Cyprus
- See also Cypress (a common misspelling) for other meanings.
The Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros; Turkish: Kıbrıs; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, 113 kilometres (70 miles) south of Turkey and around 120 km west of the Syrian coast.
| Motto: None | |
| Anthem: Ymnos pros tin Eleutherian (English: Hymn to Freedom)1 | |
 | |
| Capital | Nicosia |
| Largest city | Nicosia |
| Official languages | Greek and Turkish |
| Government | Republic |
| Independence | |
• Water (%) | Negligible |
| Population | |
• 2005 estimate | 780,133 5 (155th) |
• 2001 census | 689,565 6 |
| GDP (PPP) | n/a estimate |
• Total | $ 16,745 (n/a) |
• Per capita | $ 20,669 (n/a) |
| Currency | Cyprus Pound (CYP) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Calling code | 357 7 |
| ISO 3166 code | CY |
| Internet TLD | .cy |
1. "Ymnos pros tin Eleutherian" is also used as the national anthem of Greece. 2. The north has a separate president of the TRNC | |
Name and position
The name Cyprus has a somewhat uncertain etymology. One possible suggestion is that it comes from the Greek word "κυπάρισσος (kypa'rissos)" meaning "cypress tree"; however it is more likely to stem from some non-IndoEuropean word for copper, most probably from the Sumerian "kabar" (copper), 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 to the European languages as "copper" in the English language, "cuivre" in French, "kupfer" in German and "cobre" in Spanish.
Cyprus is geographically in Western Asia (or the Near East), though politically and culturally it is considered as being in Europe. Historically, Cyprus has always been a bridgehead between Europe, Asia and Africa, with interchanging periods of Levantine, Anatolian, Turkish, Greek and British influences.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Cyprus
The central plain (Mesaoria) with the Kyrenia/Girne and Pentadactylos/Besparmak mountains to the north and the 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 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
History
Main article: History of Cyprus
Prehistoric and Ancient Cyprus
The Island (biblical name Chittim) was originally settled from the Levant. There are numerous traces of the Stone Age, going back to the aceramic Neolithic. The Bronze Age sees the development of the first towns, copper mining and international trade. The influence of the Mycenæan culture of the Greek mainland seems to have reached the island around 1600 B.C., local copies of Mycenean pottery were produced. Greek and Phœnician settlements belong to the Iron Age. The island was invaded by Thothmes III of Egypt about 1500 B.C., and was forced to pay tribute. Around 1200 B.C. some scholars claim evidence for Mycenaean settlers arriving in Cyprus. This migration may be remembered in legends about Greek heroes who settled in Cyprus after the Trojan war. Other only see a strong influence of mainland tastes that can be observed in Syria and the Levant as well. Cypriote culture remained a mixture of Mykenean, Egyptian, Levantine and Anatolian elements.
In the 8th century the Island became a part of the Assyrian Empire. At that time, Cyprus was ruled by eleven Kings. In the sixth century B.C., Amasis of Egypt conquered Cyprus, which soon fell under the rule of the 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. When the Ionian Greeks revolted against Persia (499 BC) the Cypriots except for Amathus, joined in at the instigation of Onesilaos, brother of the king of Salamis, whom he dethroned for not wanting to fight for independence. The Persians reacted quickly sending a considerable force against Onesilaos and won despite Ionian help.
After the Persian defeat, the Greeks mounted various expeditions against Cyprus, but all their efforts bore only temporary results. After the victory of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) at Issos the Cypriote Kings went over to the Macedonians at Tyre. Later, the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt controlled the Island, until it was annexed by Rome in 58-57 BC. No doubt the most important event that occurred in Roman Cyprus is the visit by Apostles Paul and Barnabas having with them St Mark who came to the island at the outset of their first missionary journey in 45 AD. After their arrival at 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 was the legendary birthplace of the goddess of love, Aphrodite. According to Hesiod's Theogony, the goddess, who was also known as Kypris or the Cyprian, emerged fully grown from the sea at Paphos, where the severed genitals of her father, Uranus, were cast by his son, Kronos. The scene was famously painted by the artist Botticelli. To the east of Paphos a huge rock formation jutting from the sea is known as 'the Rock of Aphrodite'. The island was a centre of Aphrodite's cult worship.
Post-Classical and Modern Cyprus
Cyprus became part of the Byzantine Empire after the partitioning of the Roman Empire in 395, and remained so for almost 900 years. The Arabs pillaged the island in 646. In 654 a second, devastating Arab invasion took place. The island negotiated a relatively secure independence, but paid tribute to the Ummayads. After the rule of an independent Emperor (Isaac Comnenus), King Richard I of England captured the island in 1191 during the 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 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. Cyprus was annexed by the British Empire in 1913, during the First World War.
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 finely-balanced document allocating government posts and public offices by ethnic quota. The first President was the Greek Cypriot leader Archbishop Makarios III, and his Vice President was the leading Turkish Cypriot politician 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. However, by 1974 dissatisfaction among right-wing elements in favour of the long-term goal of Enosis - union with Greece - precipitated a coup d'etat against Makarios which was sponsored by Greece and led by the Cypriot National Guard. The new regime replaced Makarios with Nikos Giorgiades Sampson as president, and Bishop Gennadios as head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. Diplomacy failed to resolve the crisis. Turkey invaded Cyprus by sea and air on 20 July, 1974, asserting its right to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority. Talks in Geneva involving Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the two Cypriot factions failed in mid-August, and the Turks subsequently moved to gain control of 37% of the island's territory. Upwards of 200,000 Cypriots were uprooted, with Greek Cypriots forced to flee from the Turkish-occupied north and Turkish Cypriots displaced from the south. Greece made no armed response to the superior Turkish force but bitterly suspended military participation in the NATO alliance. The tension continued after Makarios returned to become president on Dec. 7, 1974. He offered self-government to the Turkish minority, but rejected any solution “involving transfer of populations and amounting to partition of Cyprus.” The events of summer, 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 Denktash on Nov. 15, 1983, naming it the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.” The UN Security Council, in its Resolution 541 of Nov. 18, 1983, declared the action illegal and called for withdrawal. Turkey is to date the only country to recognise the government of northern Cyprus.
Relations in the eastern Mediterranean were particularly frayed in the mid-1990s, particularly after the acquisition by the Cypriot government of Russian missiles in 1997 which were capable of reaching the Turkish coast.
In April 2005, Turkish Cyprus elected Mehmet Ali Talat as their president to succeed the retiring long-time leader Rauf Denktash, who staunchly opposed reunification. In contrast, Talat has been a keen supporter of reunification.
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 NATO members. Cyprus left the Non-Aligned Movement in 2004 to join the EU.
Following the independence of Cyprus from the UK, the Greek Cypriots held three referendums on the issue of whether they wanted to be annexed by Greece. On all three occasions there was a vote in favour of annexation but Greece had agreed not to merge with Cyprus under the terms of the independence treaty and Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis did not seek to do so.
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, 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 seats in the House have been vacant after their withdrawal from the government, and the Greek Cypriot Communal Chamber was abolished. The responsibilities of the chamber were transferred to the newfounded Ministry of Education.
By 1967, when a 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 invading Cyprus in a move not approved by the other two international guarantor powers, Greece and the United Kingdom. Turkey did not use its authority as a guarantor to restore the status quo before the coup. Claiming to be responding to an imminent threat to the Republic of Cyprus and the need to protect the Turkish minority in Cyprus from attacks by Greek militias, it captured the northern third of the island forcing 180,000 Greek Cypriots to flee their homes to the south. 55,000 Turkish Cypriots subsequently moved from the south to the north (see Cyprus dispute).
Subseqently, the Turkish Cypriots established their own institutions with a popularly elected President and a Prime Minister responsible to the National Assembly exercising joint executive powers. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriots declared an independent "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:
- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
- 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-Cypriot northern one-third.
The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognised government of Cyprus, which 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". They occupy the northern third of the island, following the military invasion by Turkey.
The area occupied by Turkey 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 British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia. The first two are the villages of Ormidhia and Xylotimbou. 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 [1].
The United Nations (UN) buffer zone separating the territory controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from the rest of Cyprus runs up against Dhekelia and picks up again from its east side, off of 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 assocation, 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 right-wing 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 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.
In April 2004, dual referendums were held, with the Greek side overwhelmingly rejecting the Annan Plan, and the Turkish side voting in favour. In May, 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:
Economy
Main article: Economy of Cyprus
Economic affairs in Cyprus are dominated by the division of the country into the southern (Greek) area controlled by the Cyprus Government and the northern Turkish Cypriot-administered area.
The Greek Cypriot economy is prosperous but highly susceptible to external shocks. Erratic growth rates in the 1990s reflect the economy's vulnerability to swings in tourist arrivals, caused by political instability on the island and fluctuations in economic conditions in Western Europe. Economic policy in the south in the years leading up to 2005 focused on meeting the criteria for admission to the European Union. As in the Turkish sector, water shortage is a growing problem, and several desalination plants are planned.
The Turkish Cypriot economy has about one-fifth the population and one-third the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is recognised only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government service, which together employ about half of the work force. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to tourism, education, industry, etc.
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.
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, Greek and Turkish (the Cypriot dialects) were largely evenly distributed throughout the island, although Greek-speakers were in a substantial majority (82%).
English is widely understood.
Education
Cyprus has a well-developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education with the option of attending either Catholic or traditional Orthodox Private Schools.
The majority of Cypriots receive their higher education at Greek, British, Turkish or 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.
The Cypriot system follows the Greek system in the south and the Turkish system in the north. A large number of students (after A levels) study abroad, mainly in English speaking countries such as the US, UK, and Australia, but also in other European destinations such as France and Germany. With the opening of Eastern Europe the students also have the opportunity to go to universities in Romania, Hungary etc.
- 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
Also on the Turkish Side:
- Eastern Mediterranean University (taught in English) in Famagusta
- Girne American University (taught in English) in Kyrenia
- Near East University (taught in English) in Nicosia
- International Cyprus University (taught in English) in Nicosia
- European University of Lefke (taught in English) in Lefka
- Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus (taught in English) in Kalkanli
Miscellaneous
- Communications in Cyprus
- Holidays in Cyprus
- List of Cypriots
- Military of Cyprus
- Music of Cyprus
- Alexander the Great
- Transportation in Cyprus
- Districts of Cyprus
External links
- Republic of Cyprus
- Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus
- Press and Information Office
- Cyprus Pictures
- Cyprus Map
- Library of Congress Country Study - Cyprus data as of January 1991
- Religious Groups in Cyprus
- AngloINFO Cyprus - information in English
Member states of the European Union | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Sovereign states |
|  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| |||||||
| Countries | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Society | ||
| Demographics | ||
| Culture | ||