Transport in Cyprus

Because Cyprus has no working railway system, various other methods of transportation are needed to ensure the proper delivery of any cargo, be it human or freight. Since the last railway was dismantled in 1950, the only remaing modes of transport are by highways, by sea, and by air.

Highways

Of the 10,663 km of roads in the Greek Cypriot area in 1998, 6,249 km were paved, while 4,414 km were unpaved. In 1996, the Turkish Cypriot area showed a close, but smaller ratio of paved to unpaved with about 1,370 km out of 2,350 km paved and 980 km unpaved.

Cyprus is one of the few EU nations in which vehicles drive on the left side of the road.

Intercity highways:

• A1 Nicosia to Limassol
• A2 connects A1 near Pera Chorio with A3 by Larnaca
• A3 Larnaca to Agia Napa
• A5 connects A1 near Kofinou with A3 by Larnaca
• A6 Pafos to Limassol
• A9 Nicosia to Astromeritis (partially under construction)

Ports and harbours

The main harbours of the island are Limassol harbor, and Larnaca harbor, which service cargo, passenger, and cruise ships. Limmassol is the larger of the two, and handles a large volum of both cargo and cruise vessels. Larnaca is primarily a cargo port but played a big part in the evacuation of foreign nationals from Lebanon in 2006, and in the subsequent humanitarian aid effort. A smaller cargo dock also exists at Vasilikos, near Zygi (a small town between Larnaca and Limassol). Smaller vessels and private yachts can dock at Marinas in Cyprus.

Larnaca Marina in Larnaca 34°55′05″N 033°38′29″E

St Raphael Marina in Limassol 34°42′00″N 033°10′00″E

List of ports and harbours: Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Vasilikos

Merchant marine

total: 1,414 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,497,776 GRT/37,331,506 DWT

ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 442, cargo 495, chemical tanker 22, combination bulk 40, combination ore/oil 8, container 144, liquified gas 6, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 142, refrigerated cargo 41, roll-on/roll-off 45, short-sea passenger 13, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1999 est.)

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 37 countries among which are Greece 611, Germany 129, Russia 49, Latvia 278, Netherlands 20, Japan 28, Cuba 16, the People's Republic of China 15, Hong Kong 13, and Poland 15 (1998 est.)

Airports

In 1999, Cyprus had 12 airports with paved runways. Of them, seven had runways of lenghths between 2,438 and 3,047 metres, one had a length between 1,524 and 2,437 metres, three had lengths between 914 and 1524 metres, and one had a length less than 914 metres.

Of the 3 airports with unpaved runways, 2 had lengths less than 914 metres and one had a length between 914 and 1524 metres.

In 1999, Cyprus had six heliports and two international airports: Larnaca International Airport and Paphos International Airport. Nicosia International Airport has been closed since 1974.

Public Transport

Public transport in Cyprus is limited to privately run bus services (Except in Nicosia), taxis, and 'Shared' taxi services. Thus, private car ownership in the country is the 5th highest per capita in the world. However in 2006 extensive plans were announced to expand and improve bus services and restructure public transport throughout Cyprus, with the financial backing of the European Union Development Bank

External links

• Cyprus Airways
• Helios Airways - name now changed (May 2006)from Helios to A-Jet.
• - Driving in Cyprus

Other links:

• A Cyprus Tourist Guide