Useful Information : General Information: GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY

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As mentioned before, Latsia is situated at about 7Km (4.34 miles) to the south of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, extending to an area of 16,28 sq.Km (6.29 sq. miles) and with a population of over 12.500-13.000. Through the Municipality flow torrents Drakontias and Kaloyeros, both branches of the river Vathys, which in turn is a confluent of the Pedieos river, one of the largest rivers in Cyprus. Latsia receives about 340 mm (13.4 in) average annual rainfall. The average altitude is 190-195 metres (623-640 feet), but the South-Western landscape can be as high as 240-300 m (787-984 ft), the North-Eastern landscape falls down to 160-190 m (525-623 ft), the North-Western landscape ranges to 180-210 m (591-689 ft) and the South-Eastern landscape goes up to 200-230 m (656-755 ft). As far as the administrative area is concerned, Latsia is the 16th (out of 24) largest Municipality in the government-controlled area (22nd of all 34 Municipalities - occupied and free) and ranks 71st (out of 171 communities) in the Nicosia district and 206th (out of 612) in the whole Cyprus, but as far as the population is concerned, Latsia is the 6th (out of 105) most populated community in the Nicosia district and ranks 11th (out of 496 communities, or out of 24 Municipalities) in population in the government-controlled area of Cyprus.

Below are given the co-ordinates for the centre of Latsia, as well as the four extreme points of the Municipality. The co-ordinates are in geographical form (longitude/latitude), World Geographic Reference (GEOREF) form for our pilots and for GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) fans! in UTM form [Universal Transverse Mercator projection, Spheroid: International, Meridian of Origin: 33°, Latitude of Origin: Equator, False Co-ordinates at origin: 500.000 metres East, Nil metres North, Horizontal Datum: European Datum 1950 (ED 50) Ellipsoid, Vertical Datum: Mean Sea Level, Accuracy ± 25-50 m]. Note that to convert ED 50 to WGS 84 (World Geodetic System 1984) Datum, you must decrease Easting by 24 m and decrease Northing by 179 m and for geo-reference, decrease longitudes by 0,9” and decrease latitudes by 3,8”.

Geologically speaking, the Latsia area is part of the circum-Troodos sedimentary succession and, lithologically, consists of four (4) major geological formations, all of which were formed during the Cenozoic Era:

i). Biocalcarenites, sandstones, silts, gravels, sandy marls, marls, limestones and conglomerates; these are part of the Nicosia formation that was formed during the Pliocene epoch (5,3 - 1,8 million years ago), late Neogene (Tertiary) period (marked on the map as Pl).

ii). Biocalcarenites, sandstones, sandy marls and conglomerates; these are part of the Apalos-Kakkaristra-Athalassa formation that were formed during the late Pliocene (5,3 - 1,8 million years ago) and early Pleistocene epochs (1,8 million years ago - 6.000 BC), late Neogene (Tertiary) and early Quaternary periods (marked on the map as Q). These are the most dominant in the area, upon which terra rosa have been formed.

iii).Gravels, sands and silts; these are part of the Fanglomerate formation that was formed during the mid-Pleistocene epoch (1.8 million years ago - 6.000 BC), mid-Quaternary period (marked on the map as Q1).

iv). Sands, silts, clays and gravels; these are part of the Alluvium-Colluvium formation that was formed during the Holocene epoch (6.000 BC - today), late Quaternary period (marked on the map as H).

As far as the hydrogeology of the Latsia area is concerned, as you may observe from the map, there are four (4) distinct classifications for the area:

i). Extensive groundwater bodies that are unconfined and very shallow ground water controlled by the configuration of underlying silt, clay or marl (marked on the map as 3')

ii). Extensive groundwater bodies that are confined and unconfined in sandstone, sandy marls and calcarenite, mineralised at depths by sea water intrusion (marked on the map as 4').

iii). Extensive groundwater bodies that are unconfined in sandstone, sandy marls and calcarenite, mineralised at depths by sea water intrusion (marked on the map as 4).

iv). Local and small discontinuous groundwater bodies with alternating semi-permeable or impermeable beds (marked on the map as 11).