_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: 1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas—a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot Government (60% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (35% of the island) that are separated by a narrow UN buffer zone; in addition, there are two UK sovereign base areas (about 5% of the island's land area)
_#_Climate: temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters
_#_Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south
_#_Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
_#_Land use: arable land 40%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 10%; forest and woodland 18%; other 25%; includes irrigated 10% (most irrigated lands are in the Turkish-Cypriot area of the island)
_#_Environment: moderate earthquake activity; water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, and most potable resources concentrated in the Turkish-Cypriot area)
_*People #_Population: 709,343 (July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)