The Karpas Peninsula ( el, Καρπασία; tr, Karpaz), also known as the Karpass, Karpaz or Karpasia, is a long, finger-like

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

that is one of the most prominent geographical features of the

island of Cyprus Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, and the 80th largest island in the world by area. It is located south of th ...

. Its farthest extent is

Cape Apostolos Andreas Cape Apostolos Andreas ( el, Ακρωτήριο Αποστόλου Ανδρέα, "Cape Saint Andrew"; tr, Zafer Burnu, "Cape Victory") is the north-easternmost point (promontory) of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (). It lies at the tip of th ...

, and its major population centre is the town of Rizokarpaso ( el, Ριζοκάρπασο, links=no; tr, Dipkarpaz, links=no). The peninsula ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' forms the

İskele District İskele District is a district of Northern Cyprus. It is divided into three sub-districts: İskele Sub-district, Mehmetçik Sub-district and Yialousa Sub-district.Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...

, while ''de jure'' it lies in the

Famagusta District Famagusta District ( gr, Επαρχία Αμμοχώστου, Eparchia Ammochostu; tr, Mağusa kazası) is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island's most important port, Famagusta. History Most of the district has b ...

of the Republic of Cyprus.

Geography

It covers an area of 898 km², making up 27% of the territory of Northern Cyprus. It is much less densely populated than the average of Northern Cyprus, with a population density of 26 people per km² in 2010. The town of Trikomo (İskele), the district capital, is considered to be the "gateway" and the geographical starting point of the peninsula, along with the neighboring village of

Bogazi Bogazi ( gr, Μπογάζι, tr, Boğaz) is a village in Cyprus, located 7 km northeast of Trikomo in the Karpaz Peninsula. It is under the ''de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or ...

(Boğaz). Apart from Trikomo, the most important towns and municipalities in the area are

Yialousa Yialousa ( el, Γιαλούσα rom , meaning " Sea" tr, Yeni Erenköy), or Gialousa,is a town under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus, claimed by Cyprus. Yialousa is located on the Karpas Peninsula, and one of the sub-districts of th ...

, Galateia, Rizokarpaso,

Komi Kebir Komi Kebir ( el, Κώμη Κεπήρ []; tr, Büyükkonuk or ) is a village under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus, claimed by Cyprus. It is located on the Karpas Peninsula, north of Famagusta, and at an altitude of . , it had a popul ...

and

Akanthou Akanthou ( el, Ακανθού, ; tr, Tatlısu) is a village on the northern coast of Cyprus. It is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. , it had a population of 1,459. History The first settlement that can be linked with the mode ...

. The peninsula hosts a number of historical sites such as Kantara Castle and

Apostolos Andreas Monastery Apostolos Andreas Monastery ( el, Απόστολος Ανδρέας; tr, Apostolos Andreas Manastırı) is a monastery situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpaso in the Ka ...

, as well as the ruins of

Agia Trias Basilica Agia, ayia, aghia, hagia, haghia or AGIA may refer to: *''Agia'', feminine form of ''Agios'', 'saint' Geography * Agia, Cyprus * Agia, Chania, a town in Chania (regional unit), Crete, Greece *Agia, Larissa, Greece *Agia (Meteora), a rock in Thess ...

and the ancient cities of

Karpasia Karpasia may refer to: * Karpass Peninsula, the long, finger-like peninsula of northeastern Cyprus * Karpasia (town) Karpasia ( grc, Καρπάσεια and Καρπασία), Latinized as Carpasia, and also known as Karpasion (sometimes mistaken f ...

and Aphendrika among numerous others. There are more than 46 sandy beaches in the peninsula, which are the primary Eastern Mediterranean nesting grounds for the loggerhead (''Caretta caretta'') and

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

s (''Chelonia mydas''). The Golden Beach is situated around 15 km from the town of Rizokarpaso and is considered one of the finest and most remote beaches of Cyprus. It is one of the least tourist-frequented beaches in the island. The Karpas Peninsula is home to the

Karpas donkey The Cyprus donkey is the donkey breed of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.Breed data sheet: Cyprus/Cyprus
Domestic ...

, known as a symbol of Cyprus; there are campaigns carried out jointly by Turkish and Greek Cypriots to conserve the rare donkeys of the peninsula.

Activities

Most of the activities in the Karpas Peninsula are related to agriculture, fishing, hunting, and some to micro-tourism. Local farmers take advantage of this natural environment to grow different fruits and vegetables mostly as sub-subsistence farming (although for local commerce too). The region is mostly known for its ''karpuz'' (Turkish for "watermelon"). Several tourist businesses can be found in the town of Rizokarpaso. These are generally restaurants serving traditional Turkish-Cypriot Cuisine, including ''

meze Meze or mezza (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in the Levant, Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Iran. It is similar to Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti. A mezze may be served as a part of a multi-course me ...

''. Due to its geographical position, the Karpas Peninsula is somewhat protected from human interference. This makes it a pristine natural environment, home to many inland and marine species. When hunting season starts, the Karpas's forests are a popular location to go hunting for partridges. Meanwhile, the coastal region, with its clear waters, moderate northern currents, and rocky bottom with cave-like structures, is home to two of the most highly valued fish species: the ''orfoz'' (

dusky grouper ''Epinephelus marginatus'' (), the dusky grouper, yellowbelly rock cod or yellowbelly grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the an ...

) and ''lahos'' (''

Epinephelus ''Epinephelus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are predatory fish, largely associated with reefs and are found i ...

es''). The price per kilogram of each species ranges from 35-80 Turkish lira, depending on the location and the season. However, fishing rates in the Karpas region and most of North Cyprus dramatically decreased last century because of the use of dynamite. This is why the Zafer Burunu (the tip of the peninsula) is now a protected natural heritage area, where marine species are slowly recovering to healthy population parameters.

Gallery

File:Kaplica beach.jpg, A beach in

Davlos Davlos ( gr, Δαυλός, tr, Kaplıca) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located on the northern coast, east of Kyrenia, near Kantara Castle. It is under ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus, forming part of its İskele Dist ...

File:Morning beach near Mehmetcik (North Cyprus) 2003.jpg, A beach in Galateia File:Monastery 4764.jpg,

File:Cyprus donkeys (square format), Karpaz, Northern Cyprus.jpg, Two

Karpas donkey The Cyprus donkey is the donkey breed of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.Breed data sheet: Cyprus/Cyprus
Domestic ...

s File:Sand Lily on the Karpaz.jpg, A sand lily on the Karpas Peninsula

References

{{Coord, 35.527756, N, 34.277344, E, source:dewiki_region:CY-03_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Peninsulas of Cyprus Landforms of Northern Cyprus