The Karpas Peninsula ( el, Καρπασία; tr, Karpaz), also known as the Karpass, Karpaz or Karpasia, is a long, finger-like peninsula 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, and its major population centre is the town of

Rizokarpaso Rizokarpaso ( el, Ριζοκάρπασο []; tr, Dipkarpaz) is a town on the Karpas Peninsula in the Northeastern part of Geography of Cyprus, Cyprus. While nominally part of the Famagusta District of the Republic of Cyprus, it has been under th ...

( 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, while ''de jure'' it lies in the Famagusta District of the

Republic of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

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, Galateia,

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 mod ...

. The peninsula hosts a number of historical sites such as

Kantara Castle Kantara Castle ( el, Κάστρο της Καντάρας tr, Kantara Kalesi) is a castle in Northern Cyprus. The exact date of its construction remains unknown, the most plausible theory being the Byzantine period. It combines Byzantine and Fra ...

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 K ...

, 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 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 turtles (''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 Levantine cuisine, Levant, Turkish cuisine, Turkey, Greek cuisine, Greece, the Balkan cuisine, Balkans, the Caucasian cuisine, Caucasus and Iranian cuisine, Iran. It i ...

''. 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

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perd ...

s. 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) 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 ...

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 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