This is a tribute to Cyprus, a wonderful island with a turbulent
history. Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is an island
country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is the third
largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, and a
member state of the European Union. It is located east of Greece,
south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel and
north of Egypt. The earliest known human activity on the island
dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from
this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of
Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in
the world. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in
the 2nd millennium BC. As a strategic location in the Middle East,
it was subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the
empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians, from whom the
island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule
by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, Arab
caliphates for a short period, the French Lusignan dynasty, and the
Venetians, was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman control.
Cyprus was placed under British administration in 1878 until it was
granted independence in 1960, becoming a member of the Commonwealth
the following year. In 1974, seven years after the intercommunal
violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, an attempted
coup d'etat by Greek Cypriot nationalists and elements of the Greek
military junta with the aim of achieving enosis (union of the
island with Greece) took place. Turkey used this as a pretext to
invade the northern portion of the island. Turkish forces remained
after a cease-fire, resulting in the partition of the island; an
objective of Turkey since 1955. The intercommunal violence and
subsequent Turkish invasion led to the displacement of over 150,000
Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots, and the establishment
of a separate Turkish Cypriots political entity in the north. These
events and the resulting political situation are matters of a
continuing dispute. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty
over the island of Cyprus and its surrounding waters, except for
the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia,
administered as Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Republic of
Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts; the area under
the effective control of the Republic, comprising about 59% of the
island's area, and the Turkish-controlled area in the north,
calling itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and
recognised only by Turkey, covering about 36% of the island's area.
The international community considers the northern part of the
island as occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkish
forces. Cyprus is a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean.
An advanced, high-income economy with a very high Human Development
Index, the Republic of Cyprus was a founding member of the
Non-Aligned Movement until it joined the European Union on 1 May
2004. On 1 January 2008, the Republic of Cyprus joined the
Eurozone.
General
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