Climate zones in Cyprus, 1991 to 2020
Share of Cyprus's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 7,590 map cells used cover 99% of the country's outline (about 5,344 km²).
By major group: C (temperate) 91%, B (arid) 8.9%.
Almost all of Cyprus is one climate: Csa, hot-summer mediterranean, which covers 90% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020. In plain terms, hot-summer mediterranean means dry, hot summers and mild, wetter winters. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 19% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to BSh (hot semi-arid (steppe)).
How Cyprus's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 11% | 8.9% | BSh +8.8 percentage points | Csa -6.3 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 8.2% | 7.7% | BSh +7.6 percentage points | Csa -7.1 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 19% | 18% | BSh +17.9 percentage points | Csa -17 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 35% | 34% | BSh +34.4 percentage points | Csa -33.5 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 97% | 90% | 83% | 73% | 57% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | - | 8.9% | 17% | 27% | 43% |
| Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean | 3.3% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.1% | - |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Zones found in Cyprus
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was Csa. See data sources and licences.