(Redirected from Republic of Cyprus)
'Cyprus' (; ), is a
Eurasian
island in the eastern part of the
Mediterranean Sea, south of
Turkey (
Anatolia).
Cyprus is the third-largest
island in the Mediterranean and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, attracting over 2.4 million tourists per year.
[1] A
former British colony, it gained independence from the
United Kingdom in 1960 and became a
Commonwealth republic in
1961. The Republic of Cyprus is a
developed country and has been a member of the
European Union since
1 May 2004.
In
1974, following a
period of violence between
Greek and
Turkish Cypriots and an attempted Greek Cypriot
coup sponsored by the
Greek military junta of that period, Turkey
invaded and occupied one-third of the island. This led to the
displacement of thousands of Cypriots and the establishment of a separate Turkish Cypriot political entity in the north. This event and its resulting political situation is
a matter of ongoing dispute.
The Republic of Cyprus, the internationally recognised
state, has ''
de jure''
sovereignty over the island of Cyprus and surrounding waters; however, the island is ''
de facto'' partitioned into four main parts:
[2]
★ the area under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus in the south of the island;
★ the area in the north,
styling itself the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus;
★ the
United Nations-controlled Green Line, separating the two; and
★ two
Sovereign Base Areas (
Akrotiri and Dhekelia), over which the United Kingdom retained jurisdiction after Cypriot independence.
[3]
Etymology
The name 'Cyprus' has a somewhat uncertain
etymology. Suggestion is that it comes from the Greek word for the
Mediterranean cypress tree (''
Cupressus sempervirens''), 'κυπάρισσος' (''kypárissos'') or even from the Greek name of the
henna plant (''
Lawsonia alba''), 'κύπρος' (''kýpros''). Another school suggests that it stems from the
Eteocypriot word for
copper. Dossin, for example, suggests that it has roots to the
Sumerian word for
copper (''zubar'') or even the word for
bronze (''kubar''), 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''.
[4]Cyprus is also called "the island of Aphrodite"
[5], because according to Greek mythology the goddess of love,
Aphrodite (
Venus), was born in Cyprus.
History
Main articles: History of Cyprus
Prehistoric and ancient Cyprus
Main articles: Cyprus (Prehistory),
Ancient history of Cyprus
Over the past twenty years there have been a number of discoveries that have greatly enhanced our knowledge of the early prehistory of Cyprus. Currently, the earliest confirmed site of human activity on the island is
Aetokremnos situated on the
Akrotiri Peninsula on the south coast. This site indicates that hunter-gatherers were active on the island from around 10,000 BC. There is also new evidence that suggests that there may be short lived occupation sites contemporary with Aetokremnos on the west coast of the island in the area of the
Akamas, and on the east at
Nissi Beach.
At present the
archaeological record presents us with a chronological gap in the use or occupation of the island between the earliest hunter-gatherers and the appearance in the record of more settled village communities at around 8200 BC. These people probably practiced a limited form of agriculture and animal husbandry, supplemented by hunting. Important remains from this early-
Neolithic period can be found at
Mylouthkia,
Shillourokambos,
Kastros,
Tenta and later towards the end of this period the famous village of
Khirokitia.
During the Painted-Pottery Neolithic and
Chalcolithic periods that follow, small scale settlements and activity areas were in use all over the island. During this period the people of Cyprus produced decorated pottery and figurines of stone quite distinct from the cultures of the surrounding mainland. This has traditionally led some archaeologists to consider the island as being somewhat isolated and insular at this time. More recently this idea is being challenged.
The
Bronze Age is also rich in finds. The people learned to work the rich copper mines of the island. The
Mycenæan culture seems to have reached Cyprus at around 1600 BC and several Greek and
Phoenicia settlements that belong to the
Iron Age can be found on the island. Cyprus came into contact with
Egypt about 1500 BC and became an important trade partner.
Around 1200 BC, the
Sea Peoples may have arrived in Cyprus, although the nature of their influence is disputed. The Phœnicians arrived at the island in the early first millennium BC. In those times, Cyprus supplied the
Greeks with timber for their fleets.
In the sixth century BC,
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. 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, led by
Onesilos who dethroned his brother, the king of
Salamis, 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 take Cyprus from Persian rule, but all their efforts bore only temporary results. Eventually, under
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) the island went over to the Macedonians. Later, the
Ptolemies of Egypt controlled it; finally
Rome annexed it in 58-57 BC. Cyprus was visited by the Apostles
Paul and
Barnabas accompanied by
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.
Cyprus in ancient myth
The Centaur floor mosaic in
Paphos.
Cyprus is the
mythical birthplace of the
goddess Aphrodite, of beauty and love, (also known as ''Kypris'' or ''the Cyprian''). According to
Hesiod's ''
Theogony'', the goddess 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 (). Her birth was famously depicted by the artist
Botticelli in ''
The Birth of Venus''. The legendary site of Aphrodite's birth is at
Petra Tou Romiou ("Aphrodite's Rock"), a large
sea stack close to the coastal cliffs near Paphos. Throughout ancient history, Cyprus was a flourishing centre for the cultic worship of Aphrodite.
Other mythological characters associated to Cyprus are King
Cinyras,
Teucer (founder of
Salamis), the Cypriot sculptor
Pygmalion, and (in some versions)
Adonis.
[6]
Post-classical and modern Cyprus
Cyprus became part of the
Byzantine Empire [7] after the partitioning of the
Roman Empire in 395, and remained so for almost eight hundred years, interrupted by a brief period of
Arab domination and influence.
After the rule of the rebellious
Byzantine Emperor Isaac Komnenos,
King Richard I of England captured the island in 1191 during the
Third Crusade. On
May 6,
1191, Richard's fleet arrived in the port of
Lemesos and took the city. When Isaac arrived to stop the Crusaders he discovered he was too late and retired to
Kolossi Castle. Richard called Isaac to negotiations but Isaac broke his oath of
hospitality and started demanding Richard's departure. Richard ordered his cavalry to follow him in a battle against Isaac's army in Tremetusia. The few
Roman Catholics of the island joined Richard's army and so did the island's nobles who were dissatisfied with Isaac's seven years of tyrannical rule. Richard's army was bigger and better equipped, assuring his victory. Isaac continued to resist from the castles of Pentadactylos but after the siege of his castle of Kantara he finally surrendered. In a fit of sardonic
irony, Richard had Isaac confined with silver chains, scrupulously abiding by a previous promise that he would not place Isaac in irons should he be taken prisoner. Richard became the new ruler of Cyprus, gaining for the Crusade a major supply base that was not under immediate threat from the Turks as was
Tyre. Richard looted the island and massacred those trying to resist him. He and most of his army left Cyprus for the
Holy Land early in June. In his absence Cyprus was governed by Richard Camville.
In 1192, the
French knight Guy of Lusignan purchased the island, in compensation for the loss of his kingdom, from the
Templars. The
Republic of Venice took control in 1489 after the abdication of Queen
Caterina Cornaro, the widow of James II, the last
Lusignan king of Cyprus. Caterina, of a noble Venetian family, was painted by both
Bellini and
Titian.
Throughout the period of Venetian rule,
Ottoman Turks raided and attacked the peoples of Cyprus at will. The
Greek population of Cyprus were given weapons by the Venetians and fought the attacking Ottomans. In
1489, the first year of Venetian control, Turks attacked the
Karpasia Peninsula. In 1539 the Turkish fleet attacked and destroyed Limassol. Fearing the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire, the Venetians had fortified
Famagusta,
Nicosia, and
Kyrenia, but most other cities were easy prey.
In the summer of
1570, the Turks attacked again, but this time with a full-scale invasion rather than a raid. A fleet commanded by
Piyale Pasha carried about 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of
Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha to the island and landed unopposed near Limassol on
July 2, 1570, and laid siege to
Nicosia. The city fell (
September 9, 1570), 20,000 Nicosian Greeks were put to death, and every
church, public building, and palace was looted. Word of the massacre spread, and a few days later Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha took Kyrenia without having to fire a shot. Famagusta, however, resisted and put up a heroic defense that lasted from September 1570 until August 1571.
Ottoman rule brought about two radical results in the history of the island. For the first time since the
Phoenicians in the ninth century BC, a new population group appeared, the Turks. The Ottoman Empire gave ''timars''—land grants—to soldiers under the condition that they and their families would stay there permanently. This event radically changed the demographics of Cyprus. During the seventeenth century the Turkish population grew rapidly. Most of the Turks who had settled on the island during the three centuries of Ottoman rule remained when control of Cyprus—although not sovereignty (see
Cyprus Convention)—was ceded to Britain in 1878. Many, however, left for
Turkey during the 1920s. By 1970, ethnic Turks represented 18% of the total population of the island, with ethnic Greeks representing the remainder. The distinction between the two groups was by religion and language.
The second important result of the Ottoman conquest benefited the Greek peasants who no longer remained serfs of the land they were cultivating. Now they could acquire it by purchase, thus becoming owners of it. The Ottomans also applied the
millet system to Cyprus, which allowed religious authorities to govern their own non-
Muslim minorities. This system reinforced the position of the
Orthodox Church and the cohesion of the ethnic Greek population. Gradually the
Archbishop of Cyprus became not only the religious but the ethnic leader as well. In this way the Church undertook the task of the guardian of
Greek cultural legacy, which is partly carried on even now, although diminished after independence. The Church itself paid no taxes to the Ottoman conquerors but was responsible for collecting taxes from the population and passing it on to the rulers.
The heavy taxes and the abuses against the population on the part of the Ottoman rulers in the early years after the Ottoman conquest gave rise to opposition, following which the
Sultan ordered the Governor (the "
Kadi") and the Treasurer to govern with justice. While the Sultan's orders indicated his goodwill towards the local population, the local administration proved indifferent, arbitrary and often
corrupt, along with imposing a heavy burden of
taxes. Cypriots disappointed at the mismanagement of Ottoman governors, soon turned to
Western Europe in search of help for liberation as their motherland, Greece, was also under the Ottomans.
Between 1572 and 1668, around twenty-eight bloody uprisings took place on the island and in many of these both Greeks and Turk peasants took part. All ended in failure.
About 1660, in order to eliminate the mismanagement of the Ottoman administration, the Sultan recognised the Archbishop and the Bishops as "the protectors of people" and the representatives of the Sultan. In 1670, Cyprus ceased to be a "pasaliki" for the Ottoman Empire and came under the jurisdiction of the Admiral of the Ottoman fleet. In his turn, the Admiral sent an officer to govern in his place.
In 1703, Cyprus came under the jurisdiction of the
Grand Vizier (Anthony Petane) who sent to the island a military and civil administrator. The title and function of this officer were awarded to the person who could raise the highest revenues in exchange (see
Tax farming). As a result, even heavier taxation was imposed. About 1760 the situation in Cyprus was intolerable. A terrible epidemic of
plague, bad crops and earthquakes, drove many Cypriots to emigrate. In addition, what was worse for the Greeks and Turks of the island, the newly-appointed
Pasha doubled the taxes in 1764. In the end, Chil Osman and 18 of his friends were killed by Greek and Turkish Cypriots, but the two ethnic elements had to pay a huge sum of money to the Sultan and the families of the victims. The latter did not accept this judgment and broke into an open rebellion, having Khalil Agha, the commander of the guard of the castle of Kyrenia, as their leader. Finally the uprising was crushed and Khalil Agha was beheaded.
Detailed population statistics from Cyprus are available going back to the 1830s. The first large scale census of the Ottoman Empire in 1831 included Cyprus. Only men were counted and information on religion was recorded. The male population at the time was 14,983 Muslims and 29,190 Christians.
[8] This implies a total population of 88,000 for the island.
By 1872, the population of the island had risen to 144,000 comprising 44,000 Muslims (mostly Turks) and 100,000 Christians (mostly Greeks).
[9]
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; 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
First World War, since former British ally (Turkey) had joined the
Central Powers. Many Cypriots, now British subjects, signed up to fight in the
British Army, promised by the British that when the war finished Cyprus would be united with Greece. This happened twice both in the First and in the
Second World War.
The possibility of the island's return to the Ottoman Empire, from which the British had leased it in 1878, kept local nationalist feelings among the Greek population in check. Once the island formally became a British colony, Greek Cypriots started to gradually become more assertive, and to ultimately demand
union with Greece. In January 1950, a referendum for union with Greece was organized by the Cypriot Church. The referendum was boycotted by the sizable Greek Cypriot Left, as well as by the Turkish Cypriot community. Among those that participated, a clear majority voted in favor of the island's annexation to Greece. Turkish Cypriots claim that the ''enosis'' movement largely ignored the Turkish Cypriots minority presence on the island, but all peoples of Cyprus recognize that the British sought to quell any movement which could threaten their ability to control the island militarily (local autonomy was proposed by the British, but rejected by the Greek Cypriots). In 1955, an armed struggle against British rule erupted with the foundation of
EOKA. The organization's explicitly stated goal was the island's annexation to Greece. The majority of the non-leftist Greek Cypriots either took part directly, or morally supported the EOKA struggle. By the end of the struggle in 1959, EOKA succeeded in shaking off British rule, but failed to achieve its original goal of annexing the island to Greece.
Instead, independence was attained in 1960 after exhaustive negotiations between the United Kingdom, as the colonial power, and Greece and Turkey, the cultural "motherlands" for both the majority and minority communities in Cyprus. The UK ceded the island under a constitution allocating government posts and public offices by ethnic quota, but retained two small
Sovereign Base Areas.
Post-independence (1960-1974)
The 1960 Constitution
Cyprus was declared an independent state on August 16, 1960. The constitution of the new state, which was defined by the
Zürich and London Agreements, was drawn up in terms that explicitly defined the two main ethnic communities in Cyprus, the numerically larger Greek Cypriot community at approximately 80% of the total Cypriot population and the numerically smaller Turkish Cypriot community at approximately 18% of the total Cypriot population. These agreements were atypical in that they granted the numerically smaller Turkish Cypriot community political rights within the new republic greater than those of just an ethnic minority community. They were also atypical in that they placed certain limits within the constitution on the absolute independence of the new republic, with certain articles deemed unalterable as well as granting rights and responsibilities to the external guarantor states of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The complexity and limits on the new Republic’s independence of these agreements was a reflection of the complex situation in Cyprus pre-independence, where there was little or no cohesive pan Cypriot national identity, with each of the two main ethnic communities seeking to pursue purely ethnic based visions for Cyprus' future. Pre-independence the Greek Cypriot community, on the whole considering themselves Greeks that happened to live in Cyprus rather than Cypriots with a Greek ethnic background, sought a Cypriot future based on
Enosis, the ceding of Cyprus to Greece, as a natural stage during the
Greek War of Independence, the fulfillment of the Greek
Megali Idea. Enosis for Cyprus was silenced during the Greek War of Independence but was later renewed as a future natural stage after the end of British rule. For the Turkish Cypriot community who also on the whole tended to see themselves as Turks that happened to live in Cyprus rather than Cypriots with a Turkish ethnic background, the idea of Cyprus being handed over to Greece after the end of
British rule and of them becoming Greek citizens in a Hellenic republic, was an anathema. Largely in response to calls from the Greek Cypriots community for enosis the Turkish Cypriot community developed the concept of
Taksim, the partition of Cyprus into a Greek Cypriot controlled part, which would be free to pursue enosis as it saw fit and a Turkish Cypriot controlled part, despite the fact that the two ethnic communities were geographically intermingled throughout Cyprus and taksim by its very nature would have required mass population movements.
[10] It is against this background that the
Zürich and London Agreements were drawn up after lengthy negotiation principally by
Greece-
Turkey and the
United Kingdom and why they ended up being both complex and atypical granting the Turkish Cypriot community political rights disproportionate to their numerical numbers and containing permanent restrictions on the pursuit of both enosis and taksim alike. It is a common Greek Cypriot position that these agreements were imposed on them against their will by external powers and that despite
Archbishop Makarios, as the recognized leader of the Greek Cypriot community putting his signature on them he did so only because he was forced to. There is no real doubt that great pressure was placed on Archbishop Makarios by both the United Kingdom and by Greece to sign the agreements.
1960-1963
In the period from independence in 1960 to 1963 a series of disputes arose between the two communities over the implementation and interpretation of the agreements and constitution. These disputes centered on 70:30 percent ratio of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in the public service mandated by the constitution but never achieved in practice, the establishment of separate municipalities as required by the constitution also not achieved, the use by the Turkish Cypriot leadership of its veto on tax legislation as a means of gaining leverage over the other areas of dispute and the status of the Turkish Cypriot vice president who constitutionally had a veto on foreign policy but complained of frequently not being informed of foreign policy initiatives by the Greek Cypriot foreign minister.
Relations between the two communities became increasingly strained in this period and distrust on both sides grew with both sides preparing for physical confrontation with the establishment of armed irregulars as well as military officers from the two communities respective 'motherlands'.
[11] The abuse of safeguards by the Turkish Cypriot leadership, led to total unworkability of the Constitution, which necessitated the submission of constitutional amendments.
The 13 amendments and subsequent intercommunal violence
In November 1963 Archbishop Makarios, by then the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, proposed
thirteen amendments to the constitution. It was claimed then as now that the intent of these amendments was simply to try and make the cumbersome 60's agreements and constitution more workable and remove causes of friction. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, however, claimed that the proposed amendment would have removed nearly all of the political protections the Turkish Cypriot community had gained in the 1960 agreements and essentially represented a fundamental altering of the entire basis of the 1960 agreements.
[12] The proposed amendments were immediately rejected first by Turkey and then later by the Turkish Cypriot Vice-President Dr. Kutchuk. Turkey instigated the Turkish Cypriot leadership's decision to resort to insurrection against the state, thus resulting in the Turkish Cypriot members of the executive, legislature, judiciary and the civil service withdrawing from their posts, and created military enclaves in Nicosia and other parts of the island. On 21 December 1963 a street brawl in a Turkish quarter in Nicosia between a Turkish Cypriot crowd and plainclothes police officers resulted in the outbreak of widespread intercommunal violence throughout the island. Against this background of a breakdown of internal security in Cyprus and inter-communal violence that threaten to bring into direct conflict the two
NATO members of Greece and Turkey during the height of the cold war, the United Kingdom and the USA first tried to implement a neutral NATO force to be stationed within Cyprus to prevent further inter-communal conflict. The Makarios government blocked this move and the United Kingdom then raised the matter with the UN security council in a letter of 15 February 1964. The Makarios government also raised issues of alleged preparation by Turkey for an obvious, imminent invasion of Cyprus in a letter to the Security Council also on the 15 February 1964. As a result of the above, and the intercommunal violence that ensued, the Security Council of the United Nations was seized of the situation, and by resolution 186 of 4 March 1964 a Peace Keeping Force (UNFICYP) was sent to Cyprus and a Mediator was appointed. In his Report (S/6253, A/6017, 26 March 1965), the Mediator, Dr Gala Plaza, criticized the 1960 legal framework, and proposed necessary amendements which were again forthwith rejected by Turkey, a fact which resulted in serious deterioration of the situation with constant threats by Turkey against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus, necessitating a series of UN Resolutions calling, inter alia, for respect of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Cyprus. The Security Council debated the unfolding crisis in Cyprus at its 1094th to 1103rd meetings from the 17 February to 4 March 1964,
[13] the result of which was UN Security Council resolution 186 of the 4th March 1964,
[14] which established a UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus that remains to this day.
Turkish Invasion (1974)
Main articles: Turkish invasion of Cyprus
By
1974, dissatisfaction among Greek nationalist right-wing elements in favour of the long-term goal of
unification with Greece precipitated a
coup d'etat against President Makarios which was sponsored by
the military government of Greece and led by Greek officers in the Cypriot National Guard. The Greek military junta and their supporters attempted to assassinate President Makarios. The new regime replaced Makarios with
Nikos Giorgiades Sampson as president, and Bishop Gennadios as head of the
Cypriot Orthodox Church. Seven days after these events
Turkey invaded Cyprus by sea and air on
20 July 1974. At the time Turkey claimed it was invading to uphold its obligation under the
1960 Treaty of Guarantee "to re-instate the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus". The coup was dissolved after strong resistance by the Greek Cypriot people, however the constitution was replaced only in the free areas of Cyprus, which were not under the Turkish occupation army. Talks in
Geneva involving Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the two Cypriot factions stalled and on
August 12 Turkey offered a proposal for a communal system, with confederate cantons, and gave Greece 24 hours to accept.
[15] The talks soon collapsed after Turkish planes attacked
Nicosia,
[16] and Turkish forces subsequently moved from the previous cease-fire lines to gain control of 37% of the island's territory. In the process over 160,000 Greek Cypriots who made up the overwhelming majority of the population of these areas were ethnically cleansed
[17]. The invasion also led to the displacement of about 50,000 Turkish Cypriots who left the areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus moved to the areas under Turkish military control and settled in the homes and properties left behind by the Greek Cypriots. Many of them did so clandestinely, defying a Cyprus Government imposed ban which aimed at preventing the separation of the Cypriot population along ethnic lines.
As of today, there are still 1,534 Greek Cypriots
[18]and 502 Turkish Cypriots
[19]unaccounted for as well as over 150,000 Greek Cypriot refugees and over 60,000 Turkish Cypriot displaced persons. The events of the summer of 1974 have dominated Cypriot politics ever since and have been a major point of contention between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, as well as Greece and Turkey.
Since 1974, there have been continual efforts to negotiate a settlement, which met with varying levels of disagreement from either side. The Turkish government arranged an influx of settlers from Turkey whose exact numbers are disputed, but believed to be in the range of over 100,000, thus altering the demographics of the island against the rules of the
Geneva Convention.
Turkish Cypriots proclaimed a separate state, the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), under
Rauf Denktaş on
November 15,
1983. The UN
Security Council, in its Resolution 541 of
November 18,
1983, declared the action legally invalid and called for a withdrawal of Turkish troops. The above-mentioned Resolutions also asked all states to refrain from recognizing the declaration, which was created through secessionist actions, and not to facilitate or in any other way aid the secessionist entity. Turkey is the only country to date that recognizes the administration on the northern third of Cyprus in violation of the resolution. Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus's authority over the whole island, and refers to it as the Greek Cypriot administration.
Modern Era (1974-present)
Main articles: Cyprus dispute
In
2004, the UN-backed
Annan Plan for Cyprus[13] sought to reunify the island before EU accession. Turkish Cypriots accepted the plan whilst Greek Cypriots rejected it, with the result that the island entered the EU as a divided country. EU countries recognize the official government and still officially treat the North as a
militarily occupied area; although this has affected discussions with
Turkey over
accession, it has not prevented them.
EU ministers have repeatedly stressed their intention to open direct trade links with the occupied area. The EU
Acquis communautaire (European Union law) applies only to those areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus.
Since the
invasion, the economy of Cyprus has grown greatly and citizens of the Republic in particular enjoy a high standard of living. The north maintains a lower standard of living due to international embargoes, and is still reliant on Turkey for aid, though increased revenues through tourism and a recent construction boom have led to rapid economic development in recent years. The Turkish Cypriot administration has allowed the legally questionable sale of real estate, consisting almost entirely of property and land still owned by
Greek Cypriots from before the 1974 Turkish invasion, to private buyers from overseas. In
2005, the UK's ''Guardian'' newspaper reported that up to 10,000 Europeans had invested in property in the north of Cyprus, a trend that still causes concern in the south. This concern was highlighted by the UK's ''Daily Telegraph'' newspaper in 2006 when
Cherie Blair, the wife of Britain's then prime minister, touched a diplomatic nerve; Mrs Blair, in her capacity as an advocate at law, represented a UK couple, the Orams, who had been taken to court by Greek Cypriots who claimed ownership of the land on which the Orams had built a house.
Tassos Papadopoulos, president of the
Republic of Cyprus since
2003, referred to Mrs. Blair's decision to represent the Orams as "a provocative action".
On
5 December 2006, the
United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan recommended a further six-month extension in the
mandate of the UN mission that has been deployed on the island for over four decades.
[13] Mr. Annan said that while the situation remained “calm and stable with no major violations of the ceasefire lines,” he regretted the continued stalemate in the political process and the “missed opportunities” over the past 10 years. In July of 2006, the island served as a safe haven for people, most of them foreigners, fleeing Lebanon due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
[22]
2007 is shaping up as another significant year for the Cypriot peoples, as the topic of reunification gathers pace once again, after the failed Annan Plan. A July 8, 2006 agreement between the two communities shows promise as it focuses on resolving smaller issues in the hope of this leading to further, more significant issues. Turkish and Turkish Cypriot threats regarding the Government-controlled areas' exploration for Oil seems to be increasing tension, and stalled, Turkish - EU, accession negotiations have added to this.
Cyprus' recent defense agreement with France has strengthened support for the Greek-Cypriot side.
Geography
Main articles: Geography of Cyprus
Topography of Cyprus.
The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after
Sicily and
Sardinia), Cyprus is situated in the eastern Mediterranean, just south of the
Anatolian
peninsula (or Asia Minor) of the
Asian mainland; thus, it is commonly included in the
Middle East (see also
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.
Historically, politically and culturally, however, Cyprus is closely aligned with
Europe – the
Greek Cypriots with Greece and the
Turkish Cypriots with Turkey. Historically, Cyprus has been at the
crossroads between Europe, Western Asia, and
Northern Africa, with lengthy periods of mainly Greek and intermittent Anatolian,
Levantine, and
British influences. Thus, it is generally considered a
transcontinental island.
The central plain, the
Mesaoria, is boardered by the
Kyrenia and
Pentadactylos mountains to the north and the
Troödos mountain range to the south and west. There are also scattered, but significant, plains along the southern coast. The island's highest point is at the summit of
Mount Olympus (1952 m), in the heart of the Troödos range.
The major cities in Cyprus are the capital
Nicosia (Lefkosia in
Greek, Lefkoşa in
Turkish),
Limassol (Lemesos in
Greek),
Larnaca,
Paphos,
Famagusta (Gazimağusa or Mağusa in
Turkish, Ammochostos in
Greek), and
Kyrenia (Girne in
Turkish, Kerynia in
Greek).
The climate is temperate and
Mediterranean with dry summers and variably rainy winters. Summer temperatures range from warm at higher elevations in the Tröodos mountains to hot in the lowlands. Winter temperatures are mild at lower elevations, where snow rarely occurs, but are significantly colder in the mountains, where there is sufficient snow for a seasonal ski facility. Dust storms are frequent throughout the year.
Government
The Presidential Palace (Residence) in
Nicosia.
,
Foreign relations 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
European Union, though it retains special observer status.
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 five-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 newly founded 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 launching a military operation on Cyprus, the "Cyprus Peace Operation". Turkish forces captured the northern part of the island. Many thousands of others, from both sides, left the island entirely. In addition to many of the Greek Cypriot refugees (a third of the population), many Turkish Cypriots also moved to the UK and other countries where for the past 30 years they have lived as neighbours with the Greek Cypriots. In the meantime Turkey illegally imported Turkish colonists to populate the occupied territories, thereby altering the ethnic make up of the occupied north. Under the
Geneva Conventions of 1949, it is a war crime to transfer, directly or indirectly, the civilian population of a country power onto land under that country's military occupation.
Subsequently, 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.
Political division
Greek - Turkish border.
Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, with the UK, Greece and Turkey retaining limited rights to intervene in internal affairs.
In July 1974, after an attempted coup against the Makarios government by extreme right-wing factions aided by the Greek junta, Turkey invaded Cyprus. The coup had been quashed before the arrival of Turkish paratroopers. Turkey has ever since occupied the northern part by a massive military force, estimated at 35 to 60 thousand troops . Cyprus has been divided, ''de facto'', into the Greek-Cypriot controlled rump of the Republic, somewhat less than two-thirds of the island and the Turkish-occupied approximately one third in the north. Further, British sovereign bases under the term of the establishment of the Republic in 1960, occupy 99 square miles (256 square kilometers). The Republic of Cyprus is the legitimate internationally-recognised government of Cyprus. 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, rejects the Republic's rule over the whole island and refers to it as the "Greek Authority of Southern Cyprus". The TRNC's territory, known internationally as the "occupied area", extends over the northern 36
[23] percent of the island.
The other power with territory on Cyprus is the United Kingdom. Under the independence agreement, the UK retained entitlement to lease two extensive 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.
Districts
Main articles: Districts of Cyprus,
List of cities, towns and villages in Cyprus
The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six districts:
[24] Nicosia (the capital),
Famagusta,
Kyrenia,
Larnaca,
Limassol, and
Paphos.
| Map of Cyprus | Districts | Greek name | Turkish name |
|---|
| Famagusta | Αμμόχωστος (Ammochostos) | Gazimağusa/Mağusa | Kyrenia | Κερύvεια (Keryneia) | Girne | Larnaca | Λάρνακα (Larnaka) | Larnaka/İskele | Limassol | Λεμεσός (Lemesos) | Limasol/Leymosun | Nicosia | Λευκωσία (Lefkosia) | Lefkoşa | Paphos | Πάφος (Pafos) | Baf |
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
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
[3].
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
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.
The Annan Plan and EU entry
The results of early negotiations between Greek and Turkish politicians led to a broad agreement in principle for 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 negotiations were often deadlocked over the following points, among others:
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, which was based on both UN Resolutions and decisions of the European Court of Human Rights;
★ 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 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 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 centre candidate
Tassos Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos had a reputation as a hard-liner on reunification and based his stance on international law and human rights. 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 for the first time to civilians on both sides in separate referendums on
24 April 2004. The Greek side overwhelmingly rejected the
Annan Plan, and the Turkish side voted in favour. In considering the outcome it is interesting to note that whilst the Turkish settlers (who make up the majority in the occupied north) were allowed to vote, the refugees who had fled Cyprus had no right to vote in a referendum which would ultimately determine their future (their right to return and right to their property).
In May 2004, Cyprus entered the
European Union, although in practice membership only applies to the southern part of the island which is in the control of the Republic of Cyprus, but this reality does not concern the personal rights of native Turkish Cypriots as EU citizens, as they are considered as citizens of the Member State Republic of Cyprus.
[25]
In 2005, Turkish Cypriots demolished the part of the wall along the boundary that for decades has split Europe's last divided capital. The demolished wall had cut across Ledra Street, which runs through the heart of the city's tourist area and is seen as the strongest symbol of the island's 32-year partition. In March 2007, Greek Cypriots demolished the part of the wall on the Greek side.
Human rights
The constant focus on the division of the island can sometimes mask other human rights issues. Prostitution is rife in both the government-controlled and the Turkish-occupied part, and the island as a whole has been criticised
[26] as forming one of the main routes of
human trafficking of girls from Eastern Europe for the sex trade.
[27] The regime in the North has been the focus of occasional
freedom of speech criticisms
[28] regarding heavy-handed treatment of newspaper editors.
Domestic violence legislation in the Republic remains largely unimplemented,
[29] and has not yet been passed into law in the North. Reports on mistreatment of maids (often immigrant workers from Third World countries) are sometimes reported in the Greek Cypriot press.
[30]
Military
Main articles: Military of Cyprus
The
Cypriot National Guard is the main military institution of the Republic of Cyprus. It is a
combined arms force, with land, air and naval elements.
The land forces of the Cypriot National Guard comprise the following units:
★ First Infantry Division (Ιη Μεραρχία ΠΖ)
★ Second Infantry Division'(ΙΙα Μεραρχία ΠΖ)
★ Fourth Infantry Brigade (ΙVη Ταξιαρχία ΠΖ)
★ Twentieth Armored Brigade (ΧΧη ΤΘ Ταξιαρχία)
★ Third Support Brigade (ΙΙΙη Ταξιαρχία ΥΠ)
★ Eighth Support Brigade (VIIIη Ταξιαρχία ΥΠ)
The air force includes the 449th Helicopter Gunship Squadron (449 ΜΑΕ) - operating
SA-342L and
Bell 206 and the 450th Helicopter Gunship Squadron'(450 ME/P) - operating
Mi-35P,
BN-2B and
PC-9. Current Senior officers include Supreme Commander, Cypriot National Guard: Lt. Gen. Konstantinos Bisbikas, Deputy Commander, Cypriot National Guard: Lt. Gen. Savvas Argyrou and Chief of Staff, Cypriot National Guard: Maj. Gen. Gregory Stamoulis.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Cyprus
The Yiorkeion business complex in
Nicosia
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. Adoption of the euro as a national currency is required of all new countries joining the European Union, and the Cypriot government will adopt the currency on 1 January 2008.][ Cyprus Economy ]
Recently, oil has been discovered in the seabed between Cyprus and Egypt and talks are underway between Lebanon and Egypt to reach an agreement as to the exploration of these resources.[ Turkey warns Lebanon, Egypt aginst oil exploration deal with Cyprus ] The seabed separating Lebanon and Cyprus is believed to hold significant amounts of crude oil and natural gas.
The economy of the Turkish-controlled area is dominated by the services sector including the public sector, trade, tourism and education, with smaller agriculture and light manufacturing sectors. The economy operates on a free-market basis, although it continues to be handicapped by the political isolation of Turkish Cypriots, the lack of private and governmental investment, high freight costs, and shortages of skilled labor. Despite these constraints, the Turkish Cypriot economy turned in an impressive performance in 2003 and 2004, with growth rates of 9.6% and 11.4%. The average income in the area is $5,000 per capita: the Turkish government has pledged to increase this to $12,000 through investment and aid.[31] This growth has been buoyed by the relative stability of the Turkish Lira and by a boom in the education and construction sectors.
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Cyprus
Population Growth
Population structure
According to the last census carried out by the Republic in 1960, Greek Cypriots comprise 77% of the island's population, Turkish Cypriots 18%, while the remaining 5% are of other ethnicities. However, after the Turkish invasion of 1974, about 150,000 Turks from Anatolia were transferred or decided to settle in the north. This has changed the actual demographic structure of the island. Northern Cyprus now claims 265,100 inhabitants,[32] closer to 30% of the population of the island. The TRNC has granted citizenship to these immigrants: however, as the TRNC is not recognised by the Republic or the international community (with the exception of Turkey), its power to create new citizens is not recognised and the newcomers retain Turkish passports. The result of this situation is that percentage population estimates vary widely.
In the years since the census data was gathered in 2000, Cyprus has also seen a large influx of guest workers from countries such as Thailand, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as major increases in the numbers of permanent British residents. The island is also home to a significant Armenian minority, as well as a large refugee population consisting of people mainly from Serbia, Palestine and Lebanon.
Since the country joined the European Union, a significant Polish population has also grown up, joining sizeable communities from Russia and Ukraine (mostly Pontic Greeks, immigrating after the fall of the Eastern Bloc), Bulgaria, Romania and Eastern European states.
There is also a significant and thriving Cypriot Diaspora in other countries, with the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece and Australia hosting the majority of migrants who fled the Turkish invasion in 1974.
Religion
Most Greek Cypriots, and thus the majority of the population of Cyprus, are members of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Cyprus (Cypriot Orthodox Church), whereas most Turkish Cypriots are Muslim. Church attendance among Greek Cypriots is relatively high, making the Republic of Cyprus one of the most religious countries in the European Union, along with Malta, Greece and Poland. In stark contrast, religion plays a smaller role in the Turkish Cypriot community. In addition to the Orthodox Christian and Muslim communities, there are also small Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Maronite and Armenian Apostolic communities in Cyprus.
Education
Cyprus has a well-developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education. The high quality of instruction can be attributed to a large extent to the above-average competence of the teachers: in stark contrast to attitudes towards teaching prevalent in most developed countries, being a (state) school teacher (elementary or high-school) is one of the most sought-after professions in Cyprus thanks to the good employment conditions (unassailable job security, more than adequate compensation package, generous vacation package), but also due to the lack of viable alternatives for many university graduates. However, while there are hundreds of candidates for each new teaching position, appointments are not made on the basis of merit, but in a first-in, first-out fashion according to the date of completion of the candidates' university studies. While prospective high school teachers for Chemistry (say) are required to have a university degree in Chemistry, a background in education or pedagogics is not expected.
State schools are generally seen as equivalent in quality of education to private sector institutions. However, the value of a state high school diploma is limited by the fact that it is not obtained after successfully completing a series of centrally administered examinations, such as the British A-Levels, the French Baccalaureat or the German Abitur. While students do need to take some nation-wide final exams on certain topics, the grades obtained account for only around 25% of the final grade for each topic, with the remaining 75% assigned by the teacher during the semester, in a minimally transparent way. The resulting grade inflation (partly also due to an effort to artificially minimize the number of high-school dropouts) as well as inconsistencies in grading practice across teachers and schools, result in high school diplomas being only partly recognized by British universities, with elite universities requiring further evidence of scholastic aptitude, such as A-levels or other solid credentials. Greek (List of universities in Greece) and Cypriot universities University of Cyprus ignore high school grades almost entirely for admissions purposes. While a high school diploma is mandatory for university attendance, admissions are decided almost exclusively on the basis of scores at centrally administered university entrance examinations that all university candidates are required to take. Unlike state high school students, most of whom go on to study in Greece, private school students usually study in Britain and the USA. The main problem faced in public education, where classes end around noon, is the need of extra lessons in the afternoon, typically taken at privately-run institutes or at teachers' homes. Students in private schools tend to rely less on such extra lessons. Neither for their entrance to the university nor for the school syllabus. The government is trying to eliminate this problem but this seems impossible at its current state.
The majority of Cypriots receive their higher education at Greek, British, Turkish, other European and North American 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 area under the Republic's effective control, in other words providing their students with an apolytirion, and the Turkish system in the area not under the Republics effective control. A large number of students after sitting for A-levels and/or SATs study abroad, mainly in English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States, 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.
In the north there are several universities, which are mostly attended by Turkish Cypriot and Turkish students. These institutions are not regulated by the Republic of Cyprus, but are regulated by the Turkish higher education council [9] and Turkish Cypriot Educational Administrations.
Culture
Language
The 1960 constitution of the Republic of Cyprus establishes Greek and Turkish as official languages. Due to the geographic separation of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities following the events of 1974, Greek now predominates in the South and Turkish in the North. British English is widely understood on both sides of the island, especially among the younger generations. The large number of foreigners living in Cyprus has contributed to the maintenance of English as a semi-official language. In the Greek-speaking south most forms and services, both public and private, are available in both English and Greek (bank contracts, phone bills, tax returns etc). English documents from abroad, such as university degrees, birth certificates and the like, do not need to be translated into Greek to be used officially. English is also used as the primary means of communication between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, especially among younger generations who were never exposed to each other's native language. Political contacts between the two communities are carried out exclusively in English.
Prior to the de facto partition of the island in 1974, Greek was widely understood among Turkish Cypriots living in mixed communities. To this day, 19% of the residents of Northern Cyprus report being able to speak Greek [33]. It should be noted, however, that even prior to 1974, Turkish Cypriots attended separate, monolingual Turkish-language schools and thus never achieved mastery of the written Greek language.
For everyday informal (oral) communication, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots use local dialects of their respective languages which are different from the "standard" versions: Greek Cypriot Dialect and Turkish-Cypriot dialect. Native speakers from the Greek and Turkish mainland report difficulty in understanding their linguistic kin on the island. Almost everybody on the island, though, can effortlessly communicate in standard Greek/Turkish, albeit with an instantly recognisable, heavy accent.
The Maronite community traditionally speaks Arabic.
Art
Notable artists include Kikos Lanitis Helene Black, George Skoteinos Hüseyin Çakmak, Kalopedis family, Nicos Nicolaides, Stass Paraskos and Konstantia Sofokleous
Cuisine
Main articles: Cuisine of Cyprus
Seafood dishes include calamari, octopus in red wine, barbun (red mullet), and sea bass. Some common vegetable preparations are potatoes in olive oil and parsley, pickled cauliflower and beets, kolokas (taro) and asparagus.
Music
Cypriot composers include Nicolas Economou, Marios Tokas, and Alkinoos Ioannidis.
Cypriot pop singers and composers include Michalis Hatzigiannis, Alexandros Panayi, Andy Paul, Evridiki, Giorgos Theofanous.
Sports
Governing bodies of sport in Cyprus include the Cyprus Automobile Association, Cyprus Basketball Federation, Cyprus Cricket Association, Cyprus Football Association, Cyprus Rugby Federation and the Cyprus Volleyball Federation. Marcos Baghdatis is one of the most successful Cypriot tennis players. He reached the Wimbledon semi-final in 2006.
The island has a keen football culture. Notable football teams include AEK Larnaca, AEL Limassol, AEP Paphos FC, APEP Kyperounda FC, APOEL FC, APOP Kinyras Peyias FC, Alki Larnaca FC, Anorthosis Famagusta FC, Apollon Limassol, Aris Limassol F.C., Ayia Napa FC, Digenis Akritas Morphou, Doxa Katokopia, Enosis Neon Paralimni FC, ENTHOI Lakatamia FC, Ethnikos Achna FC, Nea Salamis FC, Olympiakos Nicosia, AC Omonia and PAEEK. Stadiums or sports venues in Cyprus include the GSP Stadium(the largest and home venue of the Cypiot national football team), Makario Stadium, Neo GSZ Stadium, Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium and Tsirion Stadium. The Cyprus Rally is also on the sporting agenda.
Media
Newspapers include the Cyprus Mail, the Cyprus Observer, Cyprus Today, Cyprus Weekly, Financial Mirror, Haravgi, Makhi, Phileleftheros, Politis (Cyprus), and Simerini.
TV channels include ANT1 Cyprus, Alfa TV, CNC Plus TV, Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, Lumiere TV, Middle East Television, Mega Channel Cyprus and Sigma TV.
Literature
Notable literary figures from Cyprus include the poet and writer Kostas Montis, poet Kyriakos Charalambides, poet Michalis Pasardis, writer Nicos Nicolaides, and also Demetris Th. Gotsis. Dimitris Lipertis and Vasilis Michaelides belong to a special category of folk poets that wrote their poems mainly in the Cypriot dialect.
Literary figures from antiquity include Stasinus, perhaps mythic. Zeno of Citium was the founder of the Stoic philosophy.
Poets from the Turkish Cypriots: Nesie Yasin, Osman Türkay.
An interesting figure was Stylianos Atteshlis.
Of a less central character was Altheides (spelling?).
Infrastructure
Transportation
Main articles: Transport in Cyprus
Aerial view of the promenade in
Limassol
Since the last railway was dismantled in 1950, the only remaining modes of transport are by motorways, by sea, and by air.
Of the 10,663 km of roads in the Greek Cypriot area in 1998, 6,249 km were paved, while 4,414 km were unpaved. In 1996, the Turkish Cypriot area showed a close, but smaller ratio of paved to unpaved with about 1,370 km out of 2,350 km paved and 980 km unpaved. A remnant of British occupation, Cyprus is one of the four EU nations in which vehicles drive on the left side of the road.
'Motorways'
Main articles: Roads and Motorways in Cyprus
★ A1 Nicosia to Limassol
★ A2 connects A1 near Pera Chorio with A3 by Larnaca
★ A3 Larnaca to Agia Napa
★ A5 connects A1 near Kofinou with A3 by Larnaca
★ A6 Pafos to Limassol
★ A9 Nicosia to Astromeritis (partially under construction)
Number of licensed vehicles [34]| Vehicle Category | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|
| Private vehicles | 270,348 | 277,554 | 291,645 | 324,212 | 344,953 |
| Taxis | 1,641 | 1,559 | 1,696 | 1,770 | 1,845 |
| Rental cars | 8,080 | 8,509 | 9,160 | 9,652 | 8,336 |
| Buses | 3,003 | 2,997 | 3,275 | 3,199 | 3,217 |
| Light trucks (lighter than 40 tonnes) | 107,060 | 106,610 | 107,527 | 105,017 | 105,327 |
| Heavy trucks (over 40 tonnes) | 10,882 | 11,182 | 12,119 | 12,808 | 13,028 |
| Motorcycles (2 wheels) | 12,956 | 14,983 | 16,009 | 16,802 | 16,836 |
| Motorcycles (3 wheels) | 42 | 41 | 43 | 55 | 558 |
| Scooters | 28,987 | 25,252 | 25,464 | 24,539 | 22,987 |
| 'TOTAL' | 442,999 | 448,687 | 466,938 | 498,054 | 517,087 |
In 1999, Cyprus had six heliports and two international airports: Larnaca International Airport and Paphos International Airport. Nicosia International Airport has been closed since 1974.
Public transport in Cyprus is limited to privately run bus services (Except in Nicosia), taxis, and 'Shared' taxi services (locally referred to as ''service taxis''). Thus, private car ownership in the country is the 5th highest per capita in the world. However in 2006 extensive plans were announced to expand and improve bus services and restructure public transport throughout Cyprus, with the financial backing of the European Union Development Bank. The main harbours of the island are ''Limassol harbour'', and ''Larnaca harbour'', which service cargo, passenger, and cruise ships.
Health Care
Urban hospitals include:
★ Nicosia New General Hospital- Nicosia
★ Nicosia Old General Hospital
★ Makario Hospital- Nicosia
★ Limassol New General Hospital- Limassol
★ Limassol Old General Hospital- Limassol
★ Larnaca New General Hospital- Larnaca
★ Larnaca Old General Hospital- Larnaca
★ Paphos General Hospital- Paphos
Telecommunications
Main articles: Communications in Cyprus
Cyta, the state-owned telecommunications company manages most Telecommunications and Internet connections on the island. However, following the recent liberalization of the sector, a few private telecommunications companies have emerged including MTN, Cablenet, TelePassport, OTEnet Telecom and PrimeTel
International membership
The island nation Cyprus is member of: Australia Group,CN, CE, CFSP, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ITUC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO,ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO. [11] [12]
Notables
★ Mehmet Nazım Adil, Sufi religious leader.
★ Marcos Baghdatis (born 1985), tennis player.
★ Michael Cacoyannis (born 1922), film director known for the movies ''Stella'' (1955) and ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964).
★ Hüseyin Çağlayan, fashion designer.
★ Hüseyin Çakmak, cartoonist/journalist.
★ Rauf Denktaş, Turkish Cypriot leader.
★ Evridiki (born 1968), singer.
★ Mustafa Halilsoy (born 1949), physicist
★ Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (born 1967), owner of easyGroup and self-styled "serial entrepreneur".
★ Mick Karn (born 1958), bassist for the new-wave band Japan.
★ Michalis Konstantinou (born 1978), football player for Olympiakos CFP and the Cyprus national football team's all-time leading goalscorer.
★ Giannos Kranidiotis (1947-1999), former Greek deputy Minister of State.
★ Dr. Fazil Küçük (1906-1984), the first and only Turkish Cypriot Vice President of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus.
★ Michalis Hatzigiannis (born 1978), famous singer and songwriter.
★ Archbishop Makarios (1913-1977), first President of the Republic of Cyprus.
★ Asil Nadir, international businessman most active during the 1970s and 1980s.
★ Kyriacos Costa Nicolaou (born 1946), Scripps Research Institute synthetic organic and natural products chemist.
★ Giannis Okkas (born 1977), football player for Olympiakos CFP and the Cyprus national football team.
★ Kıbrıslı Mehmed Emin Pasha, three-times the Ottoman grand vizier during the mid-nineteenth century
★ Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha, five-times the Ottoman grand-vizier during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century
★ Peter Polycarpou, actor.
★ Nil Burak (born 1948), singer.
★ Ziynet Sali (born 1975), singer.
★ Alparslan Türkeş, leading Turkish politician.
★ Anna Vissi (born 1957), singer.
★ Vamik Volkan, psychoanalyst and author.
★ Garo Yepremian, American football player.
★ Zeno of Citium (333 BC - 264 BC), Hellenistic philosopher, founder of Stoicism.
International Rankings
See also
References
1. Invest in Cyprus website - figures do not include tourism to the occupied North [1]
2. The Republic of Cyprus exercises full effective control over approximately 59% of the island, the TRNC over approximately 36% of the island, and the remaining approximately 5% of the land mass is split evenly between British-controlled Sovereign Base Areas and the UN-controlled Green Line (see relevant reference articles for areas).
3. According to Article 1 and Annex A of the Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus - see [2]
4. [Fisher, Fred H. 'Cyprus: Our New Colony And What We Know About It'. London: George Routledge and Sons 1878 pg 13-14.]
5. Les îles des Princes, banlieue maritime d'Istanboul: guide touristique - Page 136
by Ernest Mamboury
6. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Part 1 and Its Kindred Sciences Comprising the Whole Range of Arts ... - Page 25
7. The World Book Encyclopedia - Page 1207
by World Book
8. "Memalik-i Mahrusa-i Sahanede 1247 senesinde mevcut olan nufus defteri", Istanbul University library, ms.kat d-8 no:8867.
9. ''Osmanli Nufusu 1830–1914'' by Kemal Karpat, ISBN 975-333-169-X and ''Die Volker des Osmanischen'' by Ritter zur Helle von Samo.
10. http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/www.cyprus-conflict.net/mavratsas.html
11. http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/www.cyprus-conflict.net/narrative-main-2.html#The%20%crisis%20%of%20%1963
12. http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/www.cyprus-conflict.net/13_points.html
13.
14. http://www.un.int/cyprus/scr186.htm
15. Turkish Plan for Cyprus Disrupts Talks in Geneva Craig R. Whitney
16. Cyprus Fighting Continues as Peace Talks Collapse; U.N. Called Into Session
17. Decision of European Commission of Human Rights in the Cyprus v. Turkey 1st and 2nd Interstate Applications. Reported in the Sunday Times on the 23rd January 1977 http://www.lobbyforcyprus.org/press/press1998-1940/suntimes230177.htm
18. http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=34064&cat_id=1
19. http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=30795&cat_id=1
20.
21.
22. About 11,500 people flee Lebanon to Cyprus Xinhua
23. calculated from the data provided on this page and TRNC (i.e. 3355/9251 km²)
24. EUROPA - The EU at a glance - Maps - Cyprus
25. http://ec.europa.eu/comm/enlargement/turkish_cypriot_en.htm
26. [4]
27. [5]
28. [6]
29. [7]
30. US Report on Human Rights in Cyprus (sectiond 6c & 6e)
31. Abdullah Gul, quoted in the Turkish Daily News 14 April 2007 [8].
32. http://www.observercyprus.com/observer/NewsDetails.aspx?id=1180
33. Special Eurobarometer 3.4 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_en.htm
34. ''Public Works Department official statistics.'' 
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