Geography of Cyprus
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Satellite image of Cyprus in 2013
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| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Coordinates | |
| Largest city | Nicosia |
| Area | 9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) |
| Coastline | 648 km (402.6 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,952 m (6,404 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Olympus |
| Administration | |
| Capital and largest city | Nicosia |
| Area covered | 8,997 km2 (3,474 sq mi; 97.3%) |
| Capital and largest city | North Nicosia |
| Area covered | 3,355 km2 (1,295 sq mi; 36.3%) |
| Capital and largest settlement | Episkopi Cantonment |
| Area covered | 254 km2 (98 sq mi; 2.7%) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 788,457 (2007) |
| Pop. density | 85 /km2 (220 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Greek Cypriots; Turkish Cypriots; Armenian Cypriots; Maronite Cypriots |
Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean (after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia) and the world's 81st largest island by area. It is located south of Asia Minor, the Anatolian peninsula of the Asian (or Eurasian) mainland (part of Turkey), so it may be included in Western Asia or the Middle East: Cyprus is close to Southern Europe, and Northern Africa, and has had lengthy periods of mainly Greek and intermittent Anatolian, Levantine, Byzantine, Turkish, and Western European influence.
The island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the Kyrenia Mountains or Pentadaktylos, and the central plain, the Mesaoria, between them. The Troodos Mountains cover most of the southern and western portions of the island and account for roughly half its area. The narrow Kyrenia Range extends along the northern coastline. It is not as high as the Troodos Mountains, and it occupies substantially less area. The two mountain ranges run generally parallel to the Taurus Mountains on the Turkish mainland, the outlines of which are visible from northern Cyprus. Coastal lowlands, varying in width, surround the island.
Geopolitically, the island is divided into four segments. The Republic of Cyprus, the internationally recognized government, occupies the southern 60% of the island, and has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, diplomatically recognized only by Turkey, occupies the northern one-third of the island, around 37% of the territory. The United Nations-controlled Green Line is a buffer zone that separates the two and it is about 4%. Lastly, two areas—Akrotiri and Dhekelia—remain under British sovereignty for military purposes, collectively forming the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA). The SBAs are located on the southern coast of the island and together encompass 254 km2, or 2.8% of the island.
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