Cyprus

thumb|300px|right|The flag and national anthem of Cyprus.
300px|right|The flag and national anthem of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus (Greek: Κύπρος, transliterated: Kýpros, IPA: [ˈcipɾo̞s]; Turkish: Kıbrıs), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía, [cipɾiaˈci ðimo̞kɾaˈtia]; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti), is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey, west of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, east of Greece, and north of Egypt.
Cyprus was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1570 until 1878, when it passed into British administration. Cyprus became independent in 1960. In 1974 the northern part of the island was invaded by Turkey. 37% of the island is now under the control of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a nation that is only recognized by Turkey, not recognized by the United Nations or by any other countries.
==Religion in Cyprus==
Cyprus is one of only five countries in the European Union to have an official state-religion, the other four being Denmark, Greece, Malata and the United Kingdom. The official state-religion of Cyprus is the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Orthodox Church. The Church of Cyprus is the religion that 78% of the population adhere to. The first president of the Republic of Cyprus was Archbishop Makarios III.
Muslims, predominanatly Sunni, account for 18% of the population of Cyprus. Muslims were formerly spread throughout the island but are now concentrated primarily in the Turkish area of northern Cyprus.
Religious minorities present in Cyprus include Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and Baha'i. About 1% of the population of Cyprus are Buddhists.
==References==
*http://www.thedhamma.com/buddhists_in_the_world.htm
*The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained. David N. Snyder, Ph.D., 2006.
*http://www.thedhamma.com/
==External links==
* Wikipedia article about Cyprus.
* Wikitravel article about Cyprus.
* Wikipedia article about the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
* Wikitravel article about the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Category:Buddhism by location
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Category:Asia
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