|
|
Location
Cyprus is the third
largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily
and Sardinia with an area of 9,251 sq. kilometres
of which 1,733 are forested. It has a maximum
length of 240 kms from east to west and a maximum
width of 100 kms from north to south.
It is situated at
the north-eastern end of the East Mediterranean
basin at a distance of 380 kms north of Egypt,
105 kms west of Syria and 75kms south of Turkey.
The Greek mainland is some 800 kms to the west.
The nearest Greek islands are Rhodes and
Carpathos, 380 kms to the west.
The latitude of
Cyprus is 34 33%26rsquo; - 35 34%26rsquo; north
and its longitude 32 16%26rsquo; - 34 37%26rsquo;
east.
Natural
Vegetation
Notwithstanding its
small size, Cyprus has a variety of natural
vegetation. This includes forests of hardwood,
evergreen and broadleaved trees such as pinus
latepensis, cedar, cypressus and oak. According
to Eratosthenes (3rd Century BC), a Greek
botanist, most of Cyprus, even Messaoria, was
heavily forested in antiquity, and considerable
remnants of these forests survive on the Troodos
and Keryneia (Kyrenia) ranges, and locally at
lower altitudes. About 17% of the whole island is
being classified as woodland. Where the forest
has been destroyed, tall shrub communities of
arbutus and rachne, pistacia terebinthus, olea
europea, quercus coccifera and styrax officinalis
may survive, but such maquis is uncommon. Over
most of the island untilled ground bears a grazed
covering of garigue, largely composed of low
bushes of cistus, genista sphacelata calycotoime
villosa, lithospermum hispidulum, phaganalon
rupestre and, locally, pistacia lentiscus. Where
grazing is excessive this covering is soon
reduced, and an impoverished batha remains,
consisting principally of thymus capitatus,
sarcopoterium spinosum, and a few stunted
herbs.
Birds and
Animals
Cyprus has been
endowed with a rich fauna including a large
number of endemic birds, reptiles and animals.
Because of its position, Cyprus is also a vital
stop-over for thousands of migratory birds which
find the island an ideal place for both feeding
and refuge. Among the animals the moufflon
occupies an outstanding position and is
considered as one of the natural treasures of the
island. The moufflon belongs to the sheep family
but this species is unique in the world. This
animal, which is the symbol of the Cyprus
Republic and is used on its coins, has long been
in danger of extinction, but today is a fully
protected species.
Climate
Cyprus has an
intense Mediterranean climate with the typical
seasonal rhythm strongly marked in respect of
temperature, rainfall and weather generally. Hot,
dry summers from mid-May to mid-September and
rainy, rather changeable winters from November to
mid-March are separated by short autumn and
spring seasons.
In summer the island
is mainly under the influence of a shallow trough
of low pressure extending from the great
continental depression centred over southwest
Asia. It is a season of high temperatures with
almost cloudless skies.
In winter Cyprus is
near the track of fairly frequent small
depressions which cross the Mediterranean Sea
from west to east between the continental
anticyclone of Eurasia and the generally low
pressure belt of North Africa. These depressions
give periods of disturbed weather usually lasting
for a day or so and produce most of the annual
precipitation, the average rainfall from December
to February being about 60% of the average annual
total precipitation for the island as a whole,
which is 500 mm.
Precipitation
increases from 450 millimetres up the
south-western windward slopes to nearly 1.100
millimetres at the top of the Troodos massif. On
the leeward slopes amounts decrease steadily
northwards and eastwards to between 300 and 400
millimetres in the central plain and the flat
south-eastern parts of the island. The narrow
ridge of the Kyrenia range, stretching 160kms
from west to east along the extreme north of the
island produces a relatively small increase in
rainfall of around 550 millimetres along its
ridge at an elevation of 1.000 metres.
Statistical analysis of rainfall in Cyprus
reveals a decreasing trend of rainfall amounts in
the last 30 years.
Rainfall in the
warmer months contributes little or nothing to
water resources and agriculture. Autumn and
winter rainfall, on which agriculture and water
supply generally depend, is somewhat variable
from year to year.
The average annual
rainfall as a whole over the part of the island
under government control, is about 500
millimetres but it was as low as 213 millimetres
in 1972/73 and as high as 800 millimetres in
1968/69. Statistical analysis of rainfall in
Cyprus reveals a decreasing trend of rainfall
amounts in the last decades.
Snow occurs rarely
in the lowland and on the Northern Range but
falls every winter on ground above 1,000 metres
usually occurring by the first week in December
and ending by the middle of April. Although snow
cover is not continuous, during the coldest
months it may lie to considerable depths for
several weeks especially on the northern slopes
of Troodos.
Temperatures are
high in summer and the mean daily temperature in
July and August ranges between 29 C on the
central plain to 22 C on the Troodos mountains,
while the average maximum temperature for these
months ranges between 36 C and 27 C respectively.
Winters are mild with a mean January temperature
of 10 C on the central plain and 3 C on the
higher parts of the Troodos mountains and with an
average minimum temperature of 5 C and 0 C
respectively.
Relative humidity of
the air is on average between 60% and 80% in
winter and between 40% and 60% in summer with
even lower values over inland areas around
midday. Fog is infrequent and visibility is
generally very good. Sunshine is abundant during
the whole year and particularly from April to
September when the average duration of bright
sunshine exceeds 11 hours per day.
Winds are generally
light to moderate and variable in direction.
Strong winds may occur sometimes, but gales are
infrequent over Cyprus and are mainly confined to
exposed coastal areas as well as areas at high
elevation. |
|