CyprusThe '''Republic of Cyprus''' or '''Cyprus''' (in Greek language|Greek '''Kypros''' Κύπρο&sigmaf; and in Turkish language|Turkish '''Kıbrıs''') is an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, 113 kilometres (70 miles) south of Turkey and around 120 km west of the Syrian coast. {{Infobox Country| native_name = Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία''' '''Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti Republic of Cyprus | common_name = Cyprus | image_flag = Cyprus flag large.png | image_coat = Cyprus Coat of Arms.png | image_map = LocationCyprus.png | national_motto = None | national_anthem = Ymnos pros tin Eleutherian 1 | official_languages = Greek language|Greek and Turkish language|Turkish | capital = Nicosia|Nicosia (pop. 200,686) |latd=35|latm=08|latNS=N|longd=33|longm=28|longEW=E| largest_city = Nicosia | government_type= Republic| leader_titles = President | leader_names = Tassos Papadopoulos 2 | area_rank = 161st | area_magnitude = 1_E9 | area= 9,250 4 | percent_water = Negligible | population_estimate = 780,133 5 | population_estimate_year = 2005 | population_estimate_rank = 155th | population_census= 689,565 6| population_census_year= 2001 | population_density = 84 | population_density_rank = 111 | GDP_PPP_year = n/a | GDP_PPP = $ 16,745 | GDP_PPP_rank = n/a | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $ 20,669 | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = n/a | sovereignty_type = Independence | established_events = Declared Recognised | established_dates = From the United Kingdom|UK 16 August 1960 16 August 1960 3 | currency = Cyprus Pound | currency_code = CYP | time_zone= EET | utc_offset= +2 | time_zone_DST= EEST | utc_offset_DST= +3 | cctld= .cy | calling_code = 357 7 | footnotes =1. "Ymnos pros tin Eleutherian" is also used as the national anthem of Greece. The TRNC uses the Turkish national anthem 2. The north has a separate president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|TRNC 3. Not recognised by Turkey, which instead recognises Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|TRNC 4. Of which 5,895 km² is in the south and 3,355 km² in the north 5. Number does not include 323,657 inhabitants in the north 6. Number does not include any Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|TRNC inhabitants 7. +90-392 (a Turkish access number) is used in the north }} ==Name and position== The word for the metal "copper" in the English language (and many other languages) stems from the Latin phrase ''aes Cyprium '', "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to ''cuprum'', "copper". Large deposits of copper are found on the island. Cyprus is ''geographically'' in Western Asia (or the Near East), though ''politically'' and ''culturally'' it is considered as being in Europe. Historically, Cyprus has always been a bridgehead between Europe and Asia, with interchanging periods of Levant|Levantine, Anatolia|Anatolian, and Greece|Greek influences. ==Political division== Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, with the UK, Greece and Turkey retaining limited rights to intervene in internal affairs. The '''Republic of Cyprus''' is the internationally recognised government of the island, and it controls the southern two-thirds of the island. Almost all foreign governments and the United Nations recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots, together with Turkey, do not accept the Republic's rule over the whole island and call it the "Greek Authority of Southern Cyprus". They control the northern third of the island, following a military invasion by Turkey in 1974. This happened following a coup sponsored by the military regime of Greece, see: Greco-Turkish relations#The_1974_crisis_and_after|the 1974 crisis between Greece and Turkey. The Turkish Cypriot area proclaimed its independence in 1975, and the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established in 1983. This state was recognised only by Turkey. Furthermore, Organization of the Islamic Conference granted it observer member status under the name of "Turkish Cypriot State". The other power with territory on Cyprus is the United Kingdom. Under the independence agreement, the UK retained title to two areas on the southern coast of the island, around Akrotiri and Dhekelia, known collectively as the UK sovereign base areas. They are used as military bases. See also: * Cyprus dispute * Turkish Cyprus barrier ==Reunification== Negotiations have been ongoing for years to reunite the island, but have not as yet seen substantial success. A United Nations plan, announced on 31 March 2004 following talks in Switzerland, was put to both sides in separate referenda on 24 April 2004. On the referendum, the proposed reunification was favoured by the Turkish Cypriots by a majority of 2 to 1, but was rejected by the Greek Cypriots by a 3 to 1 margin. As a result, while officially the whole of Cyprus entered the European Union on 1 May 2004, the de facto EU border runs along the Green Line, dividing the country between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot parts. EU law is currently not applied in the Turkish occupied north. The Union has promised to send aid in the form of money and work towards lifting the trade sanctions imposed by the European Court, but they have ruled out diplomatic recognition of northern Cyprus. As to date, the occupied north has yet to see any promised aid or easing of trade sanctions. See also: * Annan Plan, Cyprus reunification referendum, 2004|2004 referendum. ==History== ''Main article: History of Cyprus'' Image:Cy-map.png|right|thumb|300px|Map of Cyprus ==Geography== ''Main article: Geography of Cyprus'' The central plain (Mesaoria) with the Kyrenia/Girne and Pentadactylos/Besparnak mountains to the north and the Troodos mountain range to the south and west. There are also scattered but significant plains along the southern coast. The climate is temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, variably rainy winters. See also: * List of cities in Cyprus, Greek and Turkish names ==Politics== ''Main article: Politics of Cyprus'' After independence Cyprus became a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement despite all three guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and the UK) being NATO members. Cyprus left the Non-Aligned Movement in 2004 to join the EU. Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided de facto into the Greek government-controlled southern two-thirds of the island and the Turkish-Cypriot northern one-third. The Government of the Republic of Cyprus has continued as the internationally recognised authority; in practice, its power extends only to the Greek Cypriot-controlled areas. The 1960 Cypriot Constitution provided for a presidential system of government with independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as a complex system of checks and balances, including a weighted power-sharing ratio designed to protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. The executive, for example, was headed by a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice president, elected by their respective communities for 5-year terms and each possessing a right of veto over certain types of legislation and executive decisions. The House of Representatives was elected on the basis of separate voters' rolls. Since 1964, following clashes between the two communities the Turkish seats in the House have been vacant after their unilateral withdrawal from the government and the Greek Cypriot Communal Chamber was abolished. The responsibilities of the chamber were transferred to the newfounded Ministry of Education. In 1974, following a coup intrigued by CIA and executed by the Greek Junta - then in control of the National Guard and the military invasion of Turkish forces (claiming their authority was as one of the 3 international guarantors of Cyprus), 195,000 majority Greek Cypriots were forcibly expelled from the north and 55,000 Turkish Cypriots from the south were moved to north. Ever since, Turkish Cypriots unilaterally set up their own institutions with a popularly elected president and a Prime Minister responsible to the National Assembly exercising joint executive powers. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriots declared an independent "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC,) contrary to numerous UN SC resolutions calling such an act as illegal and a by-product of a foreign (Turkish) intervention. In 1985, they adopted a constitution and held elections – an arrangement recognised only by Turkey. See also: * Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus * Foreign relations of Cyprus * List of political parties in Cyprus ==Economy== ''Main article: Economy of Cyprus'' Economic affairs in Cyprus are dominated by the division of the country into the southern (Greek) area controlled by the Cyprus Government and the northern Turkish Cypriot-administered area. The Greek Cypriot economy is prosperous but highly susceptible to external shocks. Erratic growth rates in the 1990s reflect the economy's vulnerability to swings in tourist arrivals, caused by political instability on the island and fluctuations in economic conditions in Western Europe. Economic policy in the south is focused on meeting the criteria for admission to the European Union. As in the Turkish sector, water shortage is a growing problem, and several desalination plants are planned. The Turkish Cypriot economy has about one-fifth the population and one-third the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is recognised only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government service, which together employ about half of the work force. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to tourism, education, industry, etc. Thirty-one years after Turkey invaded and occupied 37% of Cyprus, turning over 200,000 of its inhabitants into refugees, the problems created by the Turkish invasion remain unsolved. The end of the Cold War marked the beginning of a new era, in which respect and cooperation between nations, commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law are recognized as being of fundamental importance. Within this new environment, the Cyprus issue is not only a glaring anachronism, but also continues to be a factor of potential instability in the Southeastern Mediterranean. Hence, apart from moral obligation, the international community has an additional reason to contribute to efforts towards a just and viable solution. ==Demographics== ''Main article: Demographics of Cyprus'' Greek and Turkish Cypriots share many customs but maintain their ethnicity based on religion, language, and close ties with their respective motherlands. Greek language is predominantly spoken in the south, Turkish language in the north. This delineation of languages is true only in the present period, due to the post-1974 division of the island, which involved an expulsion of Greek Cypriots from the north and the analoguous move of Turkish Cypriots from the south. Historically however, Greek (its Cypriot dialect) was spoken by nearly 82% of the population, which was evenly distributed along the entire area of Cyprus, north and south. Similarly, Turkish speakers were evenly distributed. English is widely used. Cyprus has a well-developed system of primary and secondary education. The majority of Cypriots earn their higher education at Greek, Turkish, British, or American universities, while there are also sizeable emigrant communities in the United Kingdom and Australia. Private colleges and state-supported universities have been developed by both the Turkish and Greek communities. ==Miscellaneous== * Communications in Cyprus * Holidays in Cyprus * List of Cypriots * Military of Cyprus * Music of Cyprus * Transportation in Cyprus ==External links== * [http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/ Republic of Cyprus] * [http://www.mof.gov.cy/mof/cystat/statistics.nsf/index_en/index_en?OpenDocument Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus] * [http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/index_en/index_en?opendocument# Press and Information Office] * [http://www.cips.com.cy CIPS Cyprus International Press Service - English / German] * [http://cyprus.europe-countries.com Cyprus Pictures] * [http://www.europe-atlas.com/cyprus-map.htm Cyprus Map] * [http://www.ikypros.com/ ikypros.com] - Portal of Cyprus (in Greek) * [http://www.kibris.gen.tr/english/index.html Explanation of the Cyprus conflict (Turkish perspective, may be biased)] * [http://www.jobscyprus.com Finding a job in Cyprus (EU citizens only)] * [http://www.rentcyprus.co.uk/villages/cyprus_villages.htm Cyprus Villages and General Information] * [http://www.rentcyprusvillas.com/cyprus/information-on-cyprus.htm Information on Cyprus] * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1016541.stm BBC News Country Profile - ''Cyprus''] * [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cy.html CIA World Factbook - ''Cyprus''] * [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cytoc.html Library of Congress Country Study - ''Cyprus''] data as of January 1991 * [http://search.looksmart.com/p/browse/us1/us317916/us559898/us560105/us10057374/ LookSmart - ''Cyprus''] directory category * [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Middle_East/Cyprus/ Open Directory Project - ''Cyprus''] directory category * [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Cyprus/ Yahoo! - ''Cyprus''] directory category * [http://www.cyprusyellowpages.com/ Cyprus Yellow Pages] directory category {{Asia}} {{EU countries}} {{Europe}} {{Middle East}} Category:Cyprus| Category:Middle Eastern countries Category:European Union member states Category:Bicontinental countries bn:সাইপ্রাস id:Siprus ms:Cyprus bg:Кипър cy:Cyprus da:Cypern de:Zypern et:Küpros el:Κύπρος es:Chipre eo:Kipro fr:Chypre ga:An Chipir gl:Chipre io:Chipro is:Kýpur it:Cipro he:קפריסין la:Cyprus lb:Zypern lv:Kipra lt:Kipras hu:Ciprus nl:Cyprus ja:キプロス ko:키프로스 nb:Kypros nn:Kypros oc:Chipre  nds:Zypern pl:Cypr (państwo) pt:Chipre ro:Cipru ru:Кипр simple:Cyprus sk:Cyprus sl:Ciper sr:Кипар fi:Kypros sv:Cypern uk:Кіпр zh:塞浦路斯 zh-min-nan:Kypros First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

This article on Cyprus is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cyprus".

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