Transport in Cyprus

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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 remaining modes of transport are by motorways, by sea, and by air.

Contents 1 Roads 2 Ports and harbours 3 Merchant marine 4 Airports 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Roads

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. A remnant of British occupation, Cyprus is one of the few EU nations in which vehicles drive on the left side of the road.

Motorways

• 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)

Number of licensed vehicles ^[1]

Vehicle Category	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Private vehicles	270,348	277,554	291,645	324,212	344,953
Taxis	1,641	1,559	1,696	1,770	1,845
Rental cars	8,080	8,509	9,160	9,652	8,336
Buses	3,003	2,997	3,275	3,199	3,217
Light trucks (lighter than 40 tonnes)	107,060	106,610	107,527	105,017	105,327
Heavy trucks (over 40 tonnes)	10,882	11,182	12,119	12,808	13,028
Motorcycles (2 wheels)	12,956	14,983	16,009	16,802	16,836
Motorcycles (3 wheels)	42	41	43	55	558
Scooters	28,987	25,252	25,464	24,539	22,987
TOTAL	442,999	448,687	466,938	498,054	517,087

Public transport in Cyprus is limited to privately run bus services (Except in Nicosia), taxis, and 'Shared' taxi services (locally referred to as service taxis). 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

[edit] Ports and harbours

The main harbours of the island are Limassol harbour, and Larnaca harbour, which service cargo, passenger, and cruise ships. Limassol is the larger of the two, and handles a large volume 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

[edit] 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.)

[edit] Airports

In 1999, Cyprus had 12 airports with paved runways. Of them, seven had runways of lengths 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.

[edit] References

1. ^ Public Works Department official statistics. [1]

[edit] External links

• Cyprus Airways
• Transportation in Cyprus