Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus has the second highest share of land under desertification conditions in the European Union, according to a European Commission report published on Tuesday. The report found that 45 per cent of the island is affected.
Land and population impact
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre reported that Cyprus ranks behind Spain, where 53 per cent of land is affected, and ahead of Greece, with 36 per cent.
Cyprus has the highest proportion of people living in areas affected by desertification. The report said 61 per cent of the population, or around 700,000 people, live in such areas.
Greece follows, with 47 per cent of its population affected, followed by Spain with 43 per cent, Romania with 39 per cent and Bulgaria with 37 per cent.
EU-wide figures
Across the EU, drylands cover about 611,000 square kilometres, representing around 15 per cent of the bloc’s territory.
About 530,000 square kilometres are affected by desertification, impacting approximately 42 million people.
