Page last updated on February 08, 2019

Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey; note - Cyprus views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both

Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 9,251 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 9,241 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 10 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 170

Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 156 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 48 km, Dhekelia 108 km

Coastline:
648 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
More Climate Details

Terrain:
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast

Elevation:
mean elevation: 91 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: 0 m lowest point: Mediterranean Sea
1951 highest point: Mount Olympus

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

Land use:
agricultural land: 13.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 9.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 3.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 0.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 18.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 67.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
460 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
population concentrated in central Nicosia and in the major cities of the south: Paphos, Limassol, and Larnaca

Natural hazards:
moderate earthquake activity; droughts

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, industrial wastes, and pesticides; coastal degradation; erosion; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia); several small Cypriot enclaves exist within the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area