Cyprus

Overview

Cyprus ( Greek : Κύπρος , Turkish : Kıbrıs ) is an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea , south of Turkey . It is one of the world’s oldest civilisations, with a history of over 11,000 years. Cyprus offers lots of archaeological sites, hiking trails through cedar forests, kilometres and kilometres of gorgeous beaches, and 300 days of sun a year.

After gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, the Cypriot Constitution was created to ensure power-sharing between the Greek Cypriot majority and the Turkish Cypriot minority. However, tensions between the two groups escalated in 1974 when Greece and Turkey became involved in the conflict. As a result, Turkey ended up occupying 40% of the island, resulting in the establishment of the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC) in 1983.

Whilst hostilities have been absent for some time, the island remains divided. However, the involvement of the European Union has led to increased efforts towards reunification between the two sides.

Armenian Cypriots are a small but significant minority in Cyprus, with a population of approximately 3,500 people. They are descended from Armenian immigrants who settled in Cyprus during the Ottoman period. Despite their small numbers, Armenian Cypriots have played an important role in Cyprus's social and political landscape.

Places to explore

Cyprus is divided into 6 provinces, each named after its provincial capital. Since 1974 after an invasion, the whole of Kyrenia province, most of Famagusta province, and the northern portion of Nicosia province have been under Turkish military control. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus administers those areas. The Republic of Cyprus administers the following provinces:

Cypriot cities have a variety of historical spellings and writings, all in fairly common use, and which change according to the context, whether it be Greek, Turkish or English. The following list emphasises traditional English spellings that will most often be encountered by the traveller.

Culture and food

Palouzes is a pudding made with grape juice, flour and different flavorings. Kiofterka are made from any leftover pudding. They cut it into pieces, dehydrate it, and the result is a hard but chewy thing.

Planning your route

Addresses in Cyprus are not very precise; locals, Google Maps, utility providers, and delivery services may all disagree and what the exact number of a house is. There may be multiple streets with the same name in the city, kilometers apart. Addresses are used for formalities only, navigation is typically done via either exact pins in Google Maps, or house names, or points of interests nearby.

Sights and landscapes

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia , both in terms of area and population. It is also the world's 80th largest by area and world's 51st largest by population . It measures 240 kilometres (149 mi) long from end to end and 100 kilometres (62 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies between latitudes 34° and 36° N , and longitudes 32° and 35° E .

Neighbouring territories include Turkey 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the north, Lebanon and Syria to the northeast (105 and 108 kilometres (65 and 67 mi), respectively), Israel 200 kilometres (124 mi) to the southeast, Egypt 380 kilometres (236 mi) to the south, and Greece to the west: 280 kilometres (174 mi) to the small Dodecanesian island of Kastellorizo , 400 kilometres (249 mi) to Rhodes and 800 kilometres (497 mi) to the Greek mainland. Cyprus is at the crossroads of three continents, with some sources placing Cyprus in Europe, and some sources placing Cyprus in Western Asia and within the Levant in the Middle East.

The physical relief of the island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the smaller Kyrenia Range , and the central plain they encompass, the Mesaoria . The Mesaoria plain is drained by the Pedieos River , the longest on the island. The Troodos Mountains cover most of the southern and western portions of the island and account for roughly half its area. The highest point on Cyprus is Mount Olympus at 1,952 m (6,404 ft), in the centre of the Troodos range. The narrow Kyrenia Range, extending along the northern coastline, occupies substantially less area, and elevations are lower, reaching a maximum of 1,024 m (3,360 ft). The island lies within the Anatolian Plate .

Geopolitically , the island is subdivided into four main segments. The Republic of Cyprus occupies the southern two-thirds of the island (59.74%). The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupies the northern third (34.85%), and the United Nations-controlled Green Line provides a buffer zone that separates the two and covers 2.67% of the island. Lastly, there are two bases under British sovereignty on the island: Akrotiri and Dhekelia , covering the remaining 2.74%.

Cyprus has a subtropical climate – Mediterranean and semi-arid type (in the north-eastern part of the island) – Köppen climate classifications Csa and BSh , with very mild winters (on the coast) and warm to hot summers. Snow is possible only in the Troodos Mountains in the central part of island. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer being generally dry.

Cyprus has one of the warmest climates in the Mediterranean part of the European Union. The average annual temperature on the coast is around 24 °C (75 °F) during the day and 14 °C (57 °F) at night. Generally, summers last about eight months, beginning in April with average temperatures of 21–23 °C (70–73 °F) during the day and 11–13 °C (52–55 °F) at night, and ending in November with average temperatures of 22–23 °C (72–73 °F) during the day and 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) at night, although in the remaining four months temperatures sometimes exceed 20 °C (68 °F).

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.