Guide & Facts for Cyprus

Full Country Name: The Republic of Cyprus
The northern part of the island refers to itself as the 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' ('TRNC'), but is not internationally recognised.
Area: 9,250 sq km (3,572 sq mi). 3,355 sq km are controlled by the 'TRNC'
Population: 754,064
Capital city: Nicosia (Lefkosia / Lefkosa) (population: 195,000)
People: Greek Cypriot (78%), Turkish Cypriot (18%), Maronites, Latins (4%)
Languages: Greek, Turkish, English
Religions: Greek Orthodox (78%), Muslim (18%), Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other (4%)
Currency: Cyprus pound (C£=100 cents). (Turkish Lira in the 'TRNC')
Airports in Cyprus: The major international airport in Cyprus is Larnaca International (LCA); a smaller international airport is located in Pafos (PFO). Flight time from London to Larnaca is 4.5 hours; from Frankfurt, 3.5 hours; from Athens, 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Geography

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, situated 60 km south of Turkey and 300 km north of Egypt. It has two mountain ranges – the Pentadaktylos range (max height 1,042 m) along the north coast and the Troodos massif (Mt Olympus 1,953 m) in the central and south-western parts of the island. Between the two ranges lies the plain of Messaoria. Climate is Mediterranean – hot, dry summers and changeable winters.

The Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) are sovereign British territory and cover 98 square miles of the island of Cyprus. The SBAs are purely military in nature. They are run by the SBA Administration and have their own legislation, police force and courts. They are very closely linked with the Republic of Cyprus with whom they are in a customs and currency union.

History

7000-3900 B.C.- Neolithic Age. The oldest settlements found on the island date from this period. Stone vessels and later, pottery was used.
3900-2500 B.C.- Chalcolithic Age. Chalcolithic settlements and evidence of a fertility cult, have been found in Western Cyprus. Copper discovered.
2500-1050 B.C.- Bronze Age. Cyprus was known as “Alasia” during this great trading period with its neighbors, partly because of its exploitation of copper. After 1400 B.C., the first of many waves of Greek merchants and settlers (Mycenaeans and Achaeans) reached the island, spreading the Greek language, religion and customs.
1050-750 B.C.- Geometric Period. The Hellenization of Cyprus was complete, with ten city-kingdoms. The cult of Aphrodite flourished in a period of great prosperity.
750-325 B.C.- Archaic and Classical Period. An era of prosperity and conquest. Cypriot kingdoms became tributary to Assyria, Egypt and Persia. But King Evagoras (411-374) unified the island, making it an important center of the Greek world.
333-325 B.C.- Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, takes Cyprus as part of his empire.
325-58 B.C.- Hellenistic Period. Alexander’s generals fought for succession, and Cyprus eventually came under the Hellenistic state of the Ptolemies of Egypt, belonging from then on to the Greek Alexandrine world. Pafos became capital.
58-B.C.-330 A.D.- Roman Period. Cyprus became part of the Roman Empire. But Saints Paul and Barnabas converted the Roman proconsul to Christianity, and he became the first Christian ruler in the world. In 313 freedom of worship was granted, and Cypriot bishops attended the council of Nicea in 325. The period was marked by earthquakes that required the rebuilding of cities.
330-1191 A.D. - Byzantine Period. After the division of the Roman Empire, Cyprus became part of Byzantium, with Christianity becoming the official religion. Empress Helena visited the island and founded the Stavrovouni Monastery. The period again saw earthquakes and rebuilding, including large Basilicas. In 488, after the discovery of St. Barnabas’ tomb, the Church of Cyprus was granted full autonomy by Emperor Zeno. In 647 the first of a series of Arab raids occurred. The raids went on until 965, when Arabs were expelled from Asia Minor and Cyprus.
1191-1192- Richard the Lion-Heart and the Knights Templar. Richard, leader of the Third Crusade, took possession of Cyprus and married Berengaria of Navarre, crowning her Queen of England. A year later he sold Cyprus to the Knights Templar who resold it to Guy de Lusignan, deposed King of Jerusalem.
1192-1489- Frankish (Lusignan) Period. The Catholic Church officially replaced the Greek Orthodox Church, but the latter managed to survive. The city of Famagusta became one of the richest cities in the world in this period, which ended when the last queen Catherina Cornaro ceded Cyprus to Venice in 1489.
1489-1571- Venetian Period. The Venetians fortified the island against the Ottomans, building formidable walls around Nicosia and Famagusta, where the defenses were considered works of art in military architecture.
1571-1878- Ottoman Period. The Latin leadership was expelled and the Orthodox Church restored, with the Archbishop becoming the people’s representative to the Sultan. When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, many including the Archbishop, were executed. During this period a proportion of Cypriots and Latins succumbed to pressures and converted to Islam, thus creating the Muslim minority.
1878-1960- British Period. In 1878 Britain assumed administration of the island, subsequently annexing it in 1914, after the Ottomans entered the First World War on Germany’s side. In 1923 under the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey relinquished all rights to Cyprus, and in 1925 Cyprus became a Crown Colony. A national liberation struggle began in 1955 against Colonial rule and for the union of Cyprus with Greece, which lasted until 1959.
1960-The Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus became an independent republic in 1960, and a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned Movement. Britain, however retained two sovereign bases. The given Constitution of the Republic proved unworkable, and in 1963 the President proposed some amendments. Since then, the Turkish Cypriot leadership, has aimed at the partition of Cyprus and its annexation to Turkey. In July 1974, Turkey invaded and captured 37% of the island. Despite repeated rounds of talks, a solution has not yet been found.
Towards 2000. - Culturally a Western nation, Cyprus expects to become a full member of the European Union by the turn of the century.

Archeology

It has been said that if you “scratch the soil anywhere in Cyprus you will find traces of the islands civilizations.” Cyprus is studded with sites from every period of its turbulent history, going back to the Neolithic Age. A visit to Choirokoitia, near Larnaca proves the point. There you’ll find excavations that reveal the whole society of a Neolithic settlement dating from 7000 BC: defensive walls, circular houses, and tombs.

One of the most fascinating aspects of archaeology in Cyprus is the gradual unearthing of the ten “city kingdoms” that were established in the Geometric Period (1050-325 BC). 19 km’s west of Limassol, you’ll find Kourion, one of the most spectacular sites on the island. The magnificent Greco-Roman Theatre was designed in the 2nd century BC. The site is rich in archeological lore, including a private Roman villa, an Early Christian Basilica, and the houses of Achilles and the Gladiators, which have fine mosaic floors.

Another nine City Kingdoms are to be found in different parts of the island, including Idalion near Nicosia where legend has it that Adonis, the lover of Aphrodite, was killed by a wild boar sent by her jealous husband, Kition near Larnaca with its cyclopean walls and a five-temple complex, and 11 km’s from Limassol, the city Kingdom of Amathous where it is said that Theseus left the pregnant Ariadne after his battle with the Minotaur.

Teams of archeologists are constantly working on new excavations that uncover not only Neolithic remains, but those from The Bronze Age, and the Roman and Byzantine periods. A good example can be found near Pafos — the famous underground Tombs of the Kings, some complete with Doric columns, which date back to the fourth century BC.

In addition to a wealth of outdoor sites, many artifacts are attractively displayed in museums, such as The Cyprus Museum, in Nicosia — itself one of the oldest cities in the world. There you can see domestic objects dating almost from the dawn of time, including stone vessels and pottery, and evidence of the islands warlike past — fine examples of weaponry and hunting paraphernalia.