History of Cyprus since 1878 - wikipedia History of Cyprus since 1878 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2008 ) Part of a series on the History of Cyprus Timeline Prehistoric history Ancient history ( Roman Era ) Medieval history Kingdom of Cyprus Venetian Cyprus Ottoman rule Since 1878 Cyprus portal This article is about the history of Cyprus from 1878 to the present. Cyprus was part of the British Empire, as a Military occupation from 1914 -- 1925, and a Crown colony from 1925 -- 1960. Cyprus became an independent nation in 1960. Contents 1 British Cyprus 1.1 Protectorate of Cyprus ( 1878 − 1914 ) 1.2 British Cyprus ( 1914 -- 60 ) 1.3 Proposed union with Greece 1.3. 1 Cyprus Emergency 1.3. 2 Cypriot constitution 2 Independence 2.1 Greek coup and Turkish invasion 3 Present day 3.1 21st century 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Further reading British Cyprus Protectorate of Cyprus ( 1878 − 1914 ) In 1878, as a result of the Cyprus Convention, the United Kingdom received as a protectorate the island of Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire in exchange for United Kingdom 's military support to the Ottoman Empire should Russia attempt to take possession of territories of the Ottomans in Asia. The first Briton who was placed in charge of the administration was given the title of `` High Commissioner '' and was Lieutenant - General Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley ( 1833 -- 1913 ). The British faced a major political problem on the island. The indigenous Cypriots believed it their natural right to unite the island with Greece following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The British authorities carried out the first census in 1881, the total population of Cyprus was 186,173, of whom 137,631 ( 73, 9 % ) were Greeks, 45,438 ( 24, 4 % ) were Turks and 3,084 ( 1, 7 % ) were minorities of Maronites, Latins and Armenians. Bishop of Kitium Kyprianos addressed Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley upon his arrival in Larnaca in a speech on the 22nd of July 1878 saying `` We ( Greeks ) accept the change of the government, because we believe that Great Britain will eventually help Cyprus, just like with the Ionian islands, unite Cyprus with mother Greece ''. While the Cypriots at first welcomed British rule hoping that they would gradually achieve prosperity, democracy and national liberation, they became disillusioned. The British imposed heavy taxes to cover the compensation which they were paying to the Sultan for having conceded Cyprus to them. Moreover, the people were not given the right to participate in the administration of the island, since all powers were reserved to the High Commissioner and to London. British Cyprus ( 1914 -- 60 ) House in Nicosia CBD built in British colonisation era Further information : British Cyprus Cyprus was part of the British Empire from 1914 as a Military occupation from 1914 -- 1925 and a Crown colony from 1925 -- 1960. However, Cyprus ' status as a protectorate of the British Empire ended in 1914 when the Ottoman Empire declared war against the Triple Entente powers, which included Great Britain. Cyprus was then annexed by the British Empire on 5 November 1914. During the course of the First World War Britain offered to cede Cyprus to Greece if they would fulfill treaty obligations to attack Bulgaria, but Greece declined. Britain proclaimed Cyprus the Crown colony of British Cyprus in 1925, under an undemocratic constitution. A Cypriot demonstration in the 1930s in favour of Enosis. International recognition of the new Republic of Turkey resulted from the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 in which the new Turkish government formally recognised Britain 's sovereignty over Cyprus ( article 20 ). The administration was reformed in the latter 1920s, and some members of the Legislative Council ( established 1926 ) were elected by the Cypriots, but their participation was very marginal. The Legislative Council was abolished in 1931. Greek Cypriots believed the circumstances were right to demand union of the island with Greece ( enosis ), as many of the Aegean and Ionian islands had done following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. In the years that followed, Greek Cypriots ' demands for enosis ( union with Greece ), which the British opposed, developed rapidly during the 1930s, leading to the destruction of the Government House in Nicosia, which was burnt down in the 1931 Cyprus Revolt. Palmerokratia The period between October 1931 and October 1940 proved to be a very difficult one for the Cypriots. The Governor at the time, Sir Richmond Palmer, took a number of suppressive measures including limitations on the administration and functioning of Greek schools, and prohibition of trade unions and associations of any kind and form. This regime became known as `` Palmerokratia '', named after the Governor. Its aim was to prevent local public interest in politics. There were strong protests against the regime but the suppressive measures were not lifted until the beginning of the Second World War, during which more than thirty thousand Cypriots joined the British armed forces. Endeavours by the British to introduce constitutional government designed to develop some participation without leading to enosis failed, despite determined efforts to achieve some semblance of liberal and democratic government, notably by the post-war Labour government in Britain. Proposed union with Greece In 1948, King Paul of Greece declared that Cyprus desired union with Greece. In 1950 the Orthodox Church of Cyprus presented a referendum according to which around 97 % of the Greek Cypriot population wanted the union. The United Nations accepted the Greek petition and enosis became an international issue. In 1952 both Greece and Turkey became members of NATO. After the war, a delegation from Cyprus submitted a demand for enosis to London. The demand was rejected but the British proposed a more liberal constitution and a 10 - year programme of social and economic development. Led by Archbishop Makarios, the Greek Cypriot demand for enosis emerged with new force in the 1950s, when Greece began to accord it support on the international scene. This attempt to win world support alerted Turkey and alarmed the Turkish Cypriots. The British withdrawal from Egypt led to Cyprus becoming the new location for their Middle East Headquarters. Cyprus Emergency Further information : Cyprus Emergency When international pressure did not suffice to make Britain respond as required, violence escalated with a campaign against the colonial power organised by EOKA ( Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston ). Its leader, Colonel George Grivas, created and directed an effective campaign beginning in 1955. The first bombs were set off on April 1, followed by leaflets. Attacks on police stations started on June 19. The British Governor proclaimed a State of Emergency on 26 November 1955. For the next four years EOKA attacked British or British - connected targets and those Cypriots it accused of collaboration. Archbishop Makarios and other Cypriot clergy and political leaders were forced into exile in the Seychelles. 371 British servicemen died fighting the independence movement during the Cyprus Emergency, including over 20 in the Operation Lucky Alphonse. Easily infiltrated by Greek Cypriot sympathisers working for them in various ancillary tasks, the British security forces had to exert great efforts under Field Marshal Sir John Harding to suppress the independence movement. They were much more successful than is often recognised, though the attacks on British personnel never quite ceased. Makarios was exiled, suspected of involvement in the EOKA campaign, but was released when EOKA, exhausted but still determined to fight, agreed to cease hostilities on the Archbishop 's release to return. From mid-1956 onwards there were constant discussions in NATO, but all efforts to create an independent Cyprus which would be a member of the Commonwealth of Nations were futile. Turkish Cypriots The Turkish Cypriots in 1957 responded to the `` Enosis demand '' by calling for partition ( taksim ). Taksim became the slogan which was used by the increasingly militant Turkish Cypriots to counter the Greek cry of ' enosis '. In 1957 Küçük declared during a visit to Ankara that Turkey would claim the northern half of the island. In April 1957, in the new conditions made obvious by the Suez Crisis debacle, the British government accepted that bases on Cyprus were an acceptable alternative to Cyprus as a base. This produced a much more relaxed British attitude to the problem. It was now to be solved in conjunction with Greece and Turkey, the latter thoroughly alerted to the dangers of enosis for the Turkish Cypriot population. Violence was renewed in Cyprus by EOKA, but it increasingly drew in the Turkish community when a new plan for unitary self - government, of British Governor Sir Hugh Foot, incited Turkish Cypriot riots and produced a hostile response from the Turkish government. Violence between the two communities developed into a new and deadly feature of the situation. In 1957 the U.N. decided that the issue should be resolved according to its Statutory Map. The exiles returned, and both sides began a series of violent acts against each other. In the few years that existed before the Zürich and London Agreements ( 1959 / 1960 ) Greece tried again to win international recognition and support for the cause of enosis at the U.N. against a background of renewed and continuing EOKA violence directed against the British. It was to no avail. Eventually Greece had to recognise that Turkey was now a vitally interested party in the dispute. Grivas and EOKA also had to accept the changed situation. Makarios could see no way of excluding Turkey from participating in any solutions. It was widely believed by the Greek - Cypriots that Britain had promoted the Turkish - Cypriot case, thus preventing the achievement of enosis. In 1958 the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan prepared new proposals for Cyprus, but his plan which was a form of partition, was rejected by Archbishop Makarios. The Archbishop declared that he would only accept a proposal which guaranteed independence, excluding both Enosis and partition. Cypriot constitution On February 19, 1959 the Zürich agreement attempted to end the conflict. Without the presence of either the Greek or the Turkish sides, the UK outlined a Cypriot constitution, which was eventually accepted by both sides. Both Greece and Turkey along with Britain were appointed as guarantors of the island 's integrity. Some of the major points of the Zurich agreement are : Cyprus is to become an independent state. Both taksim and enosis are to be prohibited. Greek and Turkish military forces, at a ratio of approximately 3 : 2, are to be present at all time in Cyprus. Both forces are to answer to all three Foreign Ministers : of Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. The President is to be a Greek Cypriot, elected by the Greek Cypriots population, and the Vice President a Turkish Cypriot, elected by the Turkish Cypriots population. The Cabinet is to include seven Greek Cypriots, chosen by the President, and three Turkish Cypriots, chosen by the Vice President. Decisions will need an absolute majority but both the President and the Vice President have the right of veto. The United Kingdom is to remain a guarantor and keep both of its military bases. Independence On August 16, 1960 Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom, after the long anti-British campaign by the Greek Cypriot EOKA ( National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters ), a guerrilla group which desired political union with Greece, or enosis. Archbishop Makarios III, a charismatic religious and political leader, was elected the first president of independent Cyprus. In 1961 it became the 99th member of the United Nations. The Zurich agreement, however, did not succeed in establishing cooperation between the Greek and the Turkish Cypriot populations. The Greek Cypriots argued that the complex mechanisms introduced to protect Turkish Cypriot interests were obstacles to efficient government and as such developed the Akritas Plan aimed at forcing all Turkish Cypriot parliamentarians from government so as not to disrupt Greek Cypriot plans of enosis. Both sides continued the violence. Turkey threatened to intervene on the island. In November 1963, President Makarios advanced a series of constitutional amendments designed to eliminate some of these special provisions. The Turkish Cypriots opposed such changes. The confrontation prompted widespread intercommunal fighting in December 1963, after which the Akritas Plan was put into motion and Turkish Cypriot participation in the central government ceased on December 23, 1963, when all Cypriot Turks from the lowest civil servants to ministers, including the Turkish Vice-President Dr Fazıl Küçük were out of the government. Makarios ordered a cease - fire and again addressed the issue to the United Nations. With the government no longer functional, following the forced withdrawal of Turkish Cypriot politicians, UN peacekeepers were deployed on the island in 1964, effectively recognising the Greek Cypriots as the government. The force, UNFICYP, included Canadian, Irish and Finnish troops. Its mandate was to prevent fighting, maintain law and order. In 1964 the UK Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas - Home, met with the American Attorney General, Robert Kennedy to explain why international intervention was required, stating that `` If they had not done so, there would probably have been a massacre of Turkish Cypriots '', who were confined in enclaves totalling little more than 3 % of the island. The same year the Turkish parliament voted in favour of the intervention of Cyprus but the lack of support that Turkey faced from both the UN and NATO prevented it. In answer Grivas was recalled to Athens and the Greek military force left the island. In 1967, on Cyprus Airways Flight 284 a de Havilland Comet suffered an explosion in the cabin, killing 66. The cause and motive were unsolved, but a recovered seat cushion showed traces of a military plastic explosive. Following another outbreak of inter communal violence in 1967 - 68, a Turkish Cypriot provisional administration was formed. Greek coup and Turkish invasion Main articles : 1974 Cypriot coup d'état, Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and Cyprus dispute After the invasion Cyprus was separated into a northern area and a southern area, divided by a buffer zone. In July 1974, the President was overthrown by the 1974 Cypriot coup d'état carried out by Greece, which was under Greek military junta rule. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974, under Article 4 of the Guarantee Treaty of 1960 by Turkey, after failed UN meetings for international support. The Guarantee Treaty allowed Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, if attempts to get multilateral support failed, to unilaterally intervene to restore democracy in Cyprus in the event of a coup. In a two - stage offensive, Turkish troops took control of 38 % of the island and 200,000 Greek Cypriots fled the northern areas which were under occupation, whilst at the same time 60,000 Turkish Cypriots were transferred to these northern occupied areas by the United Nations and British SBA authorities after an agreed temporary population exchange by Turkish and Greek leaders. Since then, the southern part of the country has been under the control of the internationally recognized government of Cyprus and the northern part under the control of the government of Northern Cyprus. Present day A UNFICYP patrol car in the buffer zone In 1983, the 1974 Turkish Cypriot - controlled area declared itself as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey. United Nations Peacekeeping Forces maintain a buffer zone between the two sides. Except for occasional demonstrations or infrequent incidents between soldiers in the buffer zone, there was no violent conflict from 1974 until August 1996, when Anastasios ( Tassos ) Isaac and Solomos Solomou were killed while demonstrating in a motorcycle rally after crossing into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus area. Tassos Isaak was beaten to death by a group of Turkish civilians and three Turkish Cypriot policemen. Solomos Solomou was shot in the throat by a Turkish army officer when he tried to bring the Turkish flag down from a military watch - post. UN-led talks on the status of Cyprus resumed in December 1999 to prepare the ground for meaningful negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement. The Cypriot government did not recognise any sovereignty that the Northern Cypriot administration may have and therefore do not allow international flights or free trade with the North. Discussions took place to try and remove these embargoes as it has been argued they violate the human rights of the citizens in the Northern areas. The Annan Plan for Cyprus, a United Nations proposal for reunification was developed, calling for a referendum. 21st century Cyprus joined the European Union in May 2004. Meanwhile, the negotiations about the status of the island grew. In December 2003, the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, between the two nations on Cyprus, was partly opened. Since then, members of both communities ( and citizens of the EU ) have been able to cross the buffer zone at the opened check points. In 2004, the planned UN-sponsored referendum on reunification was held on 21 April. Turkish Cypriots voted to accept the UN plan as stated in the referendum, but Greek Cypriots rejected it by a large majority. The first elections to take place after Cyprus 's accession to the European Union and the failed U.N. referendum were in 2008. Dimitris Christofias of the Progressive Party of Working People − AKEL, the communist party of Cyprus, became the president after defeating right - wing Ioannis Kasoulidis. Christofias started talks with Mehmet Ali Talat on the reunification of Cyprus as a bizonal federal state. Renewed efforts between the North and the South, the 2014 Cyprus talks of the leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, produced the unprecedented Joint Declaration for a negotiated settlement. See also History of Cyprus Timeline of Cypriot history Independence Day ( Cyprus ) References Jump up ^ `` Library of Congress ''. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Jump up ^ Language contact and the lexicon in the history of Cypriot Greek, Stavroula Varella, page 69, 2006 Jump up ^ Bishops speech published in The Times, London 7 / 8 / 1878 Jump up ^ `` 30. British Cyprus ( 1914 - 1960 ) ''. uca.edu. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` The British Cyprus memorial ''. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` CYPRUS ''. 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on 15 June 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` UN Security Council Resolution 186 : The Cyprus Question '' ( PDF ). United Nations. 4 March 1964. Retrieved 2007 - 01 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Minutes of the meeting between the UK Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas - Home and the American Attorney General Robert Kennedy ''. UK. 26 January 1964. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 2008 - 02 - 12. Jump up ^ Resolution 573 ( 1974 ) Archived 2014 - 05 - 14 at the Wayback Machine. by the Council of Europe. `` Regretting the failure of the attempt to reach a diplomatic settlement which led the Turkish Government to exercise its right of intervention in accordance with Article 4 of the Guarantee Treaty of 1960. '' Jump up ^ Treaty of Guarantee. Cyprus : Wikisource. 1960. `` In so far as common or concerted action may not prove possible, each the three guaranteeing Powers reserves the right to take action with the sole aim of re-establishing the state of affairs created by the present Treaty. '' Jump up ^ `` DEMONSTRATIONS OF 11 AUGUST 1996 ''. www.hri.org. Retrieved 25 May 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` The Parliament of Cyprus : Local information : Current Constitution ''. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Cypriot president ousted in poll ''. BBC News. 17 February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Jump up ^ Loizides, Neophytos ( 2009 ) `` The Presidential Elections in Cyprus, February 2008 '' Electoral Studies 28 ( 1 ) : pp. 163&ndassh ; 166 Jump up ^ `` Cyprus country profile ''. BBC News. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Jump up ^ `` Joint Declaration : final version as agreed between the two leaders ''. Cyprus Mail. 11 February 2014. Further reading C.D. Cobham, Excerpta Cypria, materials for a history of Cyprus ( Cambridge 1908 ). Nice Collection of written sources. D. Hunt, Footprints in Cyprus ( London, Trigraph 1990 ). C. Spyridiakis, The education policy of the English government in Cyprus ( 1878 -- 1954 ). C. Spyridiakis, A brief history of Cyprus. Official Cyprus Government Website I. Xypolia, ' Cypriot Muslims among Ottomans, Turks and British ', Bogazici Journal, vol. 25, pp. 109 - 120, 2011. http://www.bujournal.boun.edu.tr/docs/13330942935.pdf Cyprus - Fighting the EOKA O'Malley, Brendan ; Craig, Ian ( 1999 ). The Cyprus Conspiracy : America, Espionage and the Turkish Invasion. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978 1 86064 737 6. Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of Cyprus. Cyprus articles History Prehistoric Alasiya Eteocypriot Cypro - Minoan syllabary Cypriot syllabary Ancient Neo-Assyrian Empire Ten city - kingdoms Achaemenid Persian Empire Ionian Revolt Ptolemaic dynasty Hellenistic civilization Kitos War Roman Cyprus Medieval Byzantine Cyprus Arab Empire Crusades Kingdom Venetian rule Modern Ottoman rule Cyprus Convention British Cyprus Post-1878 overview Enosis Taksim Intercommunal violence Akrotiri and Dhekelia Turkish invasion Refugees Cyprus dispute Cyprus Missile Crisis Annan Plan EU accession Geography Cities, towns and villages Climate Districts Earthquakes Lakes Mountains Rivers Wildlife Politics Constitution Cyprus dispute Northern Cyprus UN resolutions Elections Foreign relations Human rights LGBT rights Police Political parties Military Governors Chief Justice Economy Agriculture Banks Energy Stock Exchange Telecommunications Tourism Trade unions Transport 2012 -- 13 Cypriot financial crisis Society Languages Education Health Name Poverty Public holidays Religion Culture Art Cinema Cuisine Literature Media Music Sport Demographics Greek Cypriots diaspora Greek Cypriots left in Northern Cyprus Turkish Cypriots Linobambaki diaspora Settlers from Turkey Armenian Cypriots Maronite Cypriots Symbols Anthem Coat of arms Flag Outline Index Portal Years in Cyprus ( 1960 -- present ) Pre-1960 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 2018 2019 British Empire Legend Current territory Former territory * Now a Commonwealth realm Now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Historical flags of the British Empire Europe 1542 -- 1800 Ireland ( integrated into UK ) 1708 -- 1757, 1763 -- 1782 and 1798 -- 1802 Minorca Since 1713 Gibraltar 1800 -- 1813 Malta ( Protectorate ) 1813 -- 1964 Malta ( Colony ) 1807 -- 1890 Heligoland 1809 -- 1864 Ionian Islands 1878 -- 1960 Cyprus 1921 -- 1937 Irish Free State North America 17th century and before 18th century 19th and 20th century 1579 New Albion 1583 -- 1907 Newfoundland 1605 -- 1979 * Saint Lucia 1607 -- 1776 Virginia Since 1619 Bermuda 1620 -- 1691 Plymouth 1623 -- 1883 Saint Kitts 1624 -- 1966 * Barbados 1625 -- 1650 Saint Croix 1627 -- 1979 * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1628 -- 1883 Nevis 1629 -- 1691 Massachusetts Bay 1632 -- 1776 Maryland since 1632 Montserrat 1632 -- 1860 Antigua 1635 -- 1644 Saybrook 1636 -- 1776 Connecticut 1636 -- 1776 Rhode Island 1637 -- 1662 New Haven 1643 -- 1860 Bay Islands Since 1650 Anguilla 1655 -- 1850 Mosquito Coast 1655 -- 1962 * Jamaica 1663 -- 1712 Carolina 1664 -- 1776 New York 1665 -- 1674 and 1702 -- 1776 New Jersey Since 1666 Virgin Islands Since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670 -- 1973 * Bahamas 1670 -- 1870 Rupert 's Land 1671 -- 1816 Leeward Islands 1674 -- 1702 East Jersey 1674 -- 1702 West Jersey 1680 -- 1776 New Hampshire 1681 -- 1776 Pennsylvania 1686 -- 1689 New England 1691 -- 1776 Massachusetts Bay 1701 -- 1776 Delaware 1712 -- 1776 North Carolina 1712 -- 1776 South Carolina 1713 -- 1867 Nova Scotia 1733 -- 1776 Georgia 1754 -- 1820 Cape Breton Island 1762 -- 1974 * Grenada 1763 -- 1978 Dominica 1763 -- 1873 Prince Edward Island 1763 -- 1791 Quebec 1763 -- 1783 East Florida 1763 -- 1783 West Florida 1784 -- 1867 New Brunswick 1791 -- 1841 Lower Canada 1791 -- 1841 Upper Canada Since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands 1818 -- 1846 Columbia District / Oregon Country 1833 -- 1960 Windward Islands 1833 -- 1960 Leeward Islands 1841 -- 1867 Canada 1849 -- 1866 Vancouver Island 1853 -- 1863 Queen Charlotte Islands 1858 -- 1866 British Columbia 1859 -- 1870 North - Western Territory 1860 -- 1981 * British Antigua and Barbuda 1862 -- 1863 Stickeen 1866 -- 1871 British Columbia 1867 -- 1931 * Dominion of Canada 1871 -- 1964 Honduras 1882 -- 1983 * Saint Kitts and Nevis 1889 -- 1962 Trinidad and Tobago 1907 -- 1949 Newfoundland 1958 -- 1962 West Indies Federation 1. Occupied jointly with the United States. 2. In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self - government through the Statute of Westminster. See Name of Canada. 3. Gave up self - rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949. South America 1631 -- 1641 Providence Island 1651 -- 1667 Willoughbyland 1670 -- 1688 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands 1831 -- 1966 Guiana Since 1833 Falkland Islands Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 4. Now a department of Colombia. 5. Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April -- June 1982. Africa 17th and 18th centuries 19th century 20th century Since 1658 Saint Helena 1792 -- 1961 Sierra Leone 1795 -- 1803 Cape Colony Since 1815 Ascension Island Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha 1806 -- 1910 Cape of Good Hope 1807 -- 1808 Madeira 1810 -- 1968 Mauritius 1816 -- 1965 The Gambia 1856 -- 1910 Natal 1862 -- 1906 Lagos 1868 -- 1966 Basutoland 1874 -- 1957 Gold Coast 1882 -- 1922 Egypt 1884 -- 1900 Niger Coast 1884 -- 1966 Bechuanaland 1884 -- 1960 Somaliland 1887 -- 1897 Zululand 1890 -- 1962 Uganda 1890 -- 1963 Zanzibar 1891 -- 1964 Nyasaland 1891 -- 1907 Central Africa 1893 -- 1968 Swaziland 1895 -- 1920 East Africa 1899 -- 1956 Sudan 1900 -- 1914 Northern Nigeria 1900 -- 1914 Southern Nigeria 1900 -- 1910 Orange River 1900 -- 1910 Transvaal 1903 -- 1976 Seychelles 1910 -- 1931 South Africa 1914 -- 1960 Nigeria 1915 -- 1931 South - West Africa 1919 -- 1961 Cameroons 1920 -- 1963 Kenya 1922 -- 1961 Tanganyika 1923 -- 1965 and 1979 -- 1980 Southern Rhodesia 1924 -- 1964 Northern Rhodesia 6. League of Nations mandate. 7. Self - governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 ( as Rhodesia ) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003. Asia 17th and 18th century 19th century 20th century 1685 -- 1824 Bencoolen 1702 -- 1705 Pulo Condore 1757 -- 1947 Bengal 1762 -- 1764 Manila and Cavite 1781 -- 1784 and 1795 -- 1819 Padang 1786 -- 1946 Penang 1795 -- 1948 Ceylon 1796 -- 1965 Maldives 1811 -- 1816 Java 1812 -- 1824 Banka and Billiton 1819 -- 1826 Malaya 1824 -- 1948 Burma 1826 -- 1946 Straits Settlements 1839 -- 1967 Aden 1839 -- 1842 Afghanistan 1841 -- 1997 Hong Kong 1841 -- 1946 Sarawak 1848 -- 1946 Labuan 1858 -- 1947 India 1874 -- 1963 Borneo 1879 -- 1919 Afghanistan ( protectorate ) 1882 -- 1963 North Borneo 1885 -- 1946 Unfederated Malay States 1888 -- 1984 Brunei 1891 -- 1971 Muscat and Oman 1892 -- 1971 Trucial States 1895 -- 1946 Federated Malay States 1898 -- 1930 Weihai 1878 -- 1960 Cyprus 1907 -- 1949 Bhutan ( protectorate ) 1918 -- 1961 Kuwait 1920 -- 1932 Mesopotamia 1921 -- 1946 Transjordan 1923 -- 1948 Palestine 1945 -- 1946 South Vietnam 1946 -- 1963 North Borneo 1946 -- 1963 Sarawak 1946 -- 1963 Singapore 1946 -- 1948 Malayan Union 1948 -- 1957 Federation of Malaya Since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( before as part of Cyprus ) Since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory ( before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles ) League of Nations mandate. Iraq 's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo - Iraqi Treaty Oceania 18th and 19th centuries 20th century 1788 -- 1901 New South Wales 1803 -- 1901 Van Diemen 's Land / Tasmania 1807 -- 1863 Auckland Islands 1824 -- 1980 New Hebrides 1824 -- 1901 Queensland 1829 -- 1901 Swan River / Western Australia 1836 -- 1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands 1841 -- 1907 New Zealand 1851 -- 1901 Victoria 1874 -- 1970 Fiji 1877 -- 1976 Western Pacific Territories 1884 -- 1949 Papua 1888 -- 1901 Rarotonga / Cook Islands 1889 -- 1948 Union Islands 1892 -- 1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1893 -- 1978 Solomon Islands 1900 -- 1970 Tonga 1900 -- 1974 Niue 1901 -- 1942 * Australia 1907 -- 1947 * New Zealand 1919 -- 1942 and 1945 -- 1968 Nauru 1919 -- 1949 New Guinea 1949 -- 1975 Papua and New Guinea 9. Now part of the * Realm of New Zealand. 10. Suspended member. 11. Now Kiribati and * Tuvalu. 12. Now the * Solomon Islands. 13. Now * Papua New Guinea. Antarctica and South Atlantic Since 1658 Saint Helena Since 1815 Ascension Island Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha Since 1908 British Antarctic Territory 1841 -- 1933 Australian Antarctic Territory ( transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia ) 1841 -- 1947 Ross Dependency ( transferred to the Realm of New Zealand ) 14. Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ; Ascension Island ( 1922 -- ) and Tristan da Cunha ( 1938 -- ) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena. 15. Both claimed in 1908 ; territories formed in 1962 ( British Antarctic Territory ) and 1985 ( South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ). Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Cyprus_since_1878&oldid=840714207 '' Categories : History of Cyprus 20th century in Cyprus 21st century in Cyprus British Cyprus Cyprus dispute Contemporary history by country Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles needing additional references from April 2008 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2008 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 11 May 2018, at 17 : 38. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the republic of cyprus become independent
Answer: 1960