Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, located west of Syria and south of Turkey. The island has a maximum length of about 220 km (about 140 mi) from Cape Andreas in the northeast to the western extremity of the island. Its maximum width, from Cape Gáta in the south to Cape Kormakiti in the north, is about 90 km (about 60 mi). The total area of the country is 9251 sq km (3572 sq mi). Nicosia is the capital and largest city. Since 1974 the northern third of Cyprus has been occupied by Turkish troops and has formed a separate-though officially unrecognized-state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.