri) as its capital and main town. The only significant natural site is the Akrotiri peninsula and its salt lake.
UN buffer zone. Established by the UN Security Council on March 4, 1964, it covers 346 km², or 3.74% of the island's surface. Nicknamed the "Green Line" or "Attila Line", it separates the southern part of the island from the Turkish occupation zone in the north. Its route corresponds today to the advance of Turkish troops during the invasion of the northern part in 1974. This line is not continuous, since it is cut by the British territory of Dhekelia and runs along the Turkish-occupied pocket of Kokkina, isolated in the northeast of the island. Thebuffer zone in Nicosia is 20 meters wide at its narrowest point, and in some places it is up to 7 km wide. It is under the control of the UN, which has maintained about 900 peacekeepers and police officers, mainly British and Argentinean, since 1974. It includes mined areas, abandoned infrastructure such as the former international airport of Nicosia or the ghost town of Varosha, but also fields farmed by farmers and six inhabited villages, including Pyla (near Dhekelia), populated by Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Thus, the buffer zone has about 10,000 inhabitants, mainly Greek Cypriots. While it does not contain any important natural sites, it has become a refuge for wild animals.
