25-02-2004, 18:53
As an island situated between the Cilician region encircled by the Taurus mountains and the present-day Hatay region leaning against the Amanos mountains, Cyprus, the third biggest island in the Mediterrenean after Sicily and Sardinia, constitutes an integral part of these chunks of territories. In addition, it overlooks the Alexandretta Bay which is formed by Hatay and the Anatolian shores. Therefore, it has a position to oversee all these territories.
The surface area of Cyprus is 9.251 km2 and it is 70 km to Turkish shores, 100 km to Syria, 370 km to Egypt, 400 km to the Rhodes and 800 km to Greek shores. Its 782-km shores are indented and do have a peculiar geographical formation. The island is on the 35° north parallel and 35° east meridian. Its elevations are the Kyrenia-Karpas Mountains that extend from the Kormakiti Peninsula at the north to the Karpas Peninsula at the south and rarely surpass 1.000 m and Trodos Mountains to the south. Between these mountains is a low plan which is 100 km long and 10-15 km wide. The distance between Cape Andreas and Cape Drepena, the eastern and western extremities of the island, is 227 km and the distance between Cape Gata and Cape Kormakiti, southern and northern extremities, is 97 km.
Cyprus is considered within the Taurus system to the south of Anatolia in terms of structure and geographical formation. The mountains and plains in Hatay have the same characteristics above sea level in Cyprus, 130 km to the southeast. The foundation of the island is tied to Anatolia with an undersea platform of a few meters and surrounded in the west and south with undersea depressions that are more than 2000 m deep.
This information about the earth shapes and structure shows that the Cyprus Island is related with the Anatolia Peninsula and even a smaller sample of it. The climatic features are also similarly parallel. The climate zone of the island is peculiar to the Mediterranean Region with hot an arid summers and mild and precipitating winters. In addition, its flora is similar to the Taurus Mountains.
In early Antiquity, not only the mountains but also the plains of Cyprus were covered with intensive forests. However, they were thoroughly obliterated because of copper and silver mining, ship construction and wood export to countries such as Egypt that lacked forests.
The surface area of Cyprus is 9.251 km2 and it is 70 km to Turkish shores, 100 km to Syria, 370 km to Egypt, 400 km to the Rhodes and 800 km to Greek shores. Its 782-km shores are indented and do have a peculiar geographical formation. The island is on the 35° north parallel and 35° east meridian. Its elevations are the Kyrenia-Karpas Mountains that extend from the Kormakiti Peninsula at the north to the Karpas Peninsula at the south and rarely surpass 1.000 m and Trodos Mountains to the south. Between these mountains is a low plan which is 100 km long and 10-15 km wide. The distance between Cape Andreas and Cape Drepena, the eastern and western extremities of the island, is 227 km and the distance between Cape Gata and Cape Kormakiti, southern and northern extremities, is 97 km.
Cyprus is considered within the Taurus system to the south of Anatolia in terms of structure and geographical formation. The mountains and plains in Hatay have the same characteristics above sea level in Cyprus, 130 km to the southeast. The foundation of the island is tied to Anatolia with an undersea platform of a few meters and surrounded in the west and south with undersea depressions that are more than 2000 m deep.
This information about the earth shapes and structure shows that the Cyprus Island is related with the Anatolia Peninsula and even a smaller sample of it. The climatic features are also similarly parallel. The climate zone of the island is peculiar to the Mediterranean Region with hot an arid summers and mild and precipitating winters. In addition, its flora is similar to the Taurus Mountains.
In early Antiquity, not only the mountains but also the plains of Cyprus were covered with intensive forests. However, they were thoroughly obliterated because of copper and silver mining, ship construction and wood export to countries such as Egypt that lacked forests.