Troodos Mountains

Troodos Mountains

The largest mountain range in Cyprus is Troodos, which lies approximately in the middle of the island. The highest point in the range is Mount Olympus or Khionistra, at 1 951 meters, located about 56 km southwest of Nicosia, descending gradually to narrow coastal bands in the south and west and the central plain in the north. The Troodos is a massif of eroded igneous rock, cut by steep valleys and covered with pine, cypress, dwarf oak and cedar, now protected as a State Forest, with snow-capped peaks from December to March. Copper has been mined since Roman times, as well as chromium and asbestos. Most of the island's rivers originate in the highlands. There are numerous mountain resorts, such as Pano Platres and Prodhromos, Byzantine monasteries and churches on the hilltops, and villages built on terraced hills between the valleys and mountains. During the Byzantine period, it became a center of Byzantine art, with churches and monasteries built in the hills, away from the threatened coast. RAF Troodos, the NSA and GCHQ listening posts are also located in the mountains. The Troodos Mountains are world famous for their geology and the presence of an intact ophiolite series, the Troodos Ophiolite. These mountains slowly emerged from the sea as a result of the collision of the African and European tectonic plates, and this process ultimately formed the island of Cyprus. The slowing and near abortion of this process left the rock formations almost intact, while subsequent erosion exposed the magma chamber beneath the mountain.