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Location:
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Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
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Geographic coordinates:
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35 00 N, 33 00 E
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Map references:
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Middle East
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Area:
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total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish Cypriot area)
water: 10 sq km
land: 9,240 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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648 km
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
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Terrain:
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central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Olympus 1,951 m
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Natural resources:
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copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
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Land use:
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arable land: 10.61%
permanent crops: 4.65%
other: 84.74% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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400 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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moderate earthquake activity; droughts
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Environment - current issues:
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water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
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Geography - note:
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the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia)
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