Geography of Cyprus grown under irrigation. Little evidence remains that this broad, central plain, open to the sea at either end, was once covered with rich forests whose timber was coveted by ancient conquerors for their sailing vessels. The now-divided capital of the island, Nicosia, lies in the middle of this central plain. Despite its small size, Cyprus has a variety of natural vegetation. This includes forests of conifers and broadleaved trees such as "Pinus brutia", cedar, cypresses and oaks. Ancient authors write that most of Cyprus, even Messaoria, was heavily forested, and there are still considerable forests on the Troodos and Kyrenia
Church of Cyprus Church of Cyprus The The Church of Cyprus () is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox Churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox Churches form the communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox autocephalous churches, achieving independence from the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East in 431. The bishop of the ancient capital, Salamis (renamed "Constantia" by Emperor Constantius II) was constituted metropolitan by Emperor Zeno, with the title "archbishop". Paul the Apostle, accompanied by Barnabas and Mark the Evangelist (Barnabas' kinsman), came to Cyprus in AD 45 to spread Christianity. Arriving