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Cyprus
*** Shopping-Tip: Cyprus
:''See also Cypress (a common misspelling) for other meanings.''
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = ΚυπÏ?ιακή ΔημοκÏ?ατία ''Kypriakà DimokratÃa''''' (Greek language Greek)'''''Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti''''' (Turkish language Turkish)
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Cyprus
|common_name = Cyprus
|image_flag = Flag of Cyprus.svg
|image_coat = Cyprus Coat of Arms.png
|image_map = LocationCyprus.png
|national_motto = None
|national_anthem = Hymn to Freedom Ymnos pros tin Eleutherian (English: ''Hymn to Freedom'') 1
|official_languages = Greek language Greek and Turkish language Turkish
|capital = Nicosia
|latd=35|latm=08|latNS=N|longd=33|longm=28|longEW=E
|largest_city = Nicosia
|government_type= Republic
|leader_titles = Presidents of Cyprus President
|leader_names = Tassos Papadopoulos 2
|area_rank = 161st
|area_magnitude = 1_E9
|area= 9,250 4
|areami² = 3,5714
|percent_water = Negligible
|population_estimate = 818,200 5
|population_estimate_year = 2003
|population_estimate_rank = 155th
|population_census= 689,565 6
|population_census_year= 2001
|population_density = 84
|population_densitymi² = 218
|population_density_rank = 111
|GDP_PPP_year = n/a
|GDP_PPP = $ 16,745
|GDP_PPP_rank = n/a
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $ 20,669
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = n/a
|HDI_year = 2003
|HDI = 0.891
|HDI_rank = 29th
|HDI_category = high
|sovereignty_type = Independence
|established_events = Declared
Recognised
|established_dates = From the United Kingdom UK
16 August 1960
16 August 1960 3
|currency = Cyprus Pound
|currency_code = CYP
|time_zone= EET
|utc_offset= +2
|time_zone_DST= EEST
|utc_offset_DST= +3
|cctld= .cy
|calling_code = 357 7
|footnotes =1. "Ymnos pros tin Eleutherian" is also used as the national anthem of Greece.
2. The north has a separate president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
3. Not recognised by Turkey, which instead recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus TRNC. The TRNC is only recognised by Turkey
4. Of which 5,895 km² (2,276 mi²) is in the south and 3,355 km² (1,295 mi²) in the north
5. Number does not include approx. 230,000 inhabitants in the north
6. Number does not include any Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus TRNC inhabitants
7. +90-392 (a Turkish access number) is used in the north
}}
'''Cyprus''' (Greek language Greek: ΚÏ?Ï€Ï?ος, ''Kýpros''; Turkish language Turkish: ''Kıbrıs'') is a Eurasian island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea south of the Anatolian peninsula (Asia Minor) or modern-day Turkey. The third largest island in the Mediterranean, it is currently divided into four main portions: the southern '''Republic of Cyprus''' (the predominantly Greek island nation-state), the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the United Nations-controlled Green Line (Cyprus) Green Line separating the two, and two United Kingdom British Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas.
Terminology
The name '''cyprus''' has a somewhat uncertain etymology. One suggestion is that it comes from the Greek word "κυπάÏ?ισσος (''kypa'rissos'')" meaning "Cupressus sempervirens cypress" (''Cupressus sempervirens'') or even from the Greek name of the plant ''Lawsonia alba'' (henna), "κÏ?Ï€Ï?ος (kypros)". Another school suggests that it stems from the eterocyprian word for copper. Dossin, for example, suggests that it has roots to the Sumerian word for copper, "zubar" or even the word "kubar" (bronze), due to the large deposits of copper ore found on the island. Through overseas trade, the island has already given its name to the Classical Latin word for the metal, which appears in the phrase ''aes Cyprium'', "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to ''cuprum''. From there the word passed into European languages as "copper" in the English language, "cuivre" in French language French, "Kupfer" in German language German and "cobre" in Portuguese language Portuguese and in Spanish language Spanish.
Another probable suggestion is that it was named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite which was also called "ΚυπÏ?ίς (kipris)". Note that Cyprus was the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite. Homer in his epics Iliad and Odyssey refers to the island of "KÏ?Ï€Ï?ον (''kypron'')": “ΜοÏ?σα μοι Îννεπε ÎÏ?γα πολυχÏ?Ï?σου ΑφÏ?οδίτης ΚÏ?Ï€Ï?ιδοςâ€? – “Muse sing to me the works of golden haired Aphrodite Cypridosâ€?. It is also characteristic that in ancient times the name "ΚÏ?Ï€Ï?ος (Cyprus)" in Greek was the first or second synthetic of names, such as: ΑÏ?ιστόκυπÏ?ος, ΦιλόκυπÏ?ος, ΚυπÏ?άνοÏ?ας, ΚυπÏ?οθÎμης.
:''See also: List of traditional Greek place names.
History
:''Main article: History of Cyprus''
Prehistoric and Ancient Cyprus
:''Main article: Cyprus (Prehistory), Ancient history of Cyprus''
There are but small traces of the Stone Age, but the Bronze Age was characterized by a well-developed and clearly marked civilization. The people quickly learned to work the rich copper mines of the island. The Mycenaean Mycenæan civilization seems to have reached Cyprus at around 1600 BC 1600 B.C. and several Greek and Phœnician settlements that belong to the Iron Age can be found on the island. Cyprus was invaded by Thothmes III of Ancient Egypt Egypt about 1500 BC 1500 B.C., and was forced to pay tribute.
Around 1200 BC 1200 B.C. begins the massive arrival of the Mycenaean Mycenæan Greeks as permanent settlers to Cyprus, a process which lasted for more than a century. This migration is remembered in many sagas concerning how some of the Greek heroes that participated in the Trojan war came to settle in Cyprus. The newcomers brought with them their language, their advanced technology and introduced a new outlook for visual arts. Thus from 1220 BC 1220 B.C. Cyprus has remained predominantly Greek in culture, language and population despite various influences resulting from successive conquests. In ? times Cyprus supplied the rest of the Greeks with timber for their fleets.
In the 6th century BC 6th century B.C., Amasis of Egypt conquered Cyprus, which soon fell under the rule of the Persian Empire Persians when Cambyses conquered Egypt. In the Persian Empire, Cyprus formed part of the fifth satrapy and in addition to tribute it had to supply the Persians with ships and crews. In their new fate the Greeks of Cyprus had as companions the Greeks of Ionia (west coast of Anatolia) with whom they forged closer ties. When the Ionian Greeks revolted against Persia (499 BC) the Cypriots except for the city of Amathus, joined in at the instigation of Onesilos, brother of the king of Salamis, Cyprus Salamis, whom he dethroned for not wanting to fight for independence. The Persians reacted quickly sending a considerable force against Onesilos. The Persians finally won despite Ionian help.
After their defeat, the Greeks mounted various expeditions in order to liberate Cyprus from the Persian rule, but all their efforts bore only temporary results. Eventually, Alexander the Great (356 BC 356-323 BC 323 B.C.) took the island from the Persians. Later, the Ptolemies of Egypt controlled it; finally Rome annexed it in 58 BC 58-57 BC. No doubt the most important event that occurred in Roman Cyprus was the visit by Apostles Paul of Tarsus Paul and Barnabas accompanied by Mark the Evangelist St Mark who came to the island at the outset of their first missionary journey in Anno Domini AD 45. After their arrival at Salamis, Cyprus Salamis they proceeded to Paphos where they converted the Roman Governor Sergius Paulus to Christianity. In this way Cyprus became the first country in the world to be governed by a Christian ruler.
=Cyprus in ancient myth
=
Cyprus is the legendary birthplace of the goddess of beauty, love, sex and passion, the beautiful Aphrodite. According to Hesiod's ''Theogony'', the goddess, who was also known as ''Kypris'' or ''the Cyprian'', emerged fully grown from the sea where the severed genitals of the god Uranus were cast by his son, Kronos, causing the sea to foam (Greek: ''Aphros''). The legendary site of Aphrodite's birth from the foam is at 'Petra tou Romiou' ('Aphrodite's Rock'), a large stack in the sea close to the coastal cliffs near Paphos. Throughout ancient history, Cyprus was a flourishing centre for the cultic worship of Aphrodite.
Her birth was famously depicted by the artist Sandro Botticelli Botticelli in ''The Birth of Venus (Botticelli) The Birth of Venus''.
Post-Classical and Modern Cyprus
Cyprus became part of the Byzantine Empire after the partitioning of the Roman Empire in Anno Domini AD 395, and remained so for almost 800 years, though with brief period of Arab domination and influence. After the rule of the rebelious Byzantine Emperor Isaac Comnenus, King Richard I of England captured the island in 1191 during the Third Crusades. Guy of Lusignan purchased the island from Richard in 1192. The Republic of Venice took control in 1489 after the death of the last Lusignan Queen, after which the Ottoman Empire conquered the Island in 1570.
Cyprus was placed under United Kingdom British control on 4 June 1878 as a result of the Cyprus Convention, which granted control of the island to Britain in return for British support of the Ottoman Empire in the Russian-Turkish War.
Famagusta harbour was completed in June 1906; by this time the island was a strategic naval outpost for the British Empire, shoring up influence over the Eastern Mediterranean and Suez Canal, the crucial main route to India.
Cyprus was formally annexed by the United Kingdom in 1913 in the run-up to the World War I First World War. Many Cypriots, now British subjects, signed up to fight in the British Army, in this and in the World War II Second World War.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Greek Cypriots began to demand Enosis union with Greece. The Greek community held referenda in support of annexation, while the British sought to quell any movement which could threaten their possession of the island. In 1955 the struggle erupted into guerrilla activity with the foundation of EOKA, and in the closing years of the 1950s the political and intercommunal atmosphere on the island became increasingly fraught (''see also Cyprus dispute'').
Independence was attained in 1960 after exhaustive negotiations between the United Kingdom, as the colonial power, and Greece and Turkey, the cultural 'motherlands' for the two communities on Cyprus. The constitution produced by the negotiations was a binding document allocating government posts and public offices by ethnic quota. The constitution did not promote a healthy relationship between the residents of the island. The first President was the Greek Cypriot leader Archbishop Makarios III, and his Vice President was the leading Turkish Cypriot politician Fazil Kucuk Dr Fazıl Küçük.
=Post-independence
=
:''Main article: Cyprus dispute''
During the 1960s, Makarios and Küçük pursued a non-aligned foreign policy, cultivating good relations with the Britain, Greece and Turkey, and taking a leading role in developing the Non-Aligned Movement.
Tension began in 1963 when Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots were opposed to the proposal since it relegated their status to a minority, instead of co-founders of the state, whilst also removing their community’s constitutional safeguards. These amendments were largely seen as a move towards Enosis (union with Greece) by Turkish Cypriots. On 21 December 1963, clashes between Turkish Cypriots and Polycarpos Yorgadjis (the Interior Minister) plainclothes special constables left two Turkish Cypriots and one Greek Cypriot policeman dead [http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/Patrick-chp%203.htm]. Although the ensuing violence led to attacks launched by both communities, Turkish Cypriots had born the brunt of the offensive, leading to 700 Turkish Cypriot hostages being taken and full scale attacks launched by Nicos Sampson against the Turkish Cypriot population [http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/narrative-main-%203.htm].
The fighting left 191 Turkish and 133 Greek Cypriots dead and 209 Turks and 41 Greeks missing [http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/narrative-main-%203.htm]. Widespread looting of Turkish Cypriot villages led to twenty thousand refugees, relying on food and medical supplies from Turkey to survive. Though much of the initial withdrawal was in the wake of violence, the Turkish Cypriot own paramilitary group exercised influence in preventing some Turkish Cypriots returning to their villages, thus leading to the segregation of the communities.
By 1974, dissatisfaction among Greek nationalist right-wing elements in favour of the long-term goal of ''Enosis'' precipitated a coup d'etat against President Makarios which was sponsored by Greek military junta of 1967-1974 the military government of Greece and led by the Cypriot National Guard. The new regime replaced Makarios with Nikos Sampson Nikos Giorgiades Sampson as president, and Bishop Gennadios as head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. Seven days after these events, Turkish Invasion of Cyprus Turkey invaded Cyprus by sea and air on 20 July 1974, presenting the invasion as an act of protection for the island's 18% Turkish Cypriot minority. Talks in Geneva involving Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the two Cypriot factions failed in mid-August, and Turkish forces subsequently moved from the agreed cease-fire lines to gain control of 37% of the island's territory. About 160,000 Greek Cypriots were uprooted, with Greek Cypriots forced to flee to the south, while approximately 50,000 Turkish Cypriots moved north. Greek Cypriot soldiers were taken prisoner, and 1,619 of those are still unaccounted for. The Greek Junta made no armed response to the Turkish forces but collapsed days after. Greece, with the restoration of democratic rule, suspended military participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The tension continued after Makarios returned to the presidency on December 7 1974. He accepted a bizonal bicommunal federation as the form of a future state, but rejected any solution "involving transfer of populations and amounting to partition of Cyprus". The events of the summer of 1974 have dominated Cypriot politics ever since and have been a major point of contention between Greece and Turkey.
After 1974, there were near-continual efforts to negotiate a settlement, which met with varying levels of hostility from either side.
Turkish Cypriots proclaimed a separate state under Rauf DenktaÅŸ on November 15 1983. The UN Security Council, in its Resolution 541 of November 18 1983, declared the action illegal and called for withdrawal. Turkey is to date the only country to recognise the "government" of the occupied part of Cyprus. Turkey does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus's authority over the whole island, and refers to it as the Greek Cypriot administration. This has led to complications in its bid to join the European Union
Relations in the eastern Mediterranean were particularly frayed during the mid-1990s, especially in 1997 after the Cypriot government acquired Russian missiles capable of reaching the Turkish coast. The S-300 missiles never arrived in Cyprus, but stayed on the neighbouring island of Crete. The United States set an embargo on sale of arms to Turkey which was voted down a few years later after the invasion.
Cyprus joined the European Union as a full member in January 2005. Since the invasion, the southern part of Cyprus has greatly grown economically, and the country enjoys a high standard of living. The north maintains a lower standing of living due to the economic embargoes placed since its unilateral declaration of independence.
Geography
Image:modis_cyprus_lrg.jpg right|thumb|300px|MODIS Satellite Image of Cyprus
:''Main article: Geography of Cyprus''
The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia), Cyprus is geographically situated in the eastern Mediterranean and just south of the Anatolian peninsula (or Asia Minor) of the Asian mainland; thus, it is commonly included in the Middle East (see also Southwest Asia Western Asia and Near East). Turkey is 75 kilometres (47 miles) north; other neighbouring countries include Syria and Lebanon to the east, Israel to the southeast, Egypt to the south, and Greece to the west-north-west.
Politically and culturally, however, it is closely aligned with Europe – particularly Greece and Turkey. Historically, Cyprus has been at the crossroads between Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa Northern Africa, with lengthy periods of mainly Greek and intermittent Anatolian, Levantine, and British Empire British influences. Thus, it is generally considered a transcontinental nation transcontinental island.
The central plain (Mesaoria) with the Kyrenia and Pentadactylos mountains to the north and the Troodos Mountains Troodos mountain range to the south and west. There are also scattered but significant plains along the southern coast.
The climate is temperate and Mediterranean climate Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, variably rainy winters.
The capital city, Nicosia, is located to the north-east of the centre of the island. All the other major cities are situated on the coast: Paphos to the south-west, Limassol to the south, Larnaca to the south-east, Famagusta to the east, and Kyrenia to the north.
See also:
* List of cities in Cyprus, Greek and Turkish names
Districts
Image:Cyprus districts named.png right|thumb|Map of Cyprus showing political divisions and districts
:''Main article: Districts of Cyprus''
Cyprus is divided into six districts (Greek and Turkish equivalents in parentheses).
*Famagusta District Famagusta (Αμμόχωστος/Ammochostos - Gazimağusa)
*Kyrenia District Kyrenia (ΚεÏ?Ï?vεια/Keryneia - Girne)
*Larnaca District Larnaca (ΛάÏ?νακα - Larnaka)
*Limassol District Limassol (Λεμεσός/Lemesos - Limasol)
*Nicosia District Nicosia (Λευκωσία/Lefkosia - Lefkoşa)
*Paphos District Paphos (Πάφος/Pafos - Baf)
Politics
:''Main article: Politics of Cyprus''
After independence Cyprus became a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement despite all three guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and the UK) being North Atlantic Treaty Organization members. Cyprus left the Non-Aligned Movement in 2004 to join the European Union.
The 1960 Cypriot Constitution provided for a presidential system of government with independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as a complex system of checks and balances, including a weighted power-sharing ratio designed to protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. The executive, for example, was headed by a Greek Cypriot president, Archbishop Makarios III, and a Turkish Cypriot vice president, Fazil Kucuk Dr Fazıl Küçük, elected by their respective communities for 5-year terms and each possessing a right of veto over certain types of legislation and executive decisions.
The House of Representatives was elected on the basis of separate voters' rolls. Since 1964, following clashes between the two communities, the Turkish Cypriot seats in the House remained vacant, while the Greek Cypriot Communal Chamber was abolished. The responsibilities of the chamber were transferred to the newfounded Ministry of Education.
By 1967, when a Regime of the Colonels military junta had seized power in Greece, the political impetus for enosis had faded, partly as a result of the non-aligned foreign policy of Cypriot President Makarios. Enosis remained an ideological goal, despite being pushed significantly further down the political agenda. Dissatisfaction in Greece with Makarios's perceived failure to deliver on earlier promises of enosis convinced the Greek colonels to sponsor the 1974 coup in Nicosia.
Turkey responded by launching a military operation on Cyprus in a move not approved by the other two international guarantor powers, Greece and the United Kingdom which aimed to protect the Turkish minority from Greek militias. The intervention is called "Cyprus Peace Operation" by the Turkish side. Turkish forces captured the northern part of the island. Many thousands of others, from both sides, left the island entirely.
Subseqently, the Turkish Cypriots established their own separatist institutions with a popularly elected ''de facto'' President and a Prime Minister responsible to the National Assembly exercising joint executive powers. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriots declared an independent state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), an action opposed by the United Nations Security Council. In 1985, the TRNC adopted a constitution and held its first elections.
See also:
* Foreign relations of Cyprus
* List of political parties in Cyprus
* Military of Cyprus
Political division
Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, with the UK, Greece and Turkey retaining limited rights to intervene in internal affairs.
Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided, ''de facto'', into the Greek-Cypriot controlled southern two-thirds of the island and the Turkish-occupied northern third. The '''Republic of Cyprus''' is the internationally-recognised government of Cyprus, that controls the southern two-thirds of the island. Turkey aside, all foreign governments and the United Nations recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus.
The Turkish Cypriot administration of the northern part of the island, together with Turkey, does not accept the Republic's rule over the whole island and refer to it as the "Greek Authority of Southern Cyprus". Its territory, the status of which remains disputed, extends over the northern third of the island.
The north proclaimed its independence in 1975, and the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established in 1983. This state was recognised only by Turkey. The Organization of the Islamic Conference granted it observer member status under the name of "Turkish Cypriot State".
The other power with territory on Cyprus is the United Kingdom. Under the independence agreement, the UK retained title to two areas on the southern coast of the island, around Akrotiri and Dhekelia, known collectively as the UK sovereign base areas. They are used as military bases.
Exclaves and enclaves
Cyprus has four exclaves, all in territory that belongs to the Akrotiri and Dhekelia British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia. The first two are the villages of Ormidhia and Xylotymvou. Additionally there is the Dhekelia Power Station, which is divided by a British road into two parts. The northern part is an enclave, like the two villages, whereas the southern part is located by the sea and therefore not an enclave —although it has no territorial waters of its own [http://geosite.jankrogh.com/cyprus.htm].
The UN buffer zone separating the territory controlled by the Turkish Cypriot administration from the rest of Cyprus runs up against Dhekelia and picks up again from its east side, off of Ayios Nikolaos (Cyprus) Ayios Nikolaos (connected to the rest of Dhekelia by a thin land corridor). In that sense, the buffer zone turns the south-east corner of the island, the Paralimni area, into a ''de facto'', though not ''de jure'', exclave.
Reunification, the Annan Plan and EU entry
The results of early negotiations between the Greek and Turkish sides resulted in a broad agreement in principle to reunification as a bi-cameral, bi-zonal federation with territory allocated to the Greek and Turkish communities within a united island. However, agreement was never reached on the finer details, and the two sides often met deadlock over the following points, among others:
The Turkish side:
* favoured a weak central government presiding over two sovereign states in voluntary association, a legacy of earlier fears of domination by the majority Greek Cypriots; and
* opposed plans for demilitarisation, citing security concerns.
The Greek side:
* took a strong line on the right of return for refugees to properties vacated in the 1974 displacement of Cypriots on both sides;
* took a dim view of any proposals which did not allow for the repatriation of Turkish settlers from the mainland who had emigrated to Cyprus since 1974; and
* supported a stronger central government.
The continued difficulties in finding a settlement presented a potential obstacle to Cypriot entry to the European Union, for which the government had applied in 1997. UN-sponsored talks between the Greek and Turkish leaders, Glafkos Klerides and Rauf Denktash, continued intensively in 2002, but without resolution. In December 2002, the EU formally invited Cyprus to join in 2004, insisting that EU membership would apply to the whole island and hoping that it would provide a significant enticement for reunification resulting from the outcome of ongoing talks. However, weeks before the UN deadline, Klerides was defeated in presidential elections by center candidate Tassos Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos had a reputation as a hard-liner on reunification and had rejected previous UN attempts to reunify the island. By mid-March, the UN declared that the talks had failed.
A United Nations plan sponsored by Secretary-General of the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was announced on 31 March 2004, based on what progress had been made during the talks in Switzerland and fleshed out by the UN, was put to both sides in separate referenda on 24 April 2004. The Greek side overwhelmingly rejected the Annan Plan, and the Turkish side voted in favour.
In May 2004, Cyprus entered the EU, although in practice membership only applies to the southern part of the island. In acknowledgement of the Turkish Cypriot community's support for reunification, however, the EU made it clear that trade concessions would be reached to stimulate economic growth in the north, and remains committed to reunification under acceptable terms.
See also:
* Annan Plan
* Cyprus reunification referendum, 2004 2004 referendum
* Cyprus dispute
* UN Buffer Zone on Cyprus.
Economy
:''Main article: Economy of Cyprus''
Economic affairs in Cyprus are dominated by the division of the country due to the Turkish occupation of the north part of the island.
The Cypriot economy is prosperous and has diversified in recent years. Cyprus has been sought as a basis for several offshore businesses, due to its highly developed infrastructure. Economic policy of the Cyprus government has focused on meeting the criteria for admission to the European Union.
Recently, oil has been discovered in the sea South of Cyprus (between Cyprus and Egypt) and talks are under way with Egypt to reach an agreement as to the exploitation of these resources. The level of the oil field in terms of production (barrels per day) that the two countries will be able to produce is still a matter of speculation.
The economy in the occupied part of Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for subsidies for its survival. The economy relies heavily on agriculture. The influx of about 100,000 Turkish economic migrants in the occupied part of Cyprus, who in their majority are uneducated workers, has brought even more trouble in the economy of the occupied area. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender.
Eventual adoption of the euro currency is required of all new countries joining the European Union, and the Cyprus government currently intends to adopt the currency on 1 January 2008.
Demographics
:''Main article: Demographics of Cyprus''
Greek and Turkish Cypriots share many customs but maintain their ethnicity based on religion, language, and close ties with their respective motherlands.
The major part of Greek Cypriots are Eastern Orthodox Christians, whereas Turkish Cypriots are Islam Muslims.
Greek is the predominant language in the south, Turkish in the north. This delineation is only reflective of the post-1974 division of the island, which involved an expulsion of Greek Cypriots from the north and the analoguous move of Turkish Cypriots from the south. Historically however, the Greek language was largely spoken by all Greek Cypriots and by many Turkish Cypriots.
English language English is widely understood, and is taught in schools from primary age.
Education
Cyprus has a well-developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education. Unlike in other countries, state schools are generally seen as equivalent or better in quality of education than private sector institutions.
The majority of Cypriots receive their higher education at Greek, British, Turkish, other European and US universities, while there are also sizeable emigrant communities in the United Kingdom and Australia. Private colleges and state-supported universities have been developed by both the Turkish and Greek communities.
According to the 1960 constitution, education is under the control of the two communities (the communal chambers). State education was based on nationalisation of existing community supported schools from the colonial period. Thus following 1974 the Cypriot system follows the Greek system in the south, in other words providing their students with an apolytirion, and the Turkish system in the north. A large number of students after sitting for A-levels and/or SATs study abroad, mainly in English speaking countries such as the United States or UK, but also in other European destinations such as France and Germany. Traditionally the communist party AKEL provided scholarships for its members to study in Eastern Europe. Eastern European countries, especially Bulgaria and Hungary, are still popular destinations for students.
Students from Turkey also study at universities in northern Cyprus, boosting economically the North Cyprus Turkish Republic.
Personalities
*Archbishop Makarios (1913-1977), Archbishop, first President of the Republic of Cyprus
*Dr Fazil Kucuk (1906-1984) was the first and only Turkish Cypriot Vice President of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus
*Stelios Haji-Ioannou (also known as Stelios) (b.1967), Businessman, founder of Easyjet
*Anna Vissi (b. 1957), popular singer
*Yiannos Kranidiotis (died 1999 in airplane accident), Greek politician, deputy Minister of State
*George Michael (b. 1963), singer
*Marcos Baghdatis (b. 1985), tennis player, Baghdatis became the ITF World Junior Tennis Champion in 2003 and joined the ATP professional tour later in that year. Runner-up in Australian Open 2006. Ranked 27th in the world
*Michalis Konstantinou football player for Olympiakos CFP and all-time leading goalscorer for Cyprus national football team
*Mustafa Halilsoy one of the prominent physicist in the field of Physics of Gravitational Waves
*Mehmet Nazim Adil - Sufi religious leader
Educational Institutes
- University of Cyprus
- Technical University of Cyprus
- Higher Technical Institute (taught in English) situated in Nicosia
- Cyprus College (taught in English) situated in Nicosia
- Intercollege (taught in English) situated in Nicosia and Larnaca
- The Frederick institute (taught in English) situated in Nicosia and Limassol
- Philips College (taught in English/Greek) situated in Nicosia
- Americanos College (taught in English/Greek) situated in Nicosia
*Eastern Mediterranean University (taught in English) situated in Famagusta
- Cyprus International University (taught in English), located in Nicosia
Miscellaneous
* Communications in Cyprus
* Holidays in Cyprus
* List of Cypriots
* Military of Cyprus
* Music of Cyprus
* Alexander the Great
* Transportation in Cyprus
*Greek History
External links
{{sisterlinks|Cyprus}}
'''Government'''
- Republic of Cyprus
- Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus
- Press and Information Office
- Religious Groups in Cyprus
- Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus
'''General information'''
- CIA World Factbook - ''Cyprus''
- US State Department - ''Cyprus'' includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
- Open Directory Project - ''Cyprus'' directory category
'''Tourism information'''
- Cyprus Tourism Organisation
{{Europe}}
{{Southwest_Asia}}
{{Asia}}
{{Middle_East}}
{{Mediterranean}}
{{EU_countries}}
{{Commonwealth of Nations}}
{{Non-Aligned Movement}}
Category:Cyprus
Category:Middle Eastern countries
Category:Southwest Asian countries
Category:European Union member states
Category:Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
Category:Bicontinental countries
Category:Phoenician colonies
Category:Hellenistic colonies
Category:Former British colonies
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he:קפריסין
hu:Ciprus
hy:Ô¿Õ«ÕºÖ€Õ¸Õ½
id:Siprus
io:Chipro
is:Kýpur
it:Cipro
ja:ã‚プãƒã‚¹
ko:키프로스
kw:Kyproes
la:Cyprus
lb:Zypern
lt:Kipras
lv:Kipra
mk:Кипар
ms:Cyprus
na:Cyprus
nds:Zypern
nl:Cyprus
nn:Kypros
no:Kypros
os:Кипр
pl:Cypr (państwo)
pt:Chipre
ro:Cipru
ru:Кипр
sh:Cipar
simple:Cyprus
sk:Cyprus (štát)
sl:Ciper
sq:Qiproja
sr:Кипар
sv:Cypern
th:ประเทศไซปรัส
tr:Kıbrıs
uk:Кіпр
zh:賽普勒斯
zh-min-nan:Ku-pÃ-lÅ?·
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ar:تصنيÙ?:قبرص
ast:CategorÃa:Chipre
be:КатÑ?горыÑ?:Кіпр
bg:КатегориÑ?:Кипър
bs:Category:Kipar
ca:Categoria:Xipre
cs:Kategorie:Kypr
de:Kategorie:Zypern
et:Kategooria:Küpros
el:ΚατηγοÏ?ία:ΚÏ?Ï€Ï?ος
es:CategorÃa:Chipre
eo:Kategorio:Kipro
fr:Catégorie:Chypre
gl:Category:Chipre
ko:분류:키프로스
io:Category:Chipro
id:Kategori:Siprus
it:Categoria:Cipro
he:קטגוריה:קפריסין
la:Categoria:Cyprus
lb:Category:Zypern
lt:Kategorija:Kipras
hu:Kategória:Ciprus
na:Category:Cyprus
nl:Categorie:Cyprus
ja:Category:ã‚プãƒã‚¹
no:Kategori:Kypros
nn:Kategori:Kypros
os:Категори:Кипр
pl:Kategoria:Cypr
pt:Categoria:Chipre
ro:Categorie:Cipru
ru:КатегориÑ?:Кипр
sl:Category:Ciper
sr:Категорија:Кипар
fi:Luokka:Kypros
sv:Kategori:Cypern
zh:Category:賽普勒斯
*** Shopping-Tip: Cyprus
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