Cyprus is the third largest island situated in the north eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, southern coast of Turkey and the western shore of Syria. Its neighboring lands at the nearest coastal points are Turkey 40 miles north, Syria 60 miles east, Lebanon 108 miles south-east and Egypt 230 miles south.

The island lies between the latitudes 34° 33' and 35° 41 north and longitudes 32° 15' and 34° 35' east with total area of 9,251 square kilometers (3,572 square miles).  With a population of onl 800 000, largeareas of the island remain completely unspoiled. However, as a result of the Turkish invasion of 1974, 37% of the island remains under Turkish rule. The so-called 'Green Line' border that cuts directly through the capital, Nicosia divides the country, now the last remaining divided capital in Europe.