GEOGRAPHY
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—of which 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.)
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:
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
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants
