I’ve come across this multiple times—people often have only a very vague idea of where Cyprus is located. Everyone knows it’s somewhere warm, with oranges. Fewer people know it’s somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.
Recently, I came across an excellent photo of Cyprus taken from space, apparently by astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
Cyprus has a very distinctive shape, making it easy to recognize on maps and from space (with enough magnification). For some reason, this shape is sometimes referred to as a “fish,” though I don’t see any resemblance to a fish here. The island’s silhouette is also featured on its national flag:
But let’s get back to the photograph, where this silhouette is clearly visible:
Yes, the photograph offers a slightly unfamiliar perspective, and much is obscured by clouds. However, it still allows us to pinpoint key locations.
Let’s go around in a circle:
- Clearly visible to the right in the photo (and on conventional maps, at the top) is Turkey. In 1974, Turkey sent its troops to the northern part of Cyprus, and since then, these territories have been referred to as occupied by the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey (the only country in the world) recognized this area as the TRNC—the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This section covers about a third of the island, including the coastline closest to Turkey and the long, narrow peninsula. To give you an idea of scale, the distance between Cyprus and Turkey is roughly 70 kilometers by sea. On clear days, Turkey can be seen from the northern coast.
- The peninsula itself, like a finger, points toward Syria, which has been embroiled in a civil war for over 10 years. For Cyprus, this creates ongoing challenges with refugees who attempt to cross the sea to Cyprus and from there to mainland Europe. However, since Cyprus is an island and not part of the Schengen Zone, this journey is far from easy. In the photo, Syria occupies about two-thirds of the bottom section, starting from the lower-right corner.
- Most of the lower-left section (from the inward curve of the coast to the left) belongs to Lebanon, where the economic situation has worsened following the Beirut explosion. However, unlike Syria, Cyprus maintains good relations with Lebanon and even provides financial assistance.
- In the lower-left corner, just beyond the photo, lies Israel, about a 40-minute flight from Cyprus.
- Further to the left, beyond what’s visible in the photo, is Egypt. Recently, Cyprus and Egypt have strengthened their ties, launching several economic initiatives. For instance, a subsea cable is being laid to connect the power grids of Egypt, Cyprus, and mainland Europe (via Greece). This is a boon for Cyprus, where electricity has traditionally been very expensive.
- At the top of the photo, stretching toward the horizon, lies the Mediterranean Sea, dotted with islands all the way to Italy, Spain, and Portugal. But their presence here is only a guess based on geography.
- At the top right, above Turkey, is a cluster of Greek islands. These, too, are not visible in the photograph, so you’ll have to take my word for it. A flight to Athens takes about two and a half hours.
So, Cyprus is located at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean, surrounded by a diverse array of countries whose names might sound daunting. The civil war in Syria is, after all, not far away. When NATO carried out bombing campaigns in Syria, planes took off from British bases on Cyprus.
In my first years living on the island, I asked some local acquaintances whether they felt uneasy about such proximity to conflict zones. Couldn’t missiles fly back and forth if something happened? They replied that missiles might fly over the island, but it’s unlikely they would hit Cyprus itself. That’s how people here live. Still, a few years ago, a missile did crash in the occupied territories.
And so, here we are, living somewhere in the middle of this “fish” (could someone please show me where this “fish” is?) for the past eight years.
