Transport in Cyprus
Encyclopedia
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 1952, the only remaining modes of transport are by motorways, by sea, and by air.
Of the 12,118 km of roads in the areas still controlled by the Republic of Cyprus in 2006, 7,850 km were paved, while 4,268 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
.
Road transport is the dominant form of transport on the island. Figures released by the International Road Federation
in 2007 show that Cyprus holds the highest car ownership rate in the world with 742 cars per 1,000 people.
Public transport in Cyprus is limited to privately run bus services (except in Nicosia
), taxis, and interurban 'shared' taxi services (locally referred to as service taxis). Thus, private car ownership in the country is the fifth 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
. Major 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
Paphos harbour 34°45′15"N 032°24′30"E
List of ports and harbours: Larnaca
, Limassol
, Paphos
, Vasilikos.
total:
1,414 ships (with a volume of or over) totaling /
ships by type:
barge carrier 2, bulk carrier
442, cargo ship
495, chemical tanker
22, combination bulk 40, combination ore/oil 8, container ship
144, Liquified Gas Carrier
6, passenger ship
8, petroleum tanker
142, refrigerated cargo 41, roll-on/roll-off 45, short-sea passenger 13, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1999 est.)
Of the three airports with unpaved runways, two 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.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
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
Cyprus Government Railway
The Cyprus Government Railway was a narrow gauge railway network that operated in Cyprus from October 1905 to December 1951. With a total length of , there were 39 stations, stops and halts, the most prominent of which served Famagusta, Prastio Mesaoria, Angastina, Trachoni, Nicosia,...
was dismantled in 1952, the only remaining modes of transport are by motorways, by sea, and by air.
Roads
Driving on the left or right
The terms right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic refer to regulations requiring all bidirectional traffic to keep either to the right or the left side of the road, respectively. This is so fundamental to traffic flow that it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. This basic rule eases...
.
Motorways
- A1A1 motorway (Cyprus)The A1 motorway marked the beginning of an ambitious government project to link all the main cities on the island with modern 4 lane highways. It is 73 km long and is free of any at-grade intersections...
NicosiaNicosiaNicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
to LimassolLimassolLimassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the... - A2A2 motorway (Cyprus)thumb|leftThe A2 motorway branches off the A1 at Pera Chorio-Nisou and connects to the A3. It is locally referred to as the Nicosia - Larnaca motorway . It is also called "the tube" due to its mostly straight with a very limited number of exits....
connects A1 near Pera ChorioPera ChorioPera Chorio is a village located in Cyprus, near the town of Dali.Pera Chorio is a large village, the population of the village is around 2,200 people. Many of them are refugees who went to the village after the Turkish invasion. There is a river called Gualias that separates the Pera Chorio from...
with A3 by LarnacaLarnacaLarnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort... - A3A3 motorway (Cyprus)The A3 motorway is a modern motorway linking Larnaca International Airport, the largest airport in Cyprus, and Ayia Napa, a very popular clubbing paradise. It is 55 km long. The road was built in five phases and took about 10 years to be completed...
LarnacaLarnacaLarnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
Airport to Agia Napa, also serves as a circular road for Larnaca. - A5A5 motorway (Cyprus)The A5 links the A1 motorway with the A3 near Larnaca. It serves as the main route linking the cities of Limassol and Larnaca . It runs parallel to the older B5 Main Road....
connects A1 near KofinouKofinouKofinou is a village located in the Larnaca District of Cyprus.A small village where the roads from Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol trisected, prior to the by-pass built in the 1990s.-History:...
with A3 by LarnacaLarnacaLarnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort... - A6A6 motorway (Cyprus)The A6 highway marked the ending of an ambitious government project to link all the main cities on the island with modern four-lane, high-speed highways. It is 66 km long and is free of any at-grade intersections...
Pafos to LimassolLimassolLimassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the... - A7A7 motorway (Cyprus)The A7 is a planned Motorway to link the city of Paphos with Polis, a small town in the north west of the island.- Overview :This motorway is one of the oldest demands of locals, due to number of accidents happened on the B7 road , and due to the constant heavy traffic on it...
Pafos to PolisPolisPolis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
(final plans) - A9A9 motorway (Cyprus)A9 is a highway under construction which is planned to connect Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, with the Troödos Mountains. Currently this highway is completed until the small village of Dhenia. The project has stopped until the safety of planers will be established...
NicosiaNicosiaNicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
to AstromeritisAstromeritisAstromeritis is a large village in the Morphou Department of the Nicosia District of Cyprus. It is located from the capital Nicosia...
(partially under construction) - A22A22 motorway (Cyprus)The A22 is a future Motorway planned to bypass the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. This road is in the process of final plans....
DaliDali, CyprusDali is a large village in Cyprus, located south east of the capital Nicosia and close to the ancient city of Idalion. By the 2001 census it had a total population of 5,834.Now in 2007 Dali has reached the population of 7,564....
industrial area to Anthoupolis, Lakatamia (Nicosia 3rd ring road, final plans)
Public buses
In 2006 extensive plans were announced to improve and expand bus services and restructure public transport throughout Cyprus, with the financial backing of the European Union Development Bank. In 2010 the new revised and expanded bus network got implemented.Licensed vehicles
International Road Federation
The International Road Federation is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that promotes the development and maintenance of roads, with a focus on safety and sustainability. The organization has two key functions, providing expertise on road issues to governments and financial...
in 2007 show that Cyprus holds the highest car ownership rate in the world with 742 cars per 1,000 people.
| Vehicle Category Vehicle size class Vehicle size classes are a way of classifying cars. The common North American parlance is word-based, while English-speaking European writers also use words to describe car sizes... |
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private vehicles | 270,348 | 277,554 | 291,645 | 324,212 | 344,953 | 363.383 | 400.432 | 432,702 | 450,182 |
| Taxis | 1,641 | 1,559 | 1,696 | 1,770 | 1,845 | 1.780 | 1.856 | 1,864 | 1,870 |
| Rental cars | 8,080 | 8,509 | 9,160 | 9,652 | 8,336 | 7.782 | 8.648 | 8,951 | 8,452 |
| Buses | 3,003 | 2,997 | 3,275 | 3,199 | 3,217 | 3.221 | 3.292 | 3,402 | 3,449 |
| Τrucks | 117,942 | 117,792 | 119,646 | 117,825 | 118,355 | 115,723 | 117,498 | 121,779 | 124,097 |
| Tractors | 13,594 | 13,932 | 14,284 | 13,941 | 14,368 | 14,739 | 14,956 | 15,478 | 15,877 |
| Motorcycles | 41,985 | 40,276 | 41,516 | 41,396 | 40,381 | 40,359 | 41,211 | 43,219 | 42,690 |
| TOTAL | 442,999 | 448,687 | 466,938 | 498,054 | 517,087 | 532.248 | 591,962 | 631,824 | 651,149 |
Public transport in Cyprus is limited to privately run bus services (except in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
), taxis, and interurban 'shared' taxi services (locally referred to as service taxis). Thus, private car ownership in the country is the fifth 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
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Development Bank
Ports and harbours
The ports of Cyprus are operated and maintained by the Cyprus Ports AuthorityCyprus Ports Authority
The Cyprus Ports Authority is a semi-autonomous government agency that is responsible for the supervision and oversight of the ports and port facilities of the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus...
. Major harbours of the island are Limassol
Limassol Port
-Limassol New Port:Geographical Location: .Although a title held by Famagusta Port for centuries, Limassol Port has now become the principal seaport in Cyprus. This was largely a direct result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 leaving the port of Famagusta within occupied territory and...
harbour, and Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
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
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
in 2006, and in the subsequent humanitarian aid effort. A smaller cargo dock also exists at Vasilikos, near Zygi
Zygi
Zygi is a small village located in the south of Cyprus between Limassol and Larnaca. The coastline of the Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Before 1974, substantial Cypriot-Turks lived here and they named it as "Terazi" ....
(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
Paphos harbour 34°45′15"N 032°24′30"E
List of ports and harbours: Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
, Limassol
Limassol Port
-Limassol New Port:Geographical Location: .Although a title held by Famagusta Port for centuries, Limassol Port has now become the principal seaport in Cyprus. This was largely a direct result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 leaving the port of Famagusta within occupied territory and...
, Paphos
Paphos
Paphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
, Vasilikos.
Public Bicycle sharing system
Bike in Action is the latest transportation system for the greater Nicosia area, similar to programs employed successfully in various cities around the world (Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Melbourne, etc.). Bicycles can be found at stations in all participating municipalities (Agios Dometios, Aglandjia , Dali, Engomi, Latsia, Pallouriotissa, Strovolos) and returned after their use at any station.Merchant marine
- See full article on Cyprus Merchant MarineCyprus Merchant MarineIts geographical position at the crossroads of three continents and its proximity to the Suez canal has promoted merchant shipping as an important industry for the island nation of Cyprus...
total:
1,414 ships (with a volume of or over) totaling /
ships by type:
barge carrier 2, bulk carrier
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
442, cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
495, chemical tanker
Chemical tanker
A chemical tanker is a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk.Ocean-going chemical tankers generally range from to in size, which is considerably smaller than the average size of other tanker types due to the specialised nature of their cargoes and the size restrictions of the...
22, combination bulk 40, combination ore/oil 8, container ship
Container ship
Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
144, Liquified Gas Carrier
LNG carrier
An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas . As the LNG market grows rapidly, the fleet of LNG carriers continues to experience tremendous growth.-History:...
6, passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
8, petroleum tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
142, refrigerated cargo 41, roll-on/roll-off 45, short-sea passenger 13, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1999 est.)
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 three airports with unpaved runways, two 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
Larnaca International Airport
Larnaca International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Larnaca, Cyprus. Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus' main international gateway and the larger of the country's two commercial airports, the other being Paphos International Airport on the island's southwestern...
and Paphos International Airport
Paphos International Airport
-Public transport:A bus serviceis available from the airport to Karavella station in Paphos where one may change bus to other destinations in the island. Information regarding these buses is available at .-External links:*...
. Nicosia International Airport
Nicosia International Airport
Nicosia International Airport is a largely disused airport located to the west of the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia. It was originally the main airport for the island, but commercial activity ceased following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
has been closed since 1974.