Akamas ( Greek : Ακάμας , Turkish : Akama ), is a promontory and cape at the northwest extremity of Cyprus with an area of 230 square kilometres. Ptolemy described it as a thickly wooded headland, divided into two by summits [a mountain range] rising towards the north. The peninsula is named after Akamas , a son of Theseus , hero of the Trojan War and founder of the city-kingdom of Soli .
18-688: Until the year 2000, the peninsula was used by the British Army and Navy for military exercises and as a firing range. Under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment, the British Army was allowed to use the Akamas for exercises for up to 70 days a year. At the southern end of the peninsula is the town of Pegeia and on its northeast side the town of Polis . Due to the mountainous nature of the peninsula there are no roads running through its heartland. Furthermore, some roads marked on Cypriot road maps of
36-469: A basin . This may create peninsulas, and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula . In the case of formation from meltwater, melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines , which act as dams for the meltwater. This may create bodies of water that surround the land, forming peninsulas. If deposition formed the peninsula, the peninsula was composed of sedimentary rock , which
54-530: A Natura 2000 area in 2003, only 50% was so designated by the government of Cyprus in 2009. The area is threatened by tourist development and the planned A7 motorway between Polis and Paphos , and the government is under pressure to enhance the peninsula's protection. Organisations such as the Green Party of Cyprus , Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are taking action to protect the area. Akamas supports
72-661: A stream runs. Akamas has branded itself as an exclusive destination and tourists who come tend to be seeking more than "sun, sea and sand", being more interested in culture, biodiversity and specialist sports such as golf or hiking. In 2019, several fires broke out by simultaneous arson attacks. Six aircraft from the National Guard , the Police and the Forestry Department , were deployed. The fires were extinguished nine hours after they broke out. The head of
90-1670: A wide diversity of life including many vulnerable species, some of which are endemic to Akamas. Wild flowers include cyclamen , turban buttercups, alyssum ( Alyssum akamasicum , endemic to Akamas), Cyprus tulip , and many species of orchid, yellow gorse and white rock rose . The following 39 of the 128 endemic plant species of Cyprus are found in the Akamas peninsula: Alyssum akamasicum , Anthemis tricolor , Arenaria rhodia ssp. cypria , Asperula cypria , Astragalus cyprius , Ballota integrefolia , Bosea cypria , Carlina involucrata spp. cyprica , Carlina pygmea , Centaurea akamantis , Centaurea calcitrapa ssp. angusticeps , Centaurea veneris , Crocus veneris , Cyclamen cyprium , Euphorbia cypria , Gagea juliae , Gladiolus triphyllus , Helianthemum obtusefolium , Odontites cypria , Onobrychis venosa , Onopordum cyprium , Onosma fruticosa , Ophrys kotschyi , Ophrys lepethica , Origanum majorana , Ornithogalum pedicellare , Phlomis cypria var. occidentalis , Pterocephalus multiflorus ssp. multiflorus , Ptilostemon chamaepeuce var. cyprius , Rubia laurea , Scutellaria cypria var. elatior , Sedum cyprium , Sedum porphyreum , Senecio glaucus ssp. cyprius , Taraxacum aphrogenes , Teucrium divaricatum ssp. canescens , Teucrium micropodioides , Thymus integer , Tulipa cypria . Animals found in Akamas include fruit bats, shrews, hedgehogs, foxes, snakes, lizards, griffon vultures , Cyprus warblers , and Cyprus scops owls. Vulnerable species include bats, monk seals and sea turtles. At Lara Bay there
108-476: Is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most sides. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula . The word peninsula derives from Latin paeninsula , from paene 'almost' and insula 'island'. The word entered English in the 16th century. A peninsula
126-513: Is a turtle hatchery, where the eggs are protected. The British broadcaster and naturalist , Sir David Attenborough has filmed at Akamas. The film Akamas (2006 film) , which premiered at the Venice Film Festival was mostly filmed in Akamas. In Greek mythology , it is where Aphrodite met her lover, Adonis and some natural landmarks have associations with this tale, for example Fontana Amorosa (Love’s Spring), near Polis,
144-539: Is generally defined as a piece of land surrounded on most sides by water. A peninsula may be bordered by more than one body of water, and the body of water does not have to be an ocean or a sea. A piece of land on a very tight river bend or one between two rivers is sometimes said to form a peninsula, for example in the New Barbadoes Neck in New Jersey , United States. A peninsula may be connected to
162-468: Is said to be Aphrodite’s Fountain of Love and anyone who drinks from the spring is said to become overcome with youthful desire. The Androlykou Gorge and Petratis Gorge, both on the northern side of Akamas may be seen from the village of Androlykou . On the south westerly side the Avakas Gorge has high sheer cliffs which come closer together until they meet, leaving a tunnel formation through which
180-583: The accession of Cyprus to the European Union most of Akamas was proposed to be given protected status. Two turtle-nesting beaches were designated Sites of Community Importance within the Natura 2000 network, the Polis-Gialia area became a Special Area of Conservation , and the peninsula was designated a Special Protection Area for birds. However, of the terrestrial area of Akamas proposed as
198-580: The National Forest Park, they said. “The state is at best tolerating and at worst encouraging such criminal behaviour.” Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said that economic interests are behind fires that were deliberately set in a bid to sabotage plans to declare the area as a National Forest by 2022. He made clear that the 'Akamas National Forest' plan remains on track. 35°02′N 32°19′E / 35.04°N 32.32°E / 35.04; 32.32 Peninsula A peninsula
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#1732772086898216-586: The area are not sealed . Visitor attractions in Akamas include a loggerhead turtle sanctuary and the Baths of Aphrodite where the goddess is said to have bathed, near Polis. As the area is relatively inaccessible, there is a large diversity of flora and fauna there. Indeed, the European Environment Agency noted that it was one of only 22 areas of endemism in Europe. In preparation for
234-499: The case of Florida , continental drift, marine sediment, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape. In the case of formation from glaciers (e.g., the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod ), peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion , meltwater or deposition . If erosion formed the peninsula, softer and harder rocks were present, and since the glacier only erodes softer rock, it formed
252-407: The forestry department Charalambos Alexandrou called the arsonists ‘senseless’ as they were calculating the scale of the damage. “Whenever a meeting is planned to discuss Akamas, the day before a fire breaks out in the area,” he said. Following the fires, Save Akamas, Save Cyprus organisation protested with the slogan ‘Hands off Akamas’. Since 2017, arsonists have set approximately 80 fires in or around
270-531: The mainland via an isthmus , for example, in the Isthmus of Corinth which connects to the Peloponnese peninsula. Peninsulas can be formed from continental drift , glacial erosion , glacial meltwater , glacial deposition , marine sediment , marine transgressions , volcanoes, divergent boundaries or river sedimentation. More than one factor may play into the formation of a peninsula. For example, in
288-468: The sediment is deposited, forming a delta peninsula. Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may change, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels. Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather make them appear larger. Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce
306-497: The volcano erupts near shallow water. Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone . A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula ), while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas (e.g. Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent ). Peninsulas can also form due to sedimentation in rivers. When a river carrying sediment flows into an ocean,
324-504: Was created from a large deposit of glacial drift . The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago. In the case of formation from volcanoes, when a volcano erupts magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g., the Alaskan Peninsula ). Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when
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