Cyprus

Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea and member state of the European Union. Cyprus is in Asia, but it is often associated with Europe because of the culture and history of the people. It is also closer to Africa than to Europe. The capital is Nicosia. A state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is located to the north. The official languages  are Greek and Turkish.

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

History
Cyprus, was conquered and became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1570.  Likewise, Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire for several centuries.  The British administered Cyprus from 1878 until 1960. 

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

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

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

There are two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range. The Pedieos River is the longest on the island.  The highest point on Cyprus is Mount Olympus at .

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

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

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

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

Cities

Related pages 
 Cyprus at the Olympics
 Cyprus national football team
 List of rivers of Cyprus

References

Other websites 

 Cyprus Videos 
 Cyprus Pictures 
 Cyprus Map 
 CyprusLinks.com
 Cyprus Tourist Guide

Cyprus
 
Commonwealth member states