Paralimni

Paralimni
Paralimni

Location in Cyprus

Coordinates: 35°2′0″N 33°59′0″E / 35.03333°N 33.98333°E / 35.03333; 33.98333Coordinates: 35°2′0″N 33°59′0″E / 35.03333°N 33.98333°E / 35.03333; 33.98333
Country  Cyprus
District Famagusta District
Government
 • Mayor Theodoros Pyrillis
Population (2011[1])
 • Total 15,000
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 5280
Website www.paralimni.org.cy

Paralimni (Greek: Παραλίμνι) is a town situated in the southeast of Cyprus, slightly inland, within the Famagusta District. Since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, it has increased in size and status, due to the migration of many refugees fleeing from the north. Many of the people who work in the tourist industry of Protaras and Ayia Napa live in Paralimni, which is now the temporary administrative centre of the Famagusta District and the biggest municipality of the Greek Cypriot-controlled area of the district.

History

The word Paralimni means "by the lake". Historically, Paralimni was built on the shores of a shallow lake, which filled with water only in the winter. At the beginning of the 20th century, the whole lakebed was reclaimed for agricultural purposes. Paralimni has not always been where it is now; it was built originally on a hill, which was situated between Deryneia and its present location. In the 15th century, it was moved inland to avoid detection by sea pirates. It is said that the first people to settle at Paralimni arrived just after the capture of the nearby town of Famagusta by the Ottoman Turks in 1571. The first settlement was called Saint Demetrius and this place still bears his name today.

In 1986, after a referendum, it was declared a municipality with the name "Paralimni". In May 1986, the first elections were held for the office of mayor and municipal council; Nikos Vlittis was elected the first mayor, and served from 1986 to 2006. In December 2006, Vlittis lost the mayoralty to Andreas Evaggelou, who served as mayor until 2011. The town is also a stronghold for the centre-right Democratic Rally party. Architecturally, Paralimni has been nondescript, as very little (if anything) remains of the original village. Outside of the town centre, the houses are little more than small rectangular blocks, but this is compensated for by their attractive gardens, especially when the trees are in blossom. The new and emerging generations who earn higher salaries than before are spending larger amounts of money in building modern and picturesque houses.

Protaras beach in summer

At the heart of Paralimni lies a shopping centre and a small entertainment scene, including modern cafes and bars. Because Paralimni has rapidly grown in size, the island's biggest food retailers, such as Carrefour, have built or rented branches there. There are also many local supermarkets, such as Kokkinos.

Seaside gardens in Protaras

The countryside surrounding Paralimni has rich red soil and is famous for growing Cyprus potatoes, as well as its picturesque windmills, which are used to draw water from underground aquifers to irrigate the surrounding land. Many of these windmills are now derelict, having been replaced by electric or diesel-powered pumps. Before the rise of tourism, the rich agricultural land surrounding Paralimni was the source of its wealth, and is still of great importance today.

Sports

Enosis Neon Paralimni FC, which plays in the Cypriot First Division, is the football team of the town. There is also a Conference team in Paralimni called Anorthosis Paralimniou.

Protaras

Protaras street by night

Protaras (Greek: Πρωταράς; Turkish: Protaras) is a predominantly tourist resort which comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Paralimni Municipality.

Climate

Climate data for Paralimni
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 16.0
(60.8)		 16.1
(61)		 18.7
(65.7)		 22.2
(72)		 26.8
(80.2)		 30.8
(87.4)		 33.1
(91.6)		 33.3
(91.9)		 31.2
(88.2)		 27.7
(81.9)		 21.7
(71.1)		 17.3
(63.1)		 24.6
(76.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.3
(54.1)		 12.0
(53.6)		 14.2
(57.6)		 17.4
(63.3)		 21.8
(71.2)		 25.7
(78.3)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.5
(83.3)		 26.1
(79)		 22.8
(73)		 17.6
(63.7)		 13.7
(56.7)		 20.0
(68)
Average low °C (°F) 8.6
(47.5)		 7.9
(46.2)		 9.7
(49.5)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.8
(62.2)		 20.6
(69.1)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.7
(74.7)		 20.9
(69.6)		 18.0
(64.4)		 13.4
(56.1)		 10.1
(50.2)		 15.5
(59.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.0
(2.756)		 62.0
(2.441)		 35.0
(1.378)		 15.0
(0.591)		 7.50
(0.2953)		 2.50
(0.0984)		 0.50
(0.0197)		 0.30
(0.0118)		 1.20
(0.0472)		 25.0
(0.984)		 45.0
(1.772)		 87.0
(3.425)		 351.0
(13.819)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 8.2 5.6 4.7 3.5 1.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.6 2.5 4.9 7.3 38.9
Source: Meteorological Service (Cyprus)[2]

Ecology

Paralimni Lake is home to the harmless Cyprus grass snake, which was thought to be extinct from the 1960s, until a man nicknamed "Snake George" re-discovered the species in the early 1990s.[3] As a result, the lake was designated a Site of Community Interest (SCI). Despite this, Cyprus' government issued permission for over 300 homes to be built on the site, resulting in the European Commission instigating court action against the country.[4]

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ↑ Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus
  2. ↑ "Meteorological Service - Climatological and Meteorological Reports".
  3. ↑ Template:Böhme, Wolfgang; Wiedl, Hansjoerg 1994. Status and zoogeography of the herpetofauna of Cyprus, with taxonomic and natural history notes on selected species (genera Rana, Coluber, Natrix, Vipera). Zoology in the Middle East 10:31-52
  4. ↑

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