Paphos District

Coordinates: 34°50′N 32°35′E / 34.833°N 32.583°E / 34.833; 32.583

Pafos District is one of the six districts of Cyprus and it is situated in the western part of Cyprus. Its main town and capital is Pafos. The entire district is controlled by the internationally recognized government of Cyprus. There are four municipalities in Paphos District: Paphos, Yeroskipou, Peyia, and Polis Chrysochous.

The area of the district is 1,396 km², which constitutes the 15.1% of the total area of the island, and the population in 2011 was 88,266. Its coastal area is characterized by gulfs and coves, capes and points, beaches and tiny isles. The district can be divided into three morphological regions: the coastal plain, lying mainly below 200 metres, the hilly area extending from plain up to the igneous rocks of Paphos forest and the mountainous region, lying mainly on the igneous rocks of the Paphos forest. North-west of the District is the Akamas peninsula which contains a national park where the reproduction of the green sea turtle is a protected activity.

Paphos

Paphos /ˈpæfɒs/ (Greek: Πάφος [ˈpafos]; Turkish: Baf) is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city, New Paphos, lies on the Mediterranean coast, about 50 km (31.07 mi) west of Limassol (the biggest port on the island), which has an A6 highway connection. Paphos International Airport is the country's second-largest airport.

Near Palaepaphos (Old Paphos) at the seaside of Petra tou Romiou is the modern mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and the founding myth is interwoven with the goddess at every level, so that Old Paphos became the most famous and important place for worshipping Aphrodite in the ancient world. In Greco-Roman times, Paphos was the island's capital, and it is well known for the remains of the Roman governor's palace, where extensive, fine mosaics are a major tourist attraction. Paul the Apostle visited the town during the first century AD. The town of Paphos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world's heritage.