Cyprus

Cyprus (officially the Republic of Cyprus) is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is in Asia, along with being apart of the Middle East and the Levant. The north part of the island is governed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Republic of Cyprus Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti
Flag of Cyprus
Anthem:
Location of  Cyprus  (green) in the European Union  (light green)  —  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Nicosia (Λευκωσία, Lefkoşa)
Official languages	Greek Turkish
Common languages	English
Cypriot Greek Cypriot Turkish
Ethnic groups (2001)	77% Greeks 18% Turks 5% Roma people
Demonym(s)	Cypriot
Government	Presidential republic
• President	Nikos Christodoulides
Independence  from the United Kingdom
• Zürich and London Agreement	19 February 1959
• Proclaimed	16 August 1960
Area
• Total	9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) (167th)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2010 estimate	803,147 (Does not include North) 1,088,503 (whole island)
• Density	117/km2 (303.0/sq mi) (115th)
GDP (PPP)	2010 estimate
• Total	$23.190 billion
• Per capita	$28,256
GDP (nominal)	2010 estimate
• Total	$23.174 billion
• Per capita	$28,237
Gini (2005)	29 low · 19th
HDI (2011)	Increase 0.840 very high · 31st
Currency	Euro2 (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Driving side	left
Calling code	357
ISO 3166 code	CY
Internet TLD	.cy3
Also the national anthem of Greece. Before 2008, the Cypriot pound. The .eu domain is also used, shared with other European Union member states.

File:Cy-map.png

A map showing the division of Cyprus

File:Kyrenia 01-2017 img02 Castle exterior.jpg

Kyrenia castle, northern Cyprus

It is also closer to Africa than to Europe. The capital is Nicosia. The country of Cyprus does not include the whole island. There are two small British territories on the island named Akrotiri and Dhekelia. However, most countries do not accept Northern Cyprus as a legitimate country. The official languages are Greek and Turkish.

In 2019, 4 million tourists visited the country. It is estimated that Cyprus earned 2.7 billion euros in that year. Tourism is very important to the country, as tourism made up 23% of its economy in 2020.

History

Cyprus has had people for some 13,000 year. During the Bronze Age its copper mines became important. Cyprus was conquered in turn by various mainland empires, and became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1570. Greece had already been conquered. The British Empire took control of Cyprus from 1878 until 1960.

Cyprus became independent from the British Empire in 1960 following the London and Zürich Agreements of 19 February 1959. Makarios III became its first president. In 1960-1974 there was tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and in 1974, Turkey sent troops to occupy northern Cyprus. Greek Cypriots moved south to get away from them, and Turkish Cypriots moved north to get away from the Greeks. Negotiations for a unified island have been held several times without success.

In 2004, Cyprus joined the European Union. On 1 January 2008 Cyprus adopted the Euro, the single European currency. Although the official currency of Northern Cyprus is the Turkish Lira, many shops accept Euros and British pounds.

Geography

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

There are two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range. The Pedieos River is the longest on the island. The highest point on Cyprus is Mount Olympus at 1,952 metres (6,404 feet).

The Republic of Cyprus is only on the southern two-thirds of the island (59.74%). The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the northern third (34.85%) and rest are Akrotiri and Dhekelia owned by the British.

Headlands of Cyprus include

• Cape Greco in the southeast (picture),
• Cape Apostolos Andreas in the northeast
• Cape Gata in the south
• Cape Kormakitis in the north
• Cape Zevgari in the south

Politics

The Republic of Cyprus is a constitutional presidential republic. Each president is elected for a five-year term. The president has a lot of power. Cyprus is the only member of the European Union that is governed by a presidential system of government. It is one of few countries (along with San Marino) to have had a democratically elected communist government, in office from 2008 until 2013. Since 2013 governing party has been the Democratic Rally.

The European Union issued a warning in February 2019 that Cyprus, an EU member, was selling EU passports to Russian oligarchs. This would allow organised crime syndicates to get into the EU. In 2020 leaked documents revealed a range of former and current officials from Afghanistan, China, Dubai, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Vietnam who bought a Cypriot citizenship before a change of the law in July 2019. Cyprus and Turkey have been engaged in a dispute over the extent of their exclusive economic zones. It was apparently caused by the potential for oil and gas exploration in the area.

Districts

The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six districts: Nicosia, Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos. These are not the same as those of Northern Cyprus.

Cyprus Media

• Greece national anthem.ogg

  US Navy Band recording of "Ýmnos is tin Eleftherían", the national anthem of Greece and Cyprus.*

• Geology of Cyprus-SkiriotissaMine.jpg

  A copper mine in Cyprus. In antiquity, Cyprus was a major source of copper.

• Archaeological site of Khirokitia with early remains of human habitation during the Aceramic Neolithic period (reconstruction)

• Zeus Keraunios, 500–480 BC, Nicosia museum

• 

  The Walls of Nicosia were built by the Venetians to defend the city in case of an Ottoman attack.

• Kyrenia Castle was originally built by the Byzantines and enlarged by the Venetians.

• Cypri insvla nova descript 1573, Ioannes á Deutecum f[ecit]. Map of Cyprus newly drawn by Johannes van Deutecom, 1573.

• Buyuk Han, Nicosia - panoramio.jpg

  Büyük Han, a caravanserai in Nicosia, is an example of the surviving Ottoman architecture in Cyprus.

• Hosting the British flag at Nicosia.jpg

  Hoisting the British flag at Nicosia

• Cypriot demonstration 1930.jpg

  Greek Cypriot demonstrations for Enosis (union with Greece) in 1930

Related pages

• Cyprus at the Olympics
• Cyprus national football team
• List of rivers of Cyprus

Other websites

• Cyprus Videos Archived 2009-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
• Cyprus Pictures Archived 2018-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
• Cyprus Map Archived 2004-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
• CyprusLinks.com
• Cyprus Tourist Guide