Transport in Cyprus

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.

Roads

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. [ [http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/PWD/pwd.nsf/All/0A49EACB1E1CA73FC2257354003B6922?Opendocument Τμήμα Δημοσίων Έργων - Στατιστικά Στοιχεία - Συντήρηση Δρόμων 2006 ] ] A remnant of British occupation, Cyprus is one of the few EU nations in which vehicles drive on the left side of the road.

Motorways

* A1 Nicosia to Limassol
* A2 connects A1 near Pera Chorio with A3 by Larnaca
* A3 Larnaca to Agia Napa
* A5 connects A1 near Kofinou with A3 by Larnaca
* A6 Pafos to Limassol
* A7 Pafos to Polis (final plans)
* A9 Nicosia to Astromeritis (partially under construction)
* A22 Dali industrial area to Anthoupolis, Lakatamia (Nicosia 3rd ring road, final plans)

Licensed Vehicles

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. [cite news
last = Ryu
first = Jin
title = Korea Ranks 40th in Car Ownership
publisher = The Korea Times
date = 2007-12-14
url = http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2007/12/123_15561.html
accessdate = 2007-12-16 ]

Public transport in Cyprus is limited to privately run bus services (Except in Nicosia), taxis, and 'Shared' taxi services (locally referred to as "service taxis"). Thus, private car ownership in the country is the 5th 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

Ports and harbours

The main 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 coord|34|55|05|N|033|38|29|E|

St Raphael Marina in Limassol coord|34|42|00|N|033|10|00|E|

Paphos harbour coord|34|45|15|N|032|24|30|E|

List of ports and harbours:
Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Vasilikos

Merchant marine

:"See full article on Cyprus Merchant Marine""total:"1,414 ships (with a volume of GRT|1,000|first=yes or over) totaling GRT|23,497,776/DWT|37,331,506|metric|first=yes

"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.)

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 3 airports with unpaved runways, 2 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.cyprusairways.com/main/default.aspx Cyprus Airways]