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Cyprus Secret Endemic Spurges

Cyprus Secret Endemic Spurges

Tucked away in the rugged hills and mountains of Cyprus, two special plants — Euphorbia veneris and Euphorbia lemesiana — bring subtle beauty to rocky spots. These endemic spurges, found nowhere else, whisper stories of ancient gods and recent discoveries. But what makes them thrive in such harsh places, and why are they like hidden treasures waiting to be found? www.inaturalist.org What Are These Tough Little Island Natives? Euphorbia veneris and Euphorbia lemesiana are both small, wild plants from the spurge family, a group known for their milky sap and simple flowers. They're perennials that come back each year, perfectly adapted to Cyprus's dry, sunny landscapes, adding quiet charm to the island's wild corners. How Did These Plants Spring from Cyprus's Mythical and Fiery Past? The Euphorbia genus gets its name from Euphorbus, an ancient Greek doctor around 12 BC, whose name meant "well-fed" — a funny twist since these plants are toxic. Euphorbia veneris honors Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess born from Cyprus's seas, linking it to the island's mythical roots. Described in 1963, it's a nod to Cyprus's geological history from ancient ocean floors pushed up by tectonic forces. Euphorbia lemesiana, named after Limassol (Lemesos), was discovered more recently in 2015 as part of the Eastern Mediterranean spurge group, evolving in isolation amid the island's volcanic past. www.inaturalist.org Picture…

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Troodos Ophiolite Cyprus

Troodos Ophiolite Cyprus

If you ever want to surprise someone in Cyprus, do not take them to a museum. Take them to Troodos. As you drive up from any direction you will first pass citrus groves, almond orchards and vineyards. Then pine appears. The air cools. The road winds higher. Somewhere above the clouds you stop, step out of the car and pick up a stone. Michal Klajban And you are holding a piece of the Earth that once lay kilometres beneath a vanished ocean. This is not a poetic exaggeration. Troodos is one of the very few places on the planet where a complete section of oceanic crust and upper mantle stands above sea level. What scientists normally reach only with deep-sea drilling ships, submarines and expensive research programmes lies here beside hiking paths, picnic sites and village roads. Within roughly fifty kilometres you can travel from rocks that formed deep inside the mantle to rocks that erupted on the seafloor, then into sediments that later surrounded the rising island. You are not simply climbing or going down a mountain. You are walking through the internal anatomy of the Earth itself. In the 1960s geologists were still debating whether continents actually moved. The theory of plate tectonics existed but needed proof. Troodos provided it. Here, predictions matched reality: magma chambers, feeder dykes…

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Rare Plants and Animals of Cyprus High-Elevation Zones

Rare Plants and Animals of Cyprus High-Elevation Zones

Cyprus hosts an extraordinary concentration of endemic species in its high-elevation zones, particularly within the Troodos Mountains. At altitudes between 1,000 and 1,952 meters, unique geological conditions combine with Mediterranean climate variations to create habitats found nowhere else on Earth. The island supports 143 endemic plant species, with 47 of these confined exclusively to the Troodos range above 1,000 meters. These mountains function as a natural laboratory where volcanic soils, steep valleys, and climate extremes have shaped remarkable biodiversity over millions of years. kiprinform-com The Troodos Mountain Environment Mount Olympus, also called Khionistra, rises to 1,952 meters and represents the highest point in Cyprus. The Troodos range occupies roughly half the island's total area, its core composed of igneous rocks formed from elevated ocean shell and lithospheric mantle. This volcanic substrate creates serpentine soils with mineral compositions drastically different from the island's lowlands. commons-wikimedia-org Deep valleys carved by streams such as Pedios, Yelias, Serakhias, Ezousa, Diarizos, and Xeropotamos provide north and northwest-facing slopes where humidity accumulates and temperatures moderate. dreamstime-com Between the thermophilous lower slopes and the semi-alpine summit zone, elevation creates distinct vegetation bands. Black pine forests dominate from 1,300 to 1,950 meters, replacing Calabrian pine at the transition point. The highest slopes support foetid juniper in what approaches an alpine environment. Annual precipitation ranges from 300 millimeters on…

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