| Geography |
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Location: |
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey |
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Geographic coordinates: |
35 00 N, 33 00 E |
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Map references: |
Middle East |
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Area: |
total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)
land: 9,240 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
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Area - comparative: |
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut |
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Land boundaries: |
total: 150.4 km (approximately)
border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia 103 km (approximately) |
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Coastline: |
648 km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
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Climate: |
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
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Terrain: |
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m |
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Natural resources: |
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment |
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Land use: |
arable land: 10.81%
permanent crops: 4.32%
other: 84.87% (2005) |
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Irrigated land: |
400 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources: |
0.4 cu km (2005) |
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): |
total: 0.21 cu km/yr (27%/1%/71%)
per capita: 250 cu m/yr (2000) |
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Natural hazards: |
moderate earthquake activity; droughts |
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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 |
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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 |
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Geography - note: |
the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia) |
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