Geography |
The Republic of Cyprus is located in the north-east corner of the Mediterranean Sea, 97 km west of Syria and 64 km south of Turkey. The island has a maximum length of about 220 km and a maximum width of about 90 km. The total area of the country is 9 251 km2.
Much of the land is a flat, treeless but fertile plain located in the interior and extending from coast to coast. Called the Mesaoria, from "between the mountains" in Greek, it is bordered on the north and south by mountain ranges, the Troodos and Kyrenia. The Kyrenia Range, in the north, parallels the coastline, extending into the Karpas Peninsula to the east. Its highest elevation is 1 019 m. The rugged Troödos Mountains cover most of the south-western area of the island. Parts of this range are thickly forested. Mount Olympus, its highest peak, rises 1 952 meters, the highest point on the island.
Cyprus has a typical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and a cool, rainy season extending from October to March. The mean annual temperature is 21° C, but temperatures can sometimes exceed 38° C on the Mesaoria Plain in the summer. The annual rainfall averages less than 500 mm. Snow may falls high in the Troodos Mountains.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.