Northern Cyprus
Location
Cyprus is the most easterly of the Mediterranean islands and the third largest
in the area after Sicily and Sardinia. The nearest coastal points it is 40 miles
from Turkey, 60 miles from Syria, and 250 miles from Egypt. Northern Cyprus
is some 100 miles long, 40 miles across at its widest point and has a total
area of 1357 square miles, comprising nearly 36% of the island of Cyprus.
Geography
The geography of Northern Cyprus is characterized by a unique blend of mountains,
plains, and beaches. The Kyrenia (Five Finger) range, with its magnificent jagged
limestone peaks, the highest of which is Mount Icova at 3,357 ft. runs along
most of the northern coastline from a startling backdrop.
To the east of the island the mountain
range loses height as it extends along the narrow peninsula known as Karpas
(Karpaz), or more affectionately,`The Panhandle'. It is here that the best
beaches of Cyprus can be found, long wide empty bays of the purest sand that
streach for miles.
To the south of the Kyrenia range lies
Nicosia (Lefkosa) , the capital of Northern Cyprus,
through which runs the boundary, or as it is called `The Green Line' separating
the North from Southern Cyprus.
The other major centers are the tourist
resorts of Famagusta (Magusa)