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Cyprus General Information
Cyprus is an island of legends that basks year-round in the light of the warm Mediterranean sun. A story past 10,000 years long has seen civilizations come and go and the likes of everyone from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra stake their claim here - but then, people do tend to get possessive when faced with such beauty. Aphrodite made her home on Cyprus, and travellers throughout antiquity came here just to pay her tribute.
Today Cyprus is a modern country that effortlessly marries European culture with ancient enchantment. Here you will discover a compact world of alluring beaches and fragrant mountain peaks, vineyards studded with olive trees and ancient ruins that stir the imagination, citrus groves and old stone villages where sweet wine flows as freely as conversations at the local café. A carefree place where a sense of timelessness is magnified by the kindness of the people.
Cyprus lies in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia). The island is a total of 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus). There is 648 km's of coastline. The climate is temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters. Languages used in Cyprus are Greek, Turkish and English. The capital city is Nicosia.
Cyprus History
A former British colony, Cyprus received independence in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek-sponsored attempt to seize the government was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island.
In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered direct talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum.
The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under direct Republic of Cyprus control. At present, every Cypriot carrying a Cyprus passport has the status of a European citizen; however, EU laws do not apply to north Cyprus. Nicosia continues to oppose EU efforts to establish direct trade and economic links to north Cyprus as a way of encouraging the Turkish Cypriot community to continue to support reunification.
The Political System of Cyprus
Hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognised Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; March 2003 reunification talks failed, but Turkish-Cypriots later opened their borders to temporary visits by Greek Cypriots; on 24 April 2004, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities voted in simultaneous and parallel referenda on whether to approve the UN-brokered Annan Plan that would have ended the thirty-year division of the island by establishing a new "United Cyprus Republic," a majority of Greek Cypriots voted "no"; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards suspended in the north.
The legal system is based on common law, with civil law modifications. The head of government is President Tassos PAPADOPOULOS (since 1 March 2003). The president is both the chief of state and head of government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot. The Council of Ministers is appointed jointly by the president and vice president. The president was elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008).
Cyprus Ecological State
Cyprus features an abundant variety of animal life that has survived for thousands of years. There are some dramatic landscapes and scenery and these can all be enjoyed with a few short drives round the island.
The Troodos Mountains, famous for its pine covered hills where villages are still steeped in tradition. The Beaches of Famagusta and Protaras are a great way to experience the sun. Safari excursions are possible in Cyprus and one particular drive takes you to the very remote turtle beaches in Akamas Peninsula. This takes you back to Cyprus as it once was.
Water shortage in Cyprus has been a problem, with some drought years in the past. There is a long term national policy of water resources management to combat this. This includes the re-use of treated effluent water for irrigation, the application of water saving techniques and the construction of water dams.
There is now a greater encouragement for use of public transport, which was in the past virtually non-existent, through the construction of side walks and cycling routes. Local governments also encourage mass recycling, for example, paper, glass and batteries.
Business in Cyprus
The Republic of Cyprus has a capitalist economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for 76% of GDP. Tourism and financial services are the most important sectors; erratic growth rates over the past decade reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe.
Cyprus joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in May 2005 and could adopt the euro within the next two years. The Turkish Cypriot economy has roughly one-third of the per capita GDP of the south, and economic growth tends to be volatile, given north Cyprus's relative isolation, bloated public sector, reliance on the Turkish lira, and small market size.
The Turkish Cypriots are heavily dependent on transfers from the Turkish government. Agriculture and services, together, employ more than half of the work force, especially with tourism growth and the easing of border restrictions with the Greek Cypriots since April 2003.
Travelling to Cyprus
There are two major international airports in Cyprus, Larnaca International and Paphos International. Many major airline companies fly to Cyprus, including British Airways, Cyprus Airways, KLM and Olympic Airlines, amongst others.
Larnaca International Airport is located in the southeast of the island near the popular resort of the same name and receives a lot of air traffic in the summer months, mainly from the UK, Scandinavia and Germany. Larnaca Airport has one terminal and is busiest from May to November. Intercity buses provide public transport to Larnaca and other towns and cities in Cyprus, while there are also taxis operating from outside the terminal.
Paphos International Airport is located in the west of the island and serves the nearby resorts of Limassol and Coral Bay. Paphos Airport is a small facility with minimal services, but it receives about 1.5-million passengers per year who mainly arrive on flights operated by charter airlines. Situated just east of the city, buses provide access to Paphos and other nearby resorts, while taxis will take you anywhere you want to go. |
Welcome to Cyprus 
