Geographical Characteristics of Cyprus - Essay Example

?(Add (Add (Add Geographical characteristics of Cyprus Introduction Cyprus is a beautiful island country in the Mediterranean Sea that shares boarders with mighty neighbors like Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Egypt, thus connecting Eastern Europe with West Asia. The geographic location of this country has a great influence in the cultural transitions of the ancient times whose traces are still found as the demography covers the mixed culture of a Eurasian blend. The hidden possibilities of a sustainable economic growth lying in the spatial characteristics of Cyprus attracted many foreign powers to settle their diplomatic hubs in the island country. Cyprus experiences a subtropical climate as a benefit from the presence of mountain ranges and vast central plain which is drained by rivers. The quick-developing Cyprus economy is largely indebted to its geographic specifications and the socio-cultural influences of the migrant populations residing in the mainland. This essay will clearly study the geography of Cyprus as an evaluative overview of its climatic, demographic and socio-cultural designs. Topographic Details The charm of the topography of the country is elevated with the mighty stand of Mount Olympus. Geologists like Simmons have always focused this island for its location; Cyprus covers around 9550 square kilometers of land area that lies nearly 65 kilometers south of Turkey and 105 kilometers far from the west of Syria with four major topographic provinces including the coastal belt, the northern range, the southern range, and the central plain (6). Cyprus has a typical climate that experiences warm winters and moderately hot summers with a high number of sunshine hours and frequent rains in winter. The country has been renowned for its historical and epical prominence in the European civilization. This small island country is known for its rich mineral wealth, wine produces and extreme natural beauty. Interim volcanoes along the mountains and violent weather conditions across the fertile valleys make the golden-leaf like island a location of might hiding in beauty. In the opinion of Bowman, Goult and Hunt, the prominence of Greek mythology has also helped Cyprus achieve the position as the world’s hottest choice for honeymooners, bird watchers and all kinds of tourists as this island is believed to be the home of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. This Island features home for a wide range of plants and animals that add to its specific beauty. Economic and Political Implications of Geography Salt lakes and salt marshes that lie over a large area of the mainland makes the scarcity of water worse; however, there are many rivers that drain the agricultural land and meet the purpose of the population to a great extent. Cyprus is largely an agricultural region where the people engage mostly in livestock production and related trades while a large proportion of the people engage in crop production. According to an expert’s opinion, “the island’s microclimates and varied topography allow for diversified crop production” (Mirbagheri, 4). Animal husbandry involves the production and sales of milk, egg and meat of different animals. Farmers engaged in the crop production from irrigated farms produce grapes, melons, lemons and bananas while wine grapes, cereals, olives, fodders and almonds are produced mainly depending on rain-fed farms. Spring-summer cultivation of majority of crops Cyprus depend on the stored moisture of the land and deep summer crops depend on irrigation. The crops produced are largely used for the domestic consumption while the surplus is exported mainly to the European Union nations. Certain studies reveal that Cyprus gains around 480milli litter of average annual rain fall – a meager quantity compared to the requirement – a result of which farmers depend on scarce water resources for agricultural purposes (Cyprus Profile). Continuous droughts and volcanoes create water shortage in the central plains of Cyprus that has resulted in the declined agricultural production in the recent decades. Such critical features of the geographical pattern of the country affect the economic prosperity of the country very badly. Moreover, the partition that took place in 1974 also caused severe loss to the infrastructural investment of urbanized Cyprus townships which disturbed the settled life of the people economically. Since the situations are so demanding that the drinking water scarcity is a common crisis in the country, the government is on the process of setting up desalination plants for meeting the requirement of water. The development of economy of Cyprus in the recent past decades has been promising with emergence of several modern tourist locations along the snow-bearing mountain ranges and the awe-inspiring beaches of the country. A majority of the European and American vacationers choose this island as their destination thanks to the comparatively warmer climate experienced during winter than most other holiday locations. The increasing number of visitors and migrant residents improve the economic structure of Cyprus as many multinational companies are investing their capital in hospitality and mining industries. Some observations like that of Sinclair, Blake and Gooroochurn prove that Cyprus government has been in constant promotion of employment hiring from foreign countries to meet the requirements of the increasing demands of tourism industry. The inland tourism industry was also cherished by the inception of many resorts from local and foreign investors who identified the opportunities of Cyprian market’s potential of foreign exchange by way of operating holiday packages including flight services and inland transport facilities. The Cyprus government is all about making efforts to boost the progressive measures to exploit its overall land, water and mountainous regions wherever there is possibility of tourism in any format with a view to create large scale employment opportunities by assuring quality services to tourists. As Witt points out, tourism can create employment opportunities also from construction sectors indirectly. As an incentive measure, various agencies and corporate firms have extended their assistance in the promotion of an environmentally friendly tourism ambience in the country in the recent years. In every angle, the continuous growth of Cyprus economy on the basis of tourism can be attributed to the geographic diversity of the country. Political and Cultural Influences The geographic pattern of Cyprus has a great relevance in its political prominence in the Asia-Pacific region comprising the Western Middle East. Considering the naval importance of the island, almost all powers aimed at capturing the mainland of Cyprus, or for that matter, imposing administrative authority on the country. From the ancient history, a number of occupants like Mycenaeans, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Macedonians and Romans tried to capture the island. According to the observation of Anas (as qtd in Shafi and Raza), with the identification of Cyprus as a link on the end of Zeus Canal that connected the oil-rich Middle East with Europe and Pacific water ways attracted the economic attention of Greece and other European States and the USA which contributed effectively towards the economic and infrastructural development of the country in the later stages of the political development of the world (475). The life style of people is closely interconnected with the geographic specifications of any region with Cyprus claiming no exemption. The wide varieties of animals and the biodiversity of the flora greatly influenced the culture of Cyprus population. Archeological evidences and ancient references focus to the fact that they had led a life closely associated with hunting and unsettled farming. The long coastal line towards the southern region of the country had enormously contributed to their early learning of fishing and fish processing. Moreover, the availability of different metal ores and the association of ancient Egyptian sculpture and architectural skills jointly promoted the construction and metal craft of their domestic tradesmen. The early merchant settlers from around the three crossroads that connected the three continents – Africa, Asia and Europe –also contributed largely to the adoption of settled commerce and marketing models in Cyprus. An obvious evidence of the geopolitical link and the further cultural development of Cyprus were marked with the entry of England in 1878. The English dominance over the strategically prominent coastal line of Cyprus eventually guided the country’s population from the Persian influence to a predominant European culture (Cyprus.com). Cyprus had a number of experience associated with cultural transformations from the invasions of different powers over the long period of its history and every study related to the geographical influence on the culture of the country shows that the attractive landscapes, rich farm lands and mineral wealth, and above all, the strategic prominence of the geographic location are the reasons for the strive for settlement in this land by many political powers. Conclusion Literature attributes may not be sufficient to describe the stunning glory of the small island country of Cyprus by all means. The diversity of geographical visuals and the experience of changing climatic conditions along with the presence of world’s choicest biodiversity among the flora and fauna of Cyprus make the land a perfect location for tourist across the world. The strategically significant coastal regions and the boundless mineral wealth of this country catch the eyes of world economic powers though the valleys are usually threatened by the eruptions of dangerous volcanoes. The developmental process witnessed by the country in the recent years has transformed the economic facet of the country from an originally agricultural one to a location for international hospitality business and a trade center for abundant foreign exchange. However, the cultural teachings from different occupants still have their influence that adds beauty to its geographic exterior with promises for the sustainable economic growth. Works Cited Bowman, John S, Goult, Herman W & Hunt, David Wathen Stather. “Plant and animal life.” Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d). Web. 23 April 2012. Cyprus.com. “Cyprus through the years.” (n.d). Web. 23 April 2012. Cyprus Profile. “Agriculture and food: Quality not quantity.” (n.d). Web. 23 April 2012. Mirbagheri, Farid. Historical Dictionary of Cyprus. USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2010. Print. Sinclair, M Thea, Blake, Adam & Gooroochurn, Nishaal. “Modelling tourism impacts on small island economies: Evidence from Cyprus, Malta and Mauritius.” Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute. (n.d). Web. 23 April 2012. Simmons, Alan H. Faunal Extinction in an Island Society: Pygmy Hippopotamus Hunters of Cyprus. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 1999. Print. Shafi, Mohammad & Raza, Mehdi. Spectrum of Modern Geography: Essays in Memory of Prof. Mohammad Anas. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 1989. Print. Witt, Stephen F. “Tourism in Cyprus: Balancing the benefits and costs.” Tourism Management. (1991): 37-45. Web. 23 April 2012. Read More