Cyprus is an island tucked away in the eastern corner of the Mediterranean, close to Europe, Asia and Africa, a steppingstone to three continents.
It is a country with superb natural beauty and has a remarkable variety of landscape and scenery. Its rugged coastline alternates between rocky shores,
promontories and sandy bays while extensive plains, rolling hills and forest-clad mountains, scattered with picturesque villages, cover the island area.
The pleasures of Cyprus come from its apparent simplicity - the straightforward physical charm of the island and the natural warmth of the people.
Of course, one could not cover beauties of this renowned island of Love in a page!

Geography

Cyprus is situated in the north-eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, 33o east of Greenwich and 35o north of the Equator and has an area of 9,251 square
kilometers, of which 1.733 are forested. The capital of the island is Nicosia (Lefkosia); It is situated roughly in the centre of the island and is the
seat of government as well as the main business centre. The second largest town is Limassol in the south and it is Cyprus' main commercial port and an
important tourist resort. Larnaca in the south east of island is the island's second commercial port and an important tourist resort. To the north of the
town is located the island's oil refinery, while to the south is situated Larnaca's International Airport. Finally, Paphos in the southwest is a fast
developing tourist resort; Home to the island's second International Airport and it has an attractive fishing harbour.

Climate

Cyprus has an intense Mediterranean climate with the typical seasonal rhythm strongly marked in respect of temperature, rainfall and weather generally.
Hot, dry summers from mid-May to mid-September and rainy, rather changeable winters from mid-November to mid-March are separated by short autumn and spring
seasons. The coldest month is January with minimum and maximum temperatures of 6oC to 10oC, respectively, while in August, the hottest month, the corresponding
minimum and maximum temperatures are 21oC and 36o C.

Land and crops

The coastline is indented and rocky in the north with long, sandy beaches in numerous coves in south. The north-ern coastal plain, covered with olive and
carob trees, is backed by a steep, narrow mountain range of limestone, the Northern or Pentadaktylos Range,. In the southwest the extensive mountain of Troodos,
covered with pine, dwarf oak cypress and cedar. Between the two ranges lies the fertile plain of Mesaoria to the east and the still more fertile irrigated
basin of Morphou to the west. Cyprus has two salt lakes. The principle� crops in the lowlands are cereals, vegetables, potatoes, and citrus. The olive tree
grows everywhere, but flourishes particularly on the sea-facing slopes of the Troodos Mountains. Deciduous fruit trees are grown in the fertile mountain
valleys.

HELPFUL INFORMATION

1.ROADS

The districts of Cyprus are connected by an efficient network of roads. Many of the dated singe lane roads have been replaced by new motorways complying with
the International Motorway Standards (such motorways connect Nicosia with Larnaca and Limassol as well as Limassol with Larnaca and Paphos. A similar road
connecting Agia Napa with Larnaca is under construction).Road signs are marked both in Greek and English and make use of internationally accepted symbols.

2. PETROL STATIONS

All of the main towns and villages in Cyprus are well served by petrol stations which are open, from 6am to 7pm in summer and 6am to 6pm in winter on
weekdays. On Saturday they close at 3pm and on Sundays they remain closed all day. But! A large number of petrol stations offer 24 hours service
(this can be identified by �24 Hours� displays) with easy to use Bank Notes Acceptors. So, in practice you can fill up your car any time of the day.

3. CURRENCY

The unit of currency is the Euro (€) which is divided into 100 cents. Bank notes are €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500.

4. SHOPPING/BUSINESS HOURS

Shopping hours are seasonally adjusted:

Winter Period (Oct, 1st - Apr, 30th)
Mon to Fri 8.00 - 1.00pm & 3.00pm - 6.30pm - Wed & Sat 8.00am - 2.00pm

Summer Period: (May, 1st - Sep, 30th)
Mon to Fri 8.00 - 1.00pm & 4.00pm - 7.30pm - Wed & Sat 8.00am - 2.00pm

Banking hours for the public are on Mondays from 8.30am to 6.00pm. Tuesday to Friday, the hours are 8.30am to 12.00pm. In the main towns and tourist
centres some banks are also open from15.30 - 17.30 (Oct - Apr) and from 16.00 to 18.00 (Mat - Sept). There is also a night service available at the banks
in Larnaca and Paphos airports for international arrivals.

5.TIME

Cyprus GMT +2. In summer-time clocks are put forward one hour.

6. SUNSET

When planning your itinerary, it could be useful for excursions to know when it gets dark on the island. Below is a guide which indicates the approximate
time when the sun sets in Cyprus:

Jan - 16.45; Feb - 17.30; Mar - 17.45; Apr - 19.15
May - 19.45; Jun - 20.00; Jul - 20.00; Aug - 19.30
Sept - 19.00; Oct - 18.15; Nov - 16.45; Dec - 16.30

7. POSTAL SERVICES

Postal Services to Europe take 3-5 days and are all by airmail. Post offices are open from Monday to Friday with a limited 2 hours service on Saturday
morning. But, it is best to check with your hotel or tour operator for opening hours as these fluctuate.

8. ELECTRICITY

Electricity in Cyprus is 220/240 Volts AC 50 cycles, single phase for lighting and domestic requirements. Plugs are three-pin, U.K. standard.

9. DAILY MEDIA

Newspapers
There are two newspapers in Cyprus that are published in English: the "Cyprus Mail" that circulates daily and the "Cyprus Weekly" that is published every
Friday. Most of the UK, German, Russian, etc. Newspapers can be found in the larger towns and the tourist areas, one day after publishing.