86:, indeed flowed through it before the river was diverted by the Venetians. The lalias rises very near the source of the Pedias, passes through Nisou, Dali (the ancient Idalion) and Pyroi, and traverses the Mesaoria in a direction more or less parallel with the Pedias. A smaller but more constant streams is the Cares (Clarios), which flows from the slopes of Troodos into the Bay of Morphou.
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Twenty million years ago Cyprus was actually two islands, which were the predecessors of the
Kyrenia and Troodos mountain ranges. Approximately one million years ago, the Mesaoria plain arose, resulting in the current island of Cyprus. At various times, changing levels of the Mediterranean sea
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The
Alluvial Plains of the centre of the island are for the most part the product of successive rain-storms and floods which have brought down from the mountains immense quantities of light debris which has been spread over the lower lands, principally by human agency exerted in the system of
105:. It has an area of approximately 1000 km (390 mi). It rises to an altitude of 325 m (1066 ft), with an average elevation of perhaps 100 m (330 ft). There are a number of rivers and other water courses crossing this plain, but none of them have water year round.
153:, can be uncomfortably hot in the summer, with temperatures of 40 °C being common. The rainfall on the plain is significantly lower than in the mountains, but in recent years a number of dams and irrigation systems have been constructed to capture the mountain runoff.
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113:, which has been practised from time immemorial. This has resulted in the general raising of the land surface and incidentally in the natural reclamation of many acres of land in the lower parts of the Mesaoria, which once were arms of the sea.
181:. However, as recently as the late sixteenth century there were still significant stands of trees on the plain. Today, the only remaining forested areas are on the surrounding mountains, particularly the Troodos range.
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As evidenced by a papal document in 1196, the eastern region of
Mesaoria had become settled with a dense network of villages by the 12th century. The plain served as the island's prime agricultural region.
120:. For the most part, the Mesaoria is a flat, bare plain, with few trees except for those planted as windbreaks. It is the agricultural heartland of Cyprus, but it depends completely on winter rainfall and
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for its water, which limits production. It is also the most settled region on the island, containing dozens of villages and many of the largest towns, including the capital,
173:. In classical times the entire center of the island was covered by dense forests. Most of these were cut down in the middle of the 1st century BC to provide wood for the
192:, on the Bay of Morphou (a further 34 miles). Work was begun in 1904 and Nicosia the capital was connected on 21 October 1905. The line was closed in 1951.
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A single line of railway of 2 ft 6in gauge was constructed the full length of the plain, from
Famagusta to Nicosia (36 miles) and then to
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The streams which traverse it are mere winter torrents, which descend from the southern chain but scarcely reach the sea. The
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Due to deforestation, much of the
Mesaoria is covered with "Kafkalla", which is a local term referring to
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The
Mesaoria is the name given to the broad tract of plain which extends across the island from the
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in the west, which is a length of 96 km, with a breadth varying from 16 to 32 km.
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A Handbook of Cyprus, by Sir J. T. Hutchinson, London 1907, publ.Edward
Stanford. Page 2
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navy. Additionally, much wood was harvested to provide energy for the extraction of
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covered and exposed the plain; it has been in its present form since the end of the
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The word "Mesaoria" (sometimes spelled "Mesarya"), means "between the mountains" in
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Papacostas, Tasos (2012). "Byzantine
Nicosia: 650-1191". In Michaelides, D. (ed.).
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and lalias (Yialias, Idalias) lose most of their flood waters in the marshes about
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39:) is a broad, sweeping plain which makes up the north centre of the
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Cyprus Narrow Gauge. By Hugh
Ballantyne (2007). Middleton Press.
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The
Mesaoria plain shows evidence of cultivation dating from the
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78:, near the Bay of Famagusta. The Pedias rises near
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248:. Nicosia: Rimal Publications. p. 87.
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93:is bounded on the east and west by the
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103:Kyrenia mountains (Pentadaktylos)
16:Landform on the island of Cyprus
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323:Landforms of Northern Cyprus
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101:and on the north by the
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146:The plain which has a
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82:and passes close to
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258:Hutchinson. Page 93
234:Hutchinson. Page 3
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299:35.167°N 33.667°E
273:978-1-906008-13-0
151:semi-arid climate
133:calcium carbonate
99:Troodos mountains
95:Mediterranean Sea
72:Pedias (Pediaeus)
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328:Plains of Cyprus
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89:The Mesaoria
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207:Breadbasket
190:Karavostasi
164:Pleistocene
148:subtropical
317:Categories
122:irrigation
175:Ptolemaic
171:neolithic
111:colmatage
55:Geography
196:See also
80:Machaira
50:Mesaoria
29:Μεσαορία
21:Mesaoria
290:33°40′E
287:35°10′N
157:History
141:erosion
137:hardpan
126:Nicosia
84:Nicosia
76:Salamis
65:Morphou
37:Mesarya
33:Turkish
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202:Mesara
179:copper
213:Notes
118:Greek
91:plain
25:Greek
269:ISBN
19:The
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