Experience the colorful diversity of the island
Did you know that, despite deforestation, Cyprus is the island with the largest forests in the Mediterranean? Today only 19% of the island's area is covered with forest. In ancient times, however, not only the Troodos Mountains, but also the Mesaoria Plain and the Kerynia Mountains were forested.
The most common conifer is the Troodos pine. These can be found mainly in the high elevations of the Troodos. The endemic Troodos cedar, on the other hand, is largely extinct due to deforestation. The forests and trees are still being reforested with fast-growing species such as the Calabrian pine.
The forest is one of a total of three vegetation zones in Cyprus and is located at an altitude of 1.000-1.200 m. In addition, the island is divided into the "Macchia", which extends up to 1.000 m and is characterized by smaller trees and higher shrubs, including a matrix bush and carob tree. The third zone is the Phrygana plain, which extends up to 500 m, and in which drought-resistant shrubs, dwarf shrubs and herbs and spices such as bay, rosemary, mint, marjoram, thyme and myrtle grow.
Around 1.800 different flowering plants from 152 plant families thrive on the entire island. Despite the prevailing drought, these keep adding splashes of color to the landscape. The time from January to May is particularly beautiful. Then orchids bloom in abundance. Wild tulips, crocuses, hyacinths, peonies, irises, cyclamen, but also cherry and almond trees add color accents. Numerous daffodils bloom in autumn. Even in the hottest months, from July to September, thistles, myrtles, tamarisks and oleanders provide splashes of pastel color. Thanks to the autumn crooks, Cyprus is colorful even in winter!
Civilization and humans have influenced and changed the fauna by making numerous cultivated plants indigenous. The typical representatives are the olive, pomegranate and carob tree. The latter was the most important useful tree for centuries. Not to be forgotten are the numerous grapevines - today the most important cultivated plants.
In addition to the different vegetation zones, there are also different landscape zones. Cyprus is divided into four different natural areas. In the north the Kerynia chain rises with elevations up to 1.024m. The most famous mountains are formed by the group of the Pentadactylos, the five-finger mountain. This mountain range descends to the south into the Mesaoria plain, which extends completely from east to west and is the main growing area for agricultural products. In the middle of the island rises the Troodos Mountains, with the highest mountain in Cyprus - the 1.953 m high Olympus. To the south the mountains merge into hill country. Here, too, there is intensive agriculture. In the east, south and west, different coastal plains shape the image of the island.
Unfortunately, such a wealth of species is not found in the animal world. But here too there are special species, such as the mouflon, a shy forest sheep that lives in the forests of Pafos. The other large game species that once lived in large numbers in Cyprus have fallen victim to hunting in the past and have been completely eradicated. The number of other mammals living in the wild has become very manageable as a result.
The 300 bird species that have been counted are for the most part migratory birds that prefer to spend their winter at the salt lakes. The most striking representatives are the pink flamingos, which are found in very large numbers at the Larnaka salt lake.
