ABOUT LIMASSOL

The district of Limassol which covers the south part of Cyprus, borders with the district of Larnaca in the east, with the district of Paphos in the west, as well as with the capital Nicosia in the north. The area of Limassol is 1,393 km² i.e. 15% of the whole area of Cyprus. About 80 km of Limassol is washed by the sea.

Combining its roles as the second largest city, the island's main port, the centre of the wine industry and a bustling holiday resort, Lemesos emerges as a spirited and cosmopolitan seaside town.

Limassol is a lively town largely due to the character of Lemesolians, a fun- loving lot. No wonder it holds the island's two top festivals, the pre-lenten Carnival with fancy dress balls, parades and festivities and the Wine Festival in September, a wine extravaganza where wine flows freely for everyone to enjoy, courtesy of the local wineries.

Limassol emerged out of the two most important ancient city-kingdoms, Amathous, to the east of the town, and Kourion to the west, both of which are being extensively excavated. The magnificent setting of the ancient Kourion Theater is used for summer concerts and theatrical productions.

In the middle Ages, Limassol hosted the marriage of Richard the Lionheart with Berengaria of Navarre from whom he crowned Queen of England. Thereafter the Crusaders made their headquarters at the Square keep west of the city, known as Kolossi Medieval Castle, where they fostered the making of wines, particularly the sweet dessert wine “Commandaria” – the oldest named wine in the world.

Today, Limassol, is a resort with a ten mile coastline, a busy shopping center, countless tavernas and restaurants and a night life to suit tastes ranging from modest to sophisticated.

Also in the vicinity are the placid Yermasoyia Dam, frequented by keen anglers, and the salt lake of Akrotiri, home of thousands of migrating birds in winter, and a stopover point for millions more as they wend their way to different climes in spring and autumn. In nearby foothills, delightful villages continue the gentel pace of rural life. The main gulfs of the province are the gulf of Episkopi and the gulf of Akrotiri. The rivers Kourris, Avdimou and Paramali flow out at the gulf of Episkopi and the rivers Garillis and Yermasoyia at the gulf of Akrotiri. The longest river is Kourris (35 kilometers). These rivers have their springs in the Troodos mountains and flow from December to May.

The limited water resources of the countryside and the continuously increasing need for irrigation, industrial and touring aims, lead to the building of the dams in order to increase the water reserves.

The bigger ones among the dams are the dams of Kourris which has a capacity of 115,000,000 m³, the Yermasoyia dam which has a capacity of 13,600,000 m³ and the dam of Polemidia with a capacity of 3,864,000 m³. The dynamic of the dams of the province is about 135,000,000 m³.

The dams are of great importance to Limassol. Sufficient agriculture areas are watered in the summer time when the rain is limited

The Climate of Limassol is warm and dry in the summer and mild in the winter it is a marvelous Mediterranean climate. In the summer the temperature during daytime fluctuates between 22.0º Celsius degrees and 380º and in the winter between – 1.0º and 18.0º Celsius degrees, according to the altitude of the area. The temperature of the sea water is about 15.50º Celsius degrees in winter and 24.50º Celsius in August and September. These temperatures allow swimming throughout the year.

The hilly and mountainous areas of the countryside of Limassol are rich in vegetation. The main kinds are Pinus Brutia, the Pinus Nigra and a kind of Cypress tree know as “Juniperus Oxycedrus” which grows at an altitude of about 1200 – 1500 meters. The plane trees and the aldez grow in the valleys of Troodos while a kind of oak tree named “Latzia” and the “Trimithia” grow on the slopes of the hills. The most frequent kinds are the wild roses, the theme and the lentisk (bush).

The inhabitants of the rural area of Limassol are occupied with agriculture, stock breading, fishing tourism and industry – handicraft. The main cultivations include citrus trees, other fruit trees such as cherry trees, pear trees, peach trees, plum trees, fig trees, apricot trees, pomegranate trees, avocado trees, kiwis and banana trees, vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, walnut trees, vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, melons, water- melons, carrots, beetroots, cucumbers, pulses such as legumes, beans, broad beans, chickpeas, lentils, cereals such as wheat, barley and oats. Breeding sheep, goats, pigs, cattle and poultry.

The great length (80 kilometers) of the coasts of the province of Limassol has contributed to the development of fishery. Both in the town of Limassol and in Avdimou village there are fishery refuge places. Quite a big number of the inhabitants of Limassol are occupied with fishing.

The development of tourism in Limassol began after 1974 when the Turkish invaders occupied Famagusta and Kyrienia, the basic tourist areas of Cyprus. Limassol has some very good beaches, rich in sand and suitable for sunbathing and swimming. The mot important of these are Episkopi, Pissouri, Akrotiri, Amathus and the Lady’s Mile beach. A bathing beach with all the necessary facilities, provided by the “Cyprus Organization of Tourism” (CTO), is operating in the town of Limassol, in “Dasoudi” area. During the summer months there is a distinctive popularity for the hotels of the summer resorts. The most important of these resorts are Platres, Troodos, Prodromos, Agros, Pera Pedi and Omodos.

Limassol is known for its wine factories. The most important ones are KEO, LOEL, SODAP and ETKO. The wines and cognacs (brandies) that are produced by the grapes that grow in the countryside are of excellent quality. They have won several awards in International exhibitions. There is a considerable consumption of wine products in Cyprus by the locals and the foreign visitors. Big quantities are exported to Europe. The KEO factory also produces an excellent kind of beer. The town of Limassol is the biggest industrial center of the province.

There are about 350 industrial units with 90 industry wares. These industries concern dressmaking, furniture, shoes, drinks, food, prints, metal industry, electric devices, plastic wares as well as many other different industries.

Limassol has two ports. The old port and the new port. The new port has the greatest commercial and passenger flow of traffic and it is the biggest port in the free part of Cyprus. The old harbor has a breakwater 250meters long and is able to receive only three small ships. It is thus normally used by small fishing boats. The new harbor is 11 meters deep and has a breakwater that is 1,300 meters long. This one is able to receive about 10 ships depending on their size. Exports of grapes, wines, carobs, citrus fruits and imports of cereals, vehicles, machines, textiles, agricultural medicines, fertilizers, iron, etc. are exported and imported through these ports.