| |
Cyprus is a Eurasian island country located in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey, north of Egypt, west of the Levant and east southeast of Greece. Cyprus is situated towards the south of the Anatolian peninsula of the Asian mainland. As a result, it is often included in the Middle East. Turkey is 75 kilometers towards the north. The total land boundary stretches approximately upto 150.4 km and the coastline stretches upto 648 km.
Cyprus claims territorial sea upto 12 nm and the contiguous zone stretches upto 24 nm. The continental shelf is 200-m depth. The geographical terrain has central plain with mountains to north and south and scattered but significant plains along southern coast. The lowest point in Cyprus is Mediterranean Sea 0 m and the highest point is Mount Olympus at 1,951 m.
The natural resources to be found here are copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble and clay earth pigment.It is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean and one of the most popular tourist destinations.
|
| |
| |
| Climate |
| |
The climate is temperate and Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters. Summer temperatures vary from warm at higher elevations in the Troodos Mountains to hot in the lowlands. Winter temperatures are mild at lower elevations, where snow seldom occurs, but are considerably colder in the mountains with adequate snow for seasonal ski facilities. Dust storms are recurrent throughout the year.
|
| |
| People |
| |
The total population estimates to be 792,604. 77% of the total island population is Greek Cypriots, 18% Turkish and 5% belong to other ethnic groups. Cyprus has witnessed large influx of guest workers from Thailand, Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as major increases in the numbers of permanent British residents.
The island also harbors Armenian minority, also refugee population comprising of people from Serbia, Palestine and Lebanon. Kurdish minority is also present in Cyprus. 78% of the population is Greek Orthodox, 18% are Muslims and 4% belong to other religious belief which includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic. |
| |
| Government |
| |
The republic of Cyprus operates under the framework of republic form of government. Whereby, the president is both the head of the state and head of the government. The Council of Ministers is appointed jointly by the president and vice president. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term
Cyprus is administratively divided into 6 districts, Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos.
Capital: Nicosia (Lefkosia)
Independence: 16 August 1960
President: Dimitris Christofias |
| |
| Economy |
| |
The Republic of Cyprus is under government control and has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for 78% of GDP. The most important sectors are tourism, financial services, and real estate. 71% of the total labor population is concentrated in the service industry, 20.1% are in the industrial sector and only 8.5% are in the agricultural sector. Inconsistent growth rates over 10 years reflect the economy's dependence on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe.
Oil has been lately discovered in the seabed between Cyprus and Egypt, and talks are under process between Lebanon and Egypt to reach an agreement concerning the exploration of these resources. The seabed separating Lebanon and Cyprus is believed to hold sizeable quantities of crude oil and natural gas.
The major agricultural products to be found in Cyprus are citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables; poultry, pork, lamb, dairy and cheese. The chief industrial produce and services are tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone and clay products
|
| |
| |
|
