:Paralimni

The city of Paralimni is located in the extreme southeast of Cyprus island. The city is located 110 kilometers east of the capital Nicosia. The city was traditionally a suburb of Famagusta (until the occupation of the city), just 10 km to the north.

Paralimni is located near the Mediterranean coast, about 80 meters above sea level. The city is located at the southeast end of the island's central plateau Mesaoria. This is why the plain extends around the city in the north and the coastal hills rise to the south.

The city's population in 2001 was 11,091. In 2011, it was 15,000.

The word Paralimni is Greek and means "by the lake". Historically, the town was built on the shores of a shallow lake which filled with water only in the winter. At the beginning of the 20th century, the whole lakebed was reclaimed for agricultural purposes. Paralimni has not always been where it is now, and was built originally on a hill situated between Deryneia and its present location. In the 15th century, it was moved inland to avoid detection by pirates. It is said that the first people to settle in Paralimni arrived just after the capture of the nearby town of Famagusta by the Ottoman Turks in 1571. The first settlement was called Saint Demetrius, and this place still bears his name today.

In 1986, after a referendum, the area was declared a municipality with the name "Paralimni". In May 1986, the first elections were held for the office of mayor and municipal council; Nikos Vlittis was elected the first mayor, and served from 1986 to 2006. In December 2006, Vlittis lost the election to Andreas Evaggelou, who served as mayor until 2011. The town is a stronghold for the Democratic Rally, a centre-right party. Architecturally, Paralimni has been undistinguished, as very little remains of the original village. Outside of the town centre, most houses are little more than small rectangular blocks; this is compensated for by their attractive gardens, especially when the trees are in bloom. Younger generations who earn higher salaries have been spending larger amounts of money on the construction of more modern and attractive houses in the town.

At the heart of Paralimni lies a shopping centre and a small entertainment scene, including modern cafes and bars. Since Paralimni has rapidly grown in size, Cyprus' largest food retailers like Carrefour have built or rented branches there. Many local supermarkets are also present. The countryside surrounding Paralimni has red soil rich in zinc, which is famous for producing very nutritious and flavourful potatoes. It is also known for its picturesque windmills, which are used to draw water from underground aquifers to irrigate the surrounding land. Many of these windmills are now derelict, having been replaced by electric or diesel-powered pumps. Before the rise of tourism, the rich agricultural land surrounding Paralimni was the source of its wealth, and is still of great importance today.

Enosis Neon Paralimni FC, which plays in the Cypriot First Division, is the football team of the town. There is also a Conference team in Paralimni called Anorthosis Paralimniou.

Protaras ({{langx|el|Πρωταράς}}; {{langx|tr|Protaras}}) is a predominantly tourist resort which comes under the administrative jurisdiction of Paralimni Municipality.

{{Weather box

|location = Paralimni

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan high C = 16.0

|Feb high C = 16.1

|Mar high C = 18.7

|Apr high C = 22.2

|May high C = 26.8

|Jun high C = 30.8

|Jul high C = 33.1

|Aug high C = 33.3

|Sep high C = 31.2

|Oct high C = 27.7

|Nov high C = 21.7

|Dec high C = 17.3

|year high C = 24.6

|Jan mean C = 12.3

|Feb mean C = 12.0

|Mar mean C = 14.2

|Apr mean C = 17.4

|May mean C = 21.8

|Jun mean C = 25.7

|Jul mean C = 28.2

|Aug mean C = 28.5

|Sep mean C = 26.1

|Oct mean C = 22.8

|Nov mean C = 17.6

|Dec mean C = 13.7

|year mean C = 20.0

|Jan low C = 8.6

|Feb low C = 7.9

|Mar low C = 9.7

|Apr low C = 12.5

|May low C = 16.8

|Jun low C = 20.6

|Jul low C = 23.4

|Aug low C = 23.7

|Sep low C = 20.9

|Oct low C = 18.0

|Nov low C = 13.4

|Dec low C = 10.1

|year low C = 15.5

|Jan precipitation mm = 70.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 62.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 35.0

|Apr precipitation mm = 15.0

|May precipitation mm = 7.50

|Jun precipitation mm = 2.50

|Jul precipitation mm = 0.50

|Aug precipitation mm = 0.30

|Sep precipitation mm = 1.20

|Oct precipitation mm = 25.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 45.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 87.0

|year precipitation mm = 351.0

|Jan precipitation days = 8.2

|Feb precipitation days = 5.6

|Mar precipitation days = 4.7

|Apr precipitation days = 3.5

|May precipitation days = 1.2

|Jun precipitation days = 0.3

|Jul precipitation days = 0.1

|Aug precipitation days = 0.1

|Sep precipitation days = 0.6

|Oct precipitation days = 2.5

|Nov precipitation days = 4.9

|Dec precipitation days = 7.3

|year precipitation days = 38.9

|unit precipitation days = 1 mm

|source 1 = Meteorological Service (Cyprus){{cite web

|url=http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/MS/MS.nsf/DMLclimet_reports_en/DMLclimet_reports_en?OpenDocument&Start=1&Count=1000&Expand=1

|title=Meteorological Service - Climatological and Meteorological Reports

}}

|date=December 2010}}

Paralimni's lake is home to the harmless Cyprus grass snake, which was declared extinct in the 1960s until being rediscovered in 1994.Böhme, Wolfgang; Wiedl, Hansjoerg, 1994. Status and zoogeography of the herpetofauna of Cyprus, with taxonomic and natural history notes on selected species (genera Rana, Coluber, Natrix, Vipera)."Zoology in the Middle East" 10:31-52 As a result, the lake was designated a Site of Community Interest (SCI).

• Eleanna Christinaki, professional basketball player.
• Michalis Konstantinou, footballer, born in Paralimni.
• Pelagia Kyriakou, renowned female singer of traditional Cypriot music, born in Paralimni.{{Cite web|title=Women Singers in Global Contexts: Chapter 5 - Kyriakou Pelagia: The Housewife/ Grandmother-Star of Cyprus|url=http://womensingers.projects.music.ucsb.edu/chapter5_Pelagia.shtml|access-date=2022-02-16|website=womensingers.projects.music.ucsb.edu}}
• Tasos Markou,{{Cite book|title=Υποστράτηγος Τάσος Μάρκου. Πρότυπο ελληνικής αρετής|last=Myrtiotes|first=Panos|publisher=|year=2011|isbn=978-9963-8645-7-7|location=Nicosia|pages=12|language=Greek}} EOKA fighter and officer of the Cypriot National Guard and the Hellenic Army - MIA during Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
• Solomos Solomou, raised in Paralimni, killed in 1996 by a Turkish officer in the UN Buffer Zone

File:Protaras beach at Paralimni in the Republic of Cyprus.jpg|A Protaras beach in summer

File:Modern new pedestrian seaside road next to Protaras beach in Paralimni.jpg|A wooden pedestrian road beside the beach

File:Cosmopolitan Protaras beach in Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg|The promenade next to the beach

File:Glamorous cafeteria in Protaras seaside city Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg|A cafe with a view of the beach

File:Motorbikes rent shop in Protaras Paralimni seaside paradise city Republic of Cyprus.jpg|A motorbike rental shop

File:25 24 plaz v Protaras - Fig Tree Bay.JPG|Fig Tree Bay

File:Holdiay destination Protaras Paralimni road in Republic of Cyprus.jpg|A typical road in Protaras

File:Beds of Sirena bay beach in Protaras Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg|Sirena Bay beach

File:Sirena bay beach in Protaras Paralimni Republic of Cyprus 8.jpg|Sirena Bay

File:Sirena bay beach tavern and lounge bar in Protaras Paralimni Republic of Cyprus.jpg|A taverna at Sirena Bay

File:Paralimni-st-varvara-church.JPG|The Church of St. Barbara

File:Protaras-agios-ilias.JPG|The Church of St. Elias

File:FamagustaDistrict 01-2017 img03 Paralimni StDemetrius Church.jpg|The Church of St. Demetrius

File:FamagustaDistrict 01-2017 img01 Paralimni StGeorge Old Church.jpg|St. George Old Church

File:Protaras_road_by_night_Paralimni_Republic_of_Cyprus.jpg|A Protaras street at night

File:Protaras blue lagoon.JPG|Gardens in Protaras

File:Pernera-agia-triada-church.JPG|Agia Triada church

File:Filippou, Paralimni 5295, Cyprus - panoramio (6).jpg|view from the sea

File:Paralimni EL.jpg|Municipal area and road network of Paralimni

File:FamagustaDistrict 01-2017 img02 Paralimni StGeorge Metropolitan Church.jpg|St. George's Cathedral in Paralímni

File:Старый и новый кафедральные соборы в Паралимни.jpg|Old and New Cathedral of Paralímni

File:FamagustaDistrict 01-2017 img10 Cape Greco.jpg|Cape Greco in the territory of the community of Paralimni

• Enosis Neon Paralimni FC
• Famagusta District
• Ayia Napa

{{Reflist}}

• https://web.archive.org/web/20100131234233/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/cyprus-has-failed-protect-grass-snake/20100130

{{Commons category-inline|Paralimni}}

• [http://www.paralimni.org.cy/ Paralimni Official Municipality]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130920005150/http://www.vcity.name/protaras/#0505 Virtual Tour of Protaras]

{{Municipalities of Cyprus}}

{{Famagusta District}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Municipalities in Famagusta District