Terrain
There are two mountain ranges on the island. The biggest which takes up one half of the island is the Troodos Range. It has many peaks with the highest one being Mount Olympus at 1951 meters above sea level. The range also constitutes the most ophiolite rock in the world. The mountain consists of part of the earth’s upper mantel, thrust upwards from the primordial seabed millions of years ago. There are many villages built on this range with spectacular views and nature trails with byzantine churches which are under the UNESCO heritage site.

The other range is the Keryneia Range in the occupied north. This range is made of limestone rock and peaks to 1024 meters above sea level. This range is so narrow that there are hardly any villages on it. There is a mountain along the range which has five lumps like five fingers which is why in Greek it is called the Pentadaktylos meaning five finger mountains. The range carries on to the Karpassia Peninsula which are hills, slopes and valleys.

There is a big plain between the ranges called the Messaoria Plain which is where a lot of the wheat was farmed before the invasion.

Population
The population of Cyprus is near 1 million on both sides of the Green Line. In the Greek Cypriot free area of the island the population is just over 800,000. The Greek Cypriots number over 650,000 which form over 80% of the population. The remainder number is between 70,000 and 80,000 foreigners living or working in Cyprus with visas. Most of the foreigners living or working there are British with the rest from Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Shirr Lanka, Philippines and recently China.

On the Turkish side the population is only 200,000 mainly Turkish because of the occupation and embargo put there by the UN. There are only 70,000 Turkish Cypriots living there after many emigrated over the years and about 120,000 illegal Turkish settlers living there.

Towns
There are 7 towns in Cyprus with four on the Greek Cypriots area and two on the Turkish occupied part.

On the Greek Cypriot side, the biggest town is Nicosia which is the capital of the island and business centre. The population is just over 200,000 and the city is located roughly in the centre of the island. It is the only divided city on the world but really most of the city is on the Greek part. The only part which is Turkish is the north part of the old city within walls, the Turks never expanded much since an embargo has bee imposed.

The second biggest town is Limassol which has the main sea port on the island. It has a population of 170,000 and since 1974 has become a big tourist centre.

The third biggest is Larnaca and also since 1974 has become a big tourist resort. It also has the main airport on the island with a new expansion. The population is 80,000 and the town has the second biggest sea port with conversion plans to be a cruise hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The fourth is Paphos with a population of 50,000 and has the second biggest airport on the island.

On the Turkish occupied part, the once Greek Cypriot towns of Keryneia and Famagusta are the main towns for the Turks with Keryneia being the main one. Famagusta is mainly fenced up by the Turkish Army and no one lives in the City where the Greek Cypriots once lived. This is what they call their bargaining weapon against the Greeks.

Climate
The climate in Cyprus in the summer ranges from 22 degrees in the Troodos mountains to 34 degrees on the costal resorts. In the winter the temperatures are much lower. There are about 300 days of sunshine a year with the rain in November to March and the snow in the mountains from December to April.

References

(About Cyprus) pgs 10 to 19.
Published by Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus 2004