The Kouris River, one of the largest in Cyprus, flows from the top of the Troodos mountain range and ends up in the bay of Episkopi. Along its path are lush valleys, where fertile, arable land is maintained by local residents.
In addition to the surrounding land, the river also nourishes the sea. Its estuary has enormous environmental significance for the Akrotiri Peninsula. The sediment carried by the flow of water contains nutrients for many of the organisms found in the marine ecosystems of the gulf of Episkopi, including Limassol’s fish population, which also feeds from it.
The flow of the Kouris River also played an important role in the formation of the peninsula, which was the result of an accumulation of material transported by the river for millennia. There had once been a single island, which eventually merged with the coast to create a precious natural habitat for Cyprus.
Video: Varnavas Michail, Akrotiri Environmental Education Center
Since the late 1980s, when the dam was constructed in the riverbed, the flow of water into the sea has been rare. The route followed by the water after the dam flooded in January 2020, and the enrichment of the coastline, was captured on video by the Cyprus from Air team.
Video: Cyprus from Air
Photo: Cyprus from Air
Photo: Cyprus from Air
Photo: Cyprus from Air
Photo: Cyprus from Air
Photo: Akrotiri Environmental Education Center
2.11 km
2.43 km
2.09 km
2.96 km
2.11 km
2.43 km
2.09 km
5.45 km
7.12 km
7.92 km
