|
|
| OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Cyprus COUNTRY DESCRIPTION  Since 1974, Cyprus, a developed Mediterranean island nation, has
been divided de facto into a government-controlled area comprising
the southern two-thirds of the island, and a northern third, (the
self-declared “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus"), administered
by Turkish Cypriots. The United States does not recognize the
“Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” nor does any country other
than Turkey. Facilities for tourism in Cyprus are highly developed.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004.PEOPLE Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided de facto into the government-controlled two-thirds of the island and the remaining one-third of the island, which is administered by Turkish Cypriots. Greek and Turkish Cypriots share many customs but maintain distinct identities based on religion, language, and close ties with their respective "motherlands." Greek is predominantly spoken in the south, Turkish in the north. 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, and other European or American universities. Both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities have developed private colleges and state-supported universities.  Cypriot culture is among the oldest in the Mediterranean. By 3700
BC, the island was well inhabited, a crossroads between East and
West. The island fell successively under Assyrian, Egyptian,
Persian, Greek, and Roman domination. For 800 years, beginning in
364 AD, Cyprus was ruled by Byzantium. After brief possession by
King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted) of England during the Crusades,
the island came under Frankish control in the late 12th century. It
was ceded to the Venetian Republic in 1489 and conquered by the
Ottoman Turks in 1571. The Ottomans applied the millet system to
Cyprus, which allowed religious authorities to govern their own
non-Muslim minorities. This system reinforced the position of the
Orthodox Church and the cohesion of the ethnic Greek population.
Most of the Turks who settled on the island during the three
centuries of Ottoman rule remained when control of Cyprus--although
not sovereignty--was ceded to Great Britain in 1878. Many left for
Turkey during the 1920s, however. The island was annexed formally by
the United Kingdom in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I and became
a crown colony in 1925. Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom and established a constitutional republic in 1960, after an anti-British campaign by the Greek Cypriot EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters), a guerrilla group that desired political union, or enosis, with Greece. Archbishop Makarios, a charismatic religious and political leader, was elected president. ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS A passport is required for travel to Cyprus. A tourist and business entry stamp is issued at the port of entry for a stay of up to 90 days. For further information on entry requirements for Cyprus, travelers can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus at 2211 R Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20008-4082, tel. (202) 462-5772, or the Cypriot Consulate in New York at 13 East 40th St., 5th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016, tel. (212) 686-6016/17. Visit the Embassy of Cyprus’ web site at http://www.cyprusembassy.net for the most current visa information. Americans can generally enter and remain in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots for up to 90 days without a visa. The Cypriot government does not recognize residence permits issued by the authorities in the Turkish Cypriot administered areas. In January 2007, the Cypriot government announced it would enforce the requirement that Americans and citizens of other non-EU countries not requiring visas, including those who live outside the government-controlled area, obtain a residence permit from the Republic of Cyprus Migration Department if they remain on the island for more than 90 days. QUICK FACTS Geography Area: 9,251 sq. km. (3,572 sq. mi.); about the size of Connecticut. Cities: Capital--Nicosia (pop. 197,800, 2000 fig.). Other cities--Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta, Paphos, Kyrenia, Morphou. Terrain: Central plain with mountain ranges to the north and south. Climate: Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Cypriot(s). Population (2006 est.): government-controlled area 778,700; area administered by Turkish Cypriots 264,172. Annual population growth rate (2006 est.) government-controlled area: 1.6%; area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 0.98% Ethnic groups (1960 census): Greek (77%), Turkish (18%), Armenian and other (4%). Religions: Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Maronite, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox. Languages: Greek, Turkish, English. Education: Years compulsory--6 in elementary; 3 in high school. Attendance--almost 100%. Literacy--about 99%. Health: Infant mortality rate--7.04/1,000. Life expectancy--77 yrs.; males 75 yrs.; females 80 years. Work force: Government-controlled area (2005), 370,000: agriculture and mining--7.4%; industry--38.2%; and services--54.4%. Turkish Cypriot-administered area (2005), 95,000: agriculture--14.5%; industry--29%; and services--56.5%. Government Type: Republic. Independence: August 16, 1960. Constitution: August 16, 1960. Branches: Executive--President elected to 5-yr. term. Legislative--unicameral House of Representatives, members elected to 5-yr. terms. Judicial--Supreme Court; six district courts. Administrative subdivisions: Six. Political parties: Greek Cypriots--Progressive Party of Working People or Anorthotikon Komma Ergazemenou Laou--AKEL (communist); Democratic Party or Dimokratikon Komma--DIKO (center-right); Democratic Rally or Dimokratikos Synagermos--DISY (right); Movement for Social Democracy or Eleftheron Dimokratikon--EDEK (socialist); United Democrats or Enomeni Dimokrates--ED (center-left). Turkish Cypriots--National Unity Party or Ulusal Birlik Partisi--UBP (right); Democrat Party or Demokrat Partisi--DP (center-right); Republican Turkish Party or Cumhuriyetci Turk Partisi--CTP (center-left); Freedom and Reform Party or Free Party--Ozgurluk ve Reform Partisi--OP (center-right); Peace and Democracy Movement or Baris ve Demokrasi Hareketi--BDH (center-left); Communal Liberation Party or Toplumcu Kurtulus Partisi--TKP (center-left); New Party or Yeni Parti. BDH and TKP merged in May 2007 to form the Communal Democracy Party or Toplumcu Demokrasi Partisi--TDP. Suffrage: Universal at age 18. Economy* GDP (2006): $18.23 billion. Annual GDP real growth rate (2006): government-controlled area: 3.8%. Per capita GDP income: Greek Cypriots (2006)--$23,672; Turkish Cypriots (2006)--$11,802. Agriculture and natural resources (2006): 3.2% of GDP. Products--potatoes and other vegetables, citrus fruits, olives, grapes, wheat, carob seeds. Resources--pyrites, copper, asbestos, gypsum, lumber, salt, marble, clay, earth pigment. Industry and construction (2006): 19.2% of GDP. Types--mining, cement, construction, utilities, manufacturing, chemicals, non-electric machinery, textiles, footwear, food, beverages, tobacco. Services and tourism (2006): 77.6% of GDP. Trade, restaurants, and hotels 19.5%; transport 8.2%; finance, real estate, and business 24.9%; government, education, and health 20.5%; and community and other services 4.6%. Trade (2006): Exports--$1,619 billion: citrus, grapes, wine, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, clothing, and footwear. Major markets--EU (especially the U.K. and Greece), Middle East, Russia. Imports--$6,345 billion: consumer goods, raw materials for industry, petroleum and lubricants, food and feed grains. Major suppliers--Greece, Italy, Germany, U.K. (U.S. trade surplus--for 2006: $100.6 million.) * Section refers to the government-controlled area unless otherwise specified. USEFUL LINKS U.S. Government
Miscellaneous
|
For Students
English Lessons
Cool Stuff
Advertisements
| Home Travel Abroad Cyprus | Contact |
| Travel Abroad |
| Cyprus |
For Teachers
Job Boards
|
China Japan Korea Taiwan Thailand Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Africa Oceania |
Job Stuff
Advertisements
Copyright © 2003-2008 Fun Easy English All rights reserved