Cyprus

Cyprus is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, 30 miles south of Turkey. The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognized government of the island, but controls only the southern two-thirds of the island. The northern third was occupied by Turkey in a 1974 invasion, which has since set up the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, though this government is not recognized by any country except Turkey. In the decades since the invasion, the northern third has become almost exclusively Turkish, and the southern two-thirds almost exclusively Greek, so the territories are now sometimes referred to as the "Greek part" and the "Turkish part" of Cyprus.

Negotiations have been ongoing for years to reunify the island, but have not as of yet seen substantial success. Barring a last-minute breakthrough, the 2004 admittance of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union will thus mean that effectively only the southern, Greek portion of the island will become part of the EU.

Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία
Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti
Republic of Cyprus

National motto: None

Official languages Greek, Turkish and English
Capital Nicosia
President Tassos Papadopoulos
Area
- Total
- % water Ranked 161st
9,250 km� �
Negligible
Population
- Total (2002) Ranked 155th
771,657

Independence
- Date From the UK
August 16, 1960
Currency Cyprus pound
Time zone UTC +2
National anthem Imnos pros tin Eleftherian
Internet TLD .CY
Calling Code 357
� 3,355 km� are in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Reference

Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

Countries of the world | Europe | Council of Europe

Cyprus

See also

Reference