The climate of the Syrian coast is very similar, but somewhat warmer, with a heavier rainfall; so also is that of Algiers and the North African coast generally, there being, however, mostly a wider range between the hottest and coldest months than in the purely insular Malta. Malaria, dysentery, and other tropical diseases are not uncommon, but seldom either widely spread or particularly virulent. As we leave the coast, the range of temperature, both annual and diurnal, rapidly increases, and is especially marked in the highlands of Asia Minor, as, for example, at Erzerum, where the temperature in January falls as low as -20° F. (-29° C.), and in summer may exceed 90° F. (31° C.).
_Cyprus._--Long. 32° 20′ to 34° 35′ E; lat. 34° 33′ to 35° 41′ N. Our administrative connection with this island, and the circumstance that it has of late been strongly recommended as a fairly stimulating winter health resort for delicate people, and especially for cases of chest diseases and others, make it desirable to include an account of it within our list.
The following are the principal climatic data:--
=========+============+===========+======+===========+====== Month | Mean | Mean | Rela-| Rainfall |Number | Maximum | Minimum | tive | |of | Temperature|Temperature|Humid-| |Rainy | | | ity | |Days +-----+------+----+------+------+-----+-----+ | F. | ~C.~ | F. | ~C.~ | % | Ins.|~Mm.~| ---------+-----+------+----+------+------+-----+-----+------ January | 73·4|~23·0~|32·3| ~0·2~| 84 | 4·0 |~101~| 11·8 February | 70·7|~21·5~|31·8| ~0·1~| 84 | 3·70| ~94~| 11·8 March | 76·5|~24·7~|36·4| ~2·4~| 81 | 1·23| ~31~| 7·4 April | 84·5|~29·2~|38·8| ~3·8~| 78 | 1·14| ~29~| 4·5 May | 90·4|~32·4~|46·2| ~7·9~| 74 | 0·63| ~16~| 4·3 June |100·0|~37·8~|52·4|~11·3~| 67 | 0·39| ~10~| 1·4 July |100·7|~38·3~|55·5|~13·1~| 68 | 0·13| ~3~| 0·3 August |103·0|~39·4~|57·2|~14·0~| 66 | 0·8 | ~20~| 0·5 September|100·5|~38·1~|54·4|~12·3~| 73 | 0·04| ~1~| 0·6 October | 93·5|~34·2~|47·7| ~8·7~| 76 | 0·36| ~9~| 2·3 November | 84·5|~29·0~|39·3| ~4·1~| 82 | 1·97| ~50~| 6·5 December | 77·5|~25·3~|34·0| ~1·1~| 85 | 2·31| ~59~| 7·8 =========+=====+======+====+======+======+=====+=====+======
The climate is somewhat cooler in summer on the coast, and the rainfall slightly higher, but with a smaller number of rainy days.