Republic of Cyprus



Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. At present it is divided.

The Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union. Although it is situated in Asia, Cyprus is often associated with Europe because of the culture and history of the people. The capital of the Republic is Nicosia. Most of the population speaks Greek, and a minority is Turkish-speaking.

In July 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus and since then the northern part of the island is under Turkish control. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any international organisation. When entering by aeroplane, a short stop is made to an airport in mainland Turkey.

The present situation came about because Cyprus, historically Greek, was conquered and became part of the Ottoman Empire from 1570–1914, though de facto 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 and on 1 January 2008 Cyprus adopted the Euro, the single European currency. Northern Cyprus accepts Turkish lira, and sometimes the Euro or United States dollar.

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. Pedieos River is the longest on the island. The highest point on Cyprus is Mount Olympus at 1952 m.

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%).

Politics
The Republic of Cyprus is a constitutional presidential republic. Each President is elected for a five-year term and has a considerable amount of power. Cyprus is the only member of the European Union that is governed by a presidential system of government. It is also one of few countries (Along with San Marino) to have had a democratically-elected communist government, in office from 2008 until 2013. The current governing party is the Democratic Rally.

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
This is a list of cities and towns in Cyprus. This list shows cities and towns that had over 10,000 people in the 2006 census.

Related pages

 * Cyprus at the Olympics
 * Cyprus national football team
 * List of rivers of Cyprus

Other websites

 * Cyprus Videos
 * Cyprus Pictures
 * Cyprus Map
 * CyprusLinks.com
 * Cyprus Tourist Guide