Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is a 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. Most of the population speaks 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 million euros in that year. Tourism is very important to the country, as tourism made up 23% of its economy in 2020.

History
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. The Turk Cypriots was suppressed. 

In July 1974, Turkey invaded and Greek Cypriots where forced to move to the south, while Turk Cypriots was foreced to move to the north. Since then the northern part of the island has been under Turkish occupation. In 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and became de facto independent it was only recognised by Turkey. When entering by from Tymbou Airport, a short stop has to be made in mainland Turkey due to the embargo.

The present situation with the island split came about because Cyprus, historically Greek, was conquered and became part of the Ottoman Empire from 15701914. The British administered it from 1878 until 1960. Likewise, Greece had been part of the Ottoman Empire for several centuries. 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.

Ancient history 
Mycenaeans of Ancient Greece were the first inhabitants of the island. Greek settlement began unsystematically about 1400 BC.

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