CYPRUS (ante), one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, in the extreme n.e. of that sea, nearly equidistant from Asia Minor on the n. and Syria on the e.; 46 m. from the former, and GO in. from the latter; 145 m. long and GO wide at the extreme points; 3,678 sq.m. ' • pop. 133,000—said to have been 1,000,000 when under the rule of Venice. By treaty between the British government and the Ottoman empire, June 4, 1878, Asiatic Turkey was placed under British protection, with the stipulation that if Russia shall restore to Turkey the conquests made in Armenia during the late war, Cyprus shall be evacuated by England and the convention be at an end. Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed governor, and was installed as administrator, July 23. The island was formally taken possession of in the name of the queen by vice-admiral lord John Hay, July 12, 1878. The present high commissioner and commander-in-chief is maj.gen. Robert Biddulph. A great part of the island is occupied by mountain ranges in a general direction of w. to east. One of the most lofty, and which fills the wholes. portion of the island, is generally called by modern geographers Mt. Olympus, but the ancients applied that name to only one particular peak. The highest summit so far as known is that of Mt. Trofidos, 6,590 feet. The s. range terminates in the isolated peak of Oros Stavro, or hill of the Holy Cross, a conspicuous object from Larnaka, and evidently the one called Olympus by Strabo, although it is but 2,300 ft. high. The n. range is an unbroken ridge for 100 m., inferior in elevation to the other, its highest summits not exceeding 3,200 feet. Between these ranges is a broad plain extending across the island from the bay of Famagosta to that of Morphu on the w., about 60 tn. long and from 10 to 20 in. wide. This plain is called the Messaria, and is watered by two streams. It is for the most part open and uncultivated, presenting nothing but barren downs, but corn is grown in some places, and the whole valley is doubtless susceptible of cultivation. The plain is bare of timber, and only the loftiest and central summits of Mt. Olympus retain their covering of pine woods. The climate varies in different localities; in the central plain and about Larnaka the heat is excessive, but is tempered by cool sea breezes until about the middle of Sept , between which time and the end of Oct. is the hottest period. The winter is short and cold, but snow is seldom seen
except upon high mountain peaks. Fevers are prevalent during the warm months.
In ancient times this island supplied the Greek monarchs of Egypt with timber for their fleets. It was also celebrated for its mineral wealth, especially for copper, a metal which takes its name (cuprium) from the name of the island. No copper mines are now worked. There was also considerable silver produced, and Pliny says the precious stones were found there. Salt, for which the island was noted in old times, is still pro duced in large quantities in the neighborhood of Larnaka and Limasol. It is said that gold and coal have been recently found. The principal vegetable productions are cot ton, wines, and fruits; some tobacco is grown. Cultivation is easy, and the soil in many places is exceedingly productive, particularly at the foot of Mt. Olympus, and along the level land of the n. shore. The want of good harbors is greatly felt. The chief places of trade, Larnaka and Limasol, have only roadsteads; and Salamis, which was the chief port of antiquity, as well as Famagosta, which held that position under the Venetians, were only artificial harbors on an open sandy coast. The English have selected Famagosta as the most favorable place to construct a good harbor. The towns in Cyprus worthy of notice are, 1. Lefkosia, commonly called Nierosia, which since the time of the Lusignan kings has been the capital of the island; 2. Famagosta, on the e. coast near the ruins of Salamis, which was the chief port under the Venetians, and famous for the defense against the Turks in 1571, now having only a few hundred inhabitants; 3. Larnaka, on the s.c. coast on the site of the ancient Citluin, now the chief place of trade. with 5,000 or 6,000 inhabitants; 4. Limasol, on the s. coast, some distance w. of the site of Amathus, the chief point for the export of wines; 5. Baffo, or Papho, on the site of the ancient Paphos, on the s.w. angle of the island, the seat of the Greek bishop; and, 6. Tzerini, or Tzerinia, the ancient Kerynea, which retains its old Venetian fortifications, but is an inconsiderable place.