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 (note - 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish Cypriot area)
land: 9,240 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut

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, wet 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 1,952 m

Natural resources copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Land use
arable land: 12%
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 aquifier; increased salinization 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, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

NOTE: The information regarding Cyprus on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cyprus Geography 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cyprus Geography 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.