The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. It is also the center of an administrative district, part of which is in the Turkish sector. Nicosia, the country's largest city, is an agricultural trade center and has textile, leather, pottery, plastic, and other manufactures.
Copper mines are nearby.
Known as Ledra or Ledrae in antiquity, it was the residence of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus from 1192, became a Venetian possession in 1489, and fell to the Turks in 1571. There also are remnants of the Venetian fortifications and museums with notable collections of antiquities. The name is also spelled Nikosia. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.