Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: 1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas, a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot Government (59% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (37% of the island), that are separated by a UN buffer zone (4% of the island); there are two UK sovereign base areas within the Greek Cypriot portion of the island
Climate: temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet
winters
Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered
but significant plains along southern coast
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%
Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir
catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, and most potable resources
concentrated in the Turkish Cypriot area); water pollution from sewage
and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats
from urbanization
natural hazards: moderate earthquake activity
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
@Cyprus:People
Population:
total: 736,636 (July 1995 est.) (78% Greek, 18% Turk, 4% other)
Greek area: 602,656 (July 1995 est.) (94.9% Greek, 0.3% Turk, 4.8%
other)
Turkish area: 133,980 (July 1995 est.) (2.1% Greek, 97.7% Turk, 0.2%
other)