claim: Cyprus is in the Middle East.
evidence: Cyprus -LRB- -LSB- ˈsaɪprəs -RSB- -LSB- Κυπρος , Kypros -RSB- -LSB- ˈcipros -RSB- ; Kıbrıs -LSB- ˈkɯbɾɯs -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Republic of Cyprus -LRB- -LSB- Κυπριακη Δημοκρατια , Kypriaki Demokratia , links = no -RSB- -LSB- Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti , links = no -RSB- -RRB- , is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean .. Eastern Mediterranean. Eastern Mediterranean. Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea. It is located south of Turkey , west of Syria and Lebanon , northwest of Israel and Palestine , north of Egypt , and southeast of Greece .. Turkey. Turkey. Syria. Syria. Lebanon. Lebanon. Israel. Israel. Palestine. State of Palestine. Egypt. Egypt. Greece. Greece. The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC .. earliest known human activity. Prehistoric Cyprus. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia , and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world .. Neolithic. Neolithic. Khirokitia. Khirokitia. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC .. Mycenaean Greeks. Mycenaean Greece. As a strategic location in the Middle East , it was subsequently occupied by several major powers , including the empires of the Assyrians , Egyptians and Persians , from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great .. major powers. Empire#History of imperialism. Assyrians. Neo-Assyrian Empire. Egyptians. Ancient Egypt. Persians. Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt , the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire , Arab caliphates for a short period , the French Lusignan dynasty and the Venetians , was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and 1878 -LRB- de jure until 1914 -RRB- .. Egypt. Egypt. Ptolemaic Egypt. Ptolemaic Dynasty. Classical. Roman Empire. Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantine Empire. Arab. Arabs. Lusignan dynasty. Lusignan dynasty. Venetians. Republic of Venice. Ottoman rule. Ottoman Cyprus. de jure. de jure. Cyprus was placed under British administration based on Cyprus Convention in 1878 and formally annexed by Britain in 1914 .. placed under British administration based on Cyprus Convention. Cyprus Convention. While Turkish Cypriots made up 18 % of the population , the partition of Cyprus and creation of a Turkish state in the north became a policy of Turkish Cypriot leaders and Turkey in the 1950s .. Turkish. Turkish language. Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots. Turkey. Turkey. Turkish Cypriot. Turkish Cypriot. Turkish leaders for a period advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as Cyprus was considered an `` extension of Anatolia '' by them ; while since the 19th century , the majority Greek Cypriot population and its Orthodox church had been pursuing union with Greece , which became a Greek national policy in the 1950s .. Greek. Greek language. Turkish. Turkish language. Turkey. Turkey. Greece. Greece. Greek Cypriot. Greek Cypriot. Orthodox church. Cypriot Orthodox Church. Following nationalist violence in the 1950s , Cyprus was granted independence in 1960 .. granted independence. London and Zurich Agreements. In 1963 , the 11-year intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots started , which displaced more than 25,000 Turkish Cypriots and brought the end of Turkish Cypriot representation in the republic .. Greek. Greek language. Turkish. Turkish language. Greek Cypriots. Greek Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriot. Turkish Cypriot. intercommunal violence. Cypriot intercommunal violence. On 15 July 1974 , a coup d'etat was staged by Greek Cypriot nationalists and elements of the Greek military junta in an attempt at enosis , the incorporation of Cyprus into Greece .. Greek. Greek language. Greece. Greece. Greek Cypriot. Greek Cypriot. coup d'etat. 1974 Cypriot coup d'etat. Greek Cypriot nationalists. EOKA B. Greek military junta. Greek military junta of 1967-1974. enosis. enosis. This action precipitated the Turkish invasion of Cyprus , which led to the capture of the present-day territory of Northern Cyprus the following month , after a ceasefire collapsed , and the displacement of over 150,000 Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots .. Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus. Greek. Greek language. Turkish. Turkish language. Greek Cypriots. Greek Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots. Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Turkish invasion of Cyprus. displacement. Cypriot refugees. A separate Turkish Cypriot state in the north was established by unilateral declaration in 1983 ; the move was widely condemned by the international community , with Turkey alone recognizing the new state .. Turkish. Turkish language. Turkey. Turkey. Turkish Cypriot. Turkish Cypriot. Turkish Cypriot state in the north. Northern Cyprus. established by unilateral declaration. Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. international community. international community. recognizing. List of states with limited recognition. These events and the resulting political situation are matters of a continuing dispute .. continuing dispute. Cyprus dispute. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the entire island , including its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone , with the exception of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia , which remain under British control according to the London and Zurich Agreements .. Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Akrotiri and Dhekelia. de jure. de jure. sovereignty. sovereignty. territorial waters. territorial waters. exclusive economic zone. exclusive economic zone. London and Zurich Agreements. London-Zurich Agreements. However , the Republic of Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts  : the area under the effective control of the Republic , located in the south and west , and comprising about 59 % of the island 's area ; and the north , administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , covering about 36 % of the island 's area .. Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus. Turkish. Turkish language. de facto. de facto. Another nearly 4 % of the island 's area is covered by the UN buffer zone .. UN buffer zone. United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus. The international community considers the northern part of the island as territory of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkish forces .. Turkish. Turkish language. international community. international community. The occupation is viewed as illegal under international law , amounting to illegal occupation of EU territory since Cyprus became a member of the European Union .. European Union. European Union. Cyprus is a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean .. Mediterranean. Mediterranean Sea. With an advanced , high-income economy and a very high Human Development Index , the Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1961 and was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement until it joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 .. European Union. European Union. advanced. developed country. high-income economy. high income economy. Human Development Index. Human Development Index. Commonwealth. Commonwealth of Nations. Non-Aligned Movement. Non-Aligned Movement. On 1 January 2008 , the Republic of Cyprus joined the eurozone .. eurozone. eurozone