Cyprus

Cyprus has been isolated in the eastern Mediterranean for millions of years and was never joined to the mainland, which explains an impoverished land fauna but one with a high proportion of endemic species. The Troodos massif, formed of ocean-floor rocks lifted by tectonics, keeps forests of Cyprus cedar and black pine and is the refuge of the Cypriot mouflon. The Akamas peninsula and Lara bay are nesting grounds for green and loggerhead turtles, with beaches closed to traffic during the breeding season. The salt lakes of Larnaca and Akrotiri fill in winter and draw thousands of flamingos fleeing the cold of the Black Sea and Anatolia. The island is also a funnel for migration between Europe, Asia and Africa, with endemic birds of its own such as the Cyprus warbler and the Cyprus wheatear.