Transport in Cyprus

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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.

Contents

[edit] 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. [1] A remnant of British occupation, Cyprus is one of the few EU nations in which vehicles drive on the left side of the road.

[edit] Motorways

[edit] 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.[2]

Number of licensed vehicles [3]
Vehicle Category 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Private vehicles 270,348 277,554 291,645 324,212 344,953 363.383 400.432
Taxis 1,641 1,559 1,696 1,770 1,845 1.780 1.856
Rental cars 8,080 8,509 9,160 9,652 8,336 7.782 8.648
Buses 3,003 2,997 3,275 3,199 3,217 3.221 3.292
Light trucks (lighter than 40 tonnes) 107,060 106,610 107,527 105,017 105,327 102.520
Heavy trucks (over 40 tonnes) 10,882 11,182 12,119 12,808 13,028 13.203
Motorcycles (2 wheels) 12,956 14,983 16,009 16,802 16,836 17.511
Motorcycles (3 wheels) 42 41 43 55 558 990
Scooters 28,987 25,252 25,464 24,539 22,987 21.858
TOTAL 442,999 448,687 466,938 498,054 517,087 532.248 591,962

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

[edit] Ports and harbours

The ports of Cyprus are operated and maintained by the Cyprus Ports Authority. 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 / 34.91806°N 33.64139°E / 34.91806; 33.64139

St Raphael Marina in Limassol 34°42′00″N 033°10′00″E / 34.7°N 33.1666667°E / 34.7; 33.1666667

Paphos harbour 34°45′15″N 032°24′30″E / 34.75417°N 32.40833°E / 34.75417; 32.40833

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

[edit] Merchant marine

See full article on Cyprus Merchant Marine

total: 1,414 ships (with a volume of 1,000 gross register tons (GRT) or over) totaling 23,497,776 GRT/37,331,506 metric tons deadweight (DWT)

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.)

[edit] Airports

Larnaca Airport

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.

[edit] References