View source for Cyprus

{{Short description|Island country in the Mediterranean Sea}}
{{About|the country}}{{Distinguish|Cypress}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox country
| coordinates            = {{Coord|35|10|N|33|22|E|type:city}}
| languages_type         = Minority languages
| languages2_type        = [[Vernacular]]s
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Cyprus
| native_name            = {{unbulleted list|{{native name|el|Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία|italics=off}}|{{native name|tr|Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti}}}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Cyprus.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Cyprus (2006).svg
| coa_size               = 90
| common_name            = Cyprus
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = {{lang|el|Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν}}{{efn|The Greek national anthem was adopted in 1966 by a decision of the [[Council of Ministers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Anthem |url=http://www.presidency.gov.cy/presidency/presidency.nsf/prc34_en/prc34_en?OpenDocument |website=presidency.gov.cy |access-date=3 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813155316/http://www.presidency.gov.cy/presidency/presidency.nsf/prc34_en/prc34_en?OpenDocument |archive-date=13 August 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}<br />(English: "[[Hymn to Liberty]]")<br />{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:Greece national anthem.ogg]]}}
| image_map              = EU-Cyprus.svg
| map_caption            = {{Legend|#336830|Cyprus}}
{{Legend|#49c946|[[Northern Cyprus|Territory claimed but not controlled (Northern Cyprus)]]}}{{Legend|#c6debdff|[[Cyprus and the European Union|Rest of the European Union]]}}
| image_map2             = File:Republic of Cyprus in Cyprus (de-facto).svg
| map_caption2           = {{color box|#C12838}} Territory administered by the Republic of Cyprus
| capital                = [[Nicosia]]
| official_languages     = {{hlist|[[Greek language|Greek]]|[[Turkish language|Turkish]]}}
| languages              = {{hlist|[[Armenian language|Armenian]]|[[Cypriot Arabic]]}}
| languages2             = {{hlist|[[Cypriot Greek]]|[[Cypriot Turkish]]}}
| ethnic_groups          = {{unbulleted list|item_style=line-height:initial;
 |[[Greek Cypriots]]
 |[[Turkish Cypriots]]
 |[[Armenian Cypriots]]
 |[[Maronite Cypriots]]
 }}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 
| demonym                = Cypriot
| religion               = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap;
 |72.3% [[Christianity]]|25.0% [[Islam]]
 |1.9% [[Irreligion|no religion]]
 |0.8% other<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/cyprus/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020 |title=Cyprus |work=Global Religious Future |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=13 July 2021 |archive-date=17 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717053131/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/cyprus/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| religion_year          = 2020; including Northern Cyprus
| government_type        = Unitary [[Presidential system|presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Cyprus|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Nikos Christodoulides]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of Cyprus|Vice-President]]
| leader_name2           = Vacant{{efn|The vice presidency is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot. However the post has been vacant since the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkish invasion]] in 1974.<ref name="CIA"/>}}
| leader_title3          = [[President of the House of Representatives (Cyprus)|President of the House of Representatives]]
| leader_name3           = [[Annita Demetriou]]
| legislature            = {{nowrap|[[House of Representatives (Cyprus)|House of Representatives]]}}
| sovereignty_type       = Independence {{nobold|from the [[United Kingdom]]}}
| established_event1     = [[London-Zürich Agreements]]
| established_date1      = 19 February 1959
| established_event2     = Independence proclaimed
| established_date2      = 16 August 1960
| established_event3     = [[Independence Day (Cyprus)|Independence Day]]
| established_date3      = 1 October 1960
| area_km2               = 9,251
| area_label             = Total{{efn|name=island|Including Northern Cyprus, the [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN buffer zone]] and [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]]}}
| area_rank              = 162nd <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi             = 3,572 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water          = 0.11<ref name="CIA" />
| population_census      = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 923,272{{efn|Government-controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing 2021, Preliminary Results by District, Municipality/Community |url=https://www.cystat.gov.cy/en/PressRelease?id=66208 |publisher=Statistical Service of Cyprus |access-date=4 August 2023 |location=Nicosia |date=4 August 2023 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524094953/https://www.cystat.gov.cy/en/PressRelease?id=66208 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_census_year = 2021
| population_density_km2 = 123.4{{efn|name=island}}<ref>{{cite web |work=United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, [[United Nations Population Division|Population Division]] |year=2013 |title=World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision, DB02: Stock Indicators |location=New York |url=http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ASCII-Data/DISK_NAVIGATION_ASCII.htm |access-date=18 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507213545/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/ASCII-Data/DISK_NAVIGATION_ASCII.htm |archive-date=7 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 82nd
| population_density_sq_mi = 319.5 <!-- Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $67.441 billion<ref name="IMF WEO">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook (WEO) database, April 2026 |url=https://data.imf.org/en/Data-Explorer?datasetUrn=IMF.RES:WEO(9.0.0) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |access-date=14 April 2026 |location=Washington, D.C. |date=14 April 2026}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2026
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 122nd
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $67,796<ref name="IMF WEO" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 29th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $45.171 billion<ref name="IMF WEO" />
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2026
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 100th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $45,409<ref name="IMF WEO" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 28th
| Gini                   = 31.2 <!--number only-->
| Gini_year              = 2025
| Gini_change            = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=26 March 2026 |location=Luxembourg |date=26 March 2026}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.913
| HDI_rank               = 32nd
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year. -->
| HDI_change             = increase
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref>
| currency               = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])
| currency_code          = EUR
| time_zone              = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset             = +02:00
| utc_offset_DST         = +03:00
| time_zone_DST          = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in Cyprus|+357]]
| cctld                  = [[.cy]]{{efn|The [[.eu]] domain is also used, shared with other [[European Union]] member states.}}
| footnotes              = 
| today                  = 
}}

'''Cyprus''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Cyprus.ogg|ˈ|s|aɪ|p|r|ə|s|}} {{respell|SYPE|rəs}}; {{langx|el|Κύπρος|translit=Kýpros|engvar=gb}} {{IPA|el|ˈcipros|}}; {{langx|tr|Kıbrıs}} {{IPA|tr|ˈkɯbɾɯs||LL-Q256 (tur)-ToprakM-Kıbrıs.wav}}}} officially the '''Republic of Cyprus''',{{efn|{{Langx|el|Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία |translit=Kypriakí Dimokratía |links=no|engvar=gb}}, {{IPA|el|cipriaˈci ðimokraˈti.a|}}, <small>lit:</small> Cypriot Republic; {{langx|tr|Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti |links=no}}, {{IPA|tr|ˈkɯbɾɯs ˈdʒumhuɾijeti|}}, <small>lit:</small> Republic of Cyprus}} is an island country in the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea]], located off the coast of the [[Levant]] mainland in [[West Asia]].  The [[Geography of Cyprus|island of Cyprus]], which is the [[List of islands in the Mediterranean|third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean]], is divided along the [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|United Nations Buffer Zone]] between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus and the [[Northern Cyprus|Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus]], which is recognised only by [[Turkey]]. The south of the island also hosts the [[British Overseas Territories|British sovereign military bases]] of [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]]. The capital and largest city of Cyprus is [[Nicosia]].<ref name="citypopulation">{{Cite web |title=CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING 2021: PRELIMINARY RESULTS BY DISTRICT AND MUNICIPALITY/COMMUNITY |url=https://library.cystat.gov.cy/NEW/Census2021-Preliminary_Results-EN-040823.pdf |access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref><ref name="Census2021">{{Cite web |date=2024-08-09 |title=Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Results - gov.cy |url=https://www.gov.cy/en/economy-and-finance/census-of-population-and-housing-2021-final-results/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=www.gov.cy |language=en-US}}</ref>

Cyprus was first settled by [[hunter-gatherer]]s around 13,000 years ago, with farming communities emerging by 8500 BC. The late [[Bronze Age]] saw the emergence of [[Alashiya]], an urbanised society closely connected to the wider Mediterranean world. Cyprus experienced waves of settlement by [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean Greeks]] at the end of the [[2nd millennium BC]]. Owing to its rich natural resources (particularly copper) and strategic position at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia, the island was subsequently contested and occupied by several empires, including the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrians]], [[Ancient Egyptians|Egyptians]], and [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], from whom it was seized in 333 BC by [[Alexander the Great]]. Successive rule by the [[Ptolemaic Empire]], the [[Roman Empire|Classical]] and [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]], [[Caliphate|Arab caliphate]]s, the [[Lusignan dynasty|French Lusignans]], and the [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]] was followed by over [[Ottoman Cyprus|three centuries of Ottoman dominion]] (1571–1878).<ref name="Lausanne">{{cite web |url=http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Treaty_of_Lausanne |title=Treaty of Lausanne |access-date=7 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112221242/http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Treaty_of_Lausanne |archive-date=12 January 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|''[[De jure]]'' until 1914}} Cyprus was placed under [[British Cyprus|British administration]] in 1878 pursuant to the [[Cyprus Convention]] and formally annexed by the United Kingdom in 1914.

The island's future became contested by its [[Greek Cypriots|Greek]] and [[Turkish Cypriots|Turkish]] communities. Greek Cypriots sought ''[[enosis]],'' or union with Greece, which became a Greek national policy in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Faustmann |first1=Hubert |last2=Ker-Lindsay |first2=James |title=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |year=2008 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=978-3-03911-096-4 |page=48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzIXtVdDDwgC&pg=PA48 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121228/https://books.google.com/books?id=AzIXtVdDDwgC&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Farid |title=Historical Dictionary of Cyprus |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f82Jn_H4VukC&pg=PA25 |isbn=9780810862982 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517123640/https://books.google.com/books?id=f82Jn_H4VukC&pg=PA25#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Turkish Cypriots initially advocated for continued British rule, then demanded the annexation of the island to Turkey, with which they established the policy of ''[[Taksim (politics)|taksim]]:'' partitioning Cyprus and creating a Turkish [[polity]] in the north.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trimikliniotis |first1=Nicos |title=Beyond a Divided Cyprus: A State and Society in Transformation |date=2012 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-10080-1 |page=104 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zS_HAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121219/https://books.google.com/books?id=zS_HAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Following [[Cyprus Emergency|nationalist violence in the 1950s]], Cyprus was [[London and Zürich Agreements|granted independence in 1960]].<ref name=independence/> The [[Bloody Christmas (1963)|crisis of 1963–64]] brought further [[Cypriot intercommunal violence|intercommunal violence between the two communities]], displaced more than 25,000 Turkish Cypriots into [[Turkish Cypriot enclaves|enclaves]],<ref name="Hoffmeister 2006" />{{rp|56–59}}<ref name="Intercommunal Violence"/> and ended Turkish Cypriot political representation. On 15 July 1974, [[1974 Cypriot coup d'état|a coup d'état]] was staged by [[EOKA B|Greek Cypriot nationalists]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Mallinson |first=William |title=Cyprus: A Modern History |publisher=I.&nbsp;B. Tauris |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HEjkuhF2GsMC&pg=PA81 |isbn=978-1-85043-580-8 |page=81 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121124/https://books.google.com/books?id=HEjkuhF2GsMC&pg=PA81 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2297653.stm |title=website |work=BBC News |date=4 October 2002 |access-date=25 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040726144124/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2297653.stm |archive-date=26 July 2004 |url-status=live}}</ref> and elements of the [[Greek military junta]].<ref name=hoff>{{cite book |author= Hoffmeister, Frank |title= Legal aspects of the Cyprus problem: Annan Plan and EU accession |publisher= EMartinus Nijhoff Publishers|year= 2006 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=LZXbg3ZwvGoC | pages = 34–5 |isbn= 978-90-04-15223-6}}</ref> This action precipitated the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus]] on 20 July,<ref>{{cite book |author=Eyal Benvenisti |title=The International Law of Occupation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JKgeX_sdQG0C&pg=PA191 |date=23 February 2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-958889-3 |page=191 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910212611/https://books.google.com/books?id=JKgeX_sdQG0C&pg=PA191 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> which captured the present-day territory of Northern Cyprus and [[Cypriot refugees|displaced]] over 150,000 Greek Cypriots<ref>Barbara Rose Johnston, Susan Slyomovics. ''Waging War, Making Peace: Reparations and Human Rights'' (2009), American Anthropological Association Reparations Task Force, [https://books.google.com/books?id=jOU9_BQU9SYC&pg=PA211 p. 211] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412133508/https://books.google.com/books?id=jOU9_BQU9SYC&pg=PA211 |date=12 April 2016}}</ref><ref>Morelli, Vincent. ''Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive'' (2011), DIANE Publishing, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dyWwReoc81oC&pg=PA10 p. 10] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413033218/https://books.google.com/books?id=dyWwReoc81oC&pg=PA10& |date=13 April 2016}}</ref> and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots.<ref>Borowiec, Andrew. ''Cyprus: A Troubled Island'' (2000), Greenwood Publishing Group, [https://books.google.com/books?id=hzEDg6-d80MC&pg=PA125 p. 125] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412142842/https://books.google.com/books?id=hzEDg6-d80MC&pg=PA125 |date=12 April 2016}}</ref> A separate [[Northern Cyprus|Turkish Cypriot state]] in the north was [[Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|established by unilateral declaration in 1983]], which was widely condemned by the [[international community]] and remains recognised only by Turkey. These events and the resulting political situation remain subject to [[Cyprus problem|an ongoing dispute]].

Cyprus is a [[Developed country|developed country]], with a [[representative democracy]], advanced [[high income economy|high-income economy]] and very high [[Human Development Index|human development]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Lesley Pender |author2=Richard Sharpley |title=The Management of Tourism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R9r90RAJM5cC&pg=PA273 |year=2005 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-0-7619-4022-7 |page=273 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910231130/https://books.google.com/books?id=R9r90RAJM5cC&pg=PA273 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Richard Sharpley|title=Tourism Development and the Environment: Beyond Sustainability?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=id8Me6CogPYC&pg=PT296 |date=16 May 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-57330-9 |page=296 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918182700/https://books.google.com/books?id=id8Me6CogPYC&pg=PT296 |archive-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Sharpley, Richard |author2=Telfer, David John |title=Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wvo1sIjZH3UC&pg=PA334 |year=2002 |publisher=Channel View Publications |isbn=978-1-873150-34-4 |page=334 |access-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918222742/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wvo1sIjZH3UC&pg=PA334 |archive-date=18 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The island's intense [[Mediterranean climate]] and rich cultural heritage, which features both Greek and Turkish elements,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-21 |title=Cyprus {{!}} History, Flag, Map, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Cyprus |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> make it a major [[Tourism in Cyprus|tourist destination]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-03 |title=Cyprus {{!}} History, Flag, Map, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Cyprus |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Cyprus is a member of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and a [[Cyprus and the Non-Aligned Movement|founding member]] of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] until it [[Cyprus and the European Union|joined the European Union]] in 2004;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nam.gov.za/background/background.htm#4|title=The Non-Aligned Movement: Background Information |date=21 September 2001 |publisher=[[Non-Aligned Movement]] |access-date=19 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209210107/http://www.nam.gov.za/background/background.htm#4 |archive-date=9 February 2016}}</ref> it joined the [[eurozone]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Human Development Index (HDI)–2011 Rankings |url=https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/war_peace/confrontation/hcypruseu.html |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |access-date=17 November 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403004203/http://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/war_peace/confrontation/hcypruseu.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Cyprus has long maintained [[Cyprus–NATO relations|good relations]] with [[NATO]] and announced in 2024 its intention to officially join.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cyprus Wants U.S. Help to Join NATO, But Turkey Stands in the Way |url=https://www.thenationalherald.com/cyprus-wants-u-s-help-to-join-nato-but-turkey-stands-in-the-way/ |website=[[The National Herald]] |access-date=13 December 2024 |date=7 December 2024}}</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:Geology of Cyprus-SkiriotissaMine.jpg|thumb|A copper mine in Cyprus. In antiquity, Cyprus was a major source of copper.]]

The earliest attested reference to ''Cyprus'' is the 15th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BC [[Mycenaean Greek]] {{lang|gmy|{{script|Linb|𐀓𐀠𐀪𐀍}}}}, ''ku-pi-ri-jo'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Strange |first=John|title=Caphtor : Keftiu : a new investigation |year=1980 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-06256-6|page=167 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c9QUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA154 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911013629/https://books.google.com/books?id=c9QUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA154 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> meaning "Cypriot" (Greek: {{lang|grc|Κύπριος}}), written in [[Linear B]] syllabic script.<ref>[http://www.palaeolexicon.com/ Palaeolexicon] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203111627/http://palaeolexicon.com/ |date=3 February 2011}}, Word study tool of ancient languages</ref>
The classical Greek form of the name is {{lang|grc|Κύπρος}} (''Kýpros'').

The etymology of the name is unknown.
Suggestions include:
* the Greek word for the [[Cupressus|Mediterranean cypress tree]] (''[[Cupressus sempervirens]]''), κυπάρισσος (''kypárissos'')
* the Greek name of the [[Lawsonia inermis|henna tree]] (''Lawsonia alba''), κύπρος (''kýpros'')
* an [[Eteocypriot]] word for copper. It has been suggested, for example, that it has roots in the [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] word for copper (''zubar'') or for [[bronze]] (''kubar''), from the large deposits of copper ore found on the island.<ref name="Beekes 2009"/>

Through overseas trade, the island has given its name to the [[Classical Latin]] word for copper through the phrase ''aes Cyprium'', "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to ''Cuprum''.<ref name="Beekes 2009">[[Robert S. P. Beekes|R.&nbsp;S.&nbsp;P. Beekes]], ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p.&nbsp;805 (''s.v.'' "Κύπρος").</ref><ref>Fisher, Fred H. ''Cyprus: Our New Colony And What We Know About It''. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1878, pp.&nbsp;13–14.</ref>

The standard [[demonym]] relating to Cyprus or its people or culture is ''[[Cypriot (disambiguation)|Cypriot]]''. The terms ''Cypriote'' and ''Cyprian'' (later [[Cyprian (disambiguation)|a personal name]]) are also used, though less frequently.

The state's official name in [[Greek language|Greek]] literally translates to "Cypriot Republic" in English, but this translation is not used officially; "Republic of Cyprus" is used instead.<!-- this can be added to the note in the first sentence of the lead -->

==History==
{{Main|History of Cyprus}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Cypriot history}}

[[File:Choirokoitia.jpg|thumb|Archaeological site of [[Khirokitia]] with early remains of human habitation during the Aceramic Neolithic period (reconstruction)]]

===Prehistoric and ancient period===
{{Main|Prehistoric Cyprus|Ancient history of Cyprus}}

Hunter-gatherers first arrived on Cyprus around 13–12,000 years ago (11,000 to 10,000 BC), based on dating of sites like [[Aetokremnos]] on the south coast and the inland site of Vretsia Roudias.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tsakalos |first1=Evangelos |last2=Efstratiou |first2=Nikos |last3=Bassiakos |first3=Yannis |last4=Kazantzaki |first4=Maria |last5=Filippaki |first5=Eleni |date=2021-08-01 |title=Early Cypriot Prehistory: On the Traces of the Last Hunters and Gatherers on the Island—Preliminary Results of Luminescence Dating |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716100 |journal=Current Anthropology |language=en |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=412–425 |doi=10.1086/716100 |issn=0011-3204 |access-date=26 April 2024 |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421225321/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/716100 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The arrival of the first humans coincides with the extinction of the {{Convert|75|cm|ft|abbr=on}} high [[Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus]] and {{Convert|1|m}} tall [[Cyprus Dwarf Elephant|Cyprus dwarf elephant]], the only large mammals native to the island.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.asor.org/pubs/books-monographs/swiny.pdf |title=The Earliest Prehistory of Cyprus: From Colonization to Exploitation |publisher=[[American Schools of Oriental Research]] |year=2001 |editor=Stuart Swiny |location=Boston, MA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606210529/http://www.asor.org/pubs/books-monographs/swiny.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Neolithic]] farming communities emerged on the island by around 10,500 years ago (8500 BC).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bar-Yosef Mayer |first1=Daniella E. |last2=Kahanov |first2=Yaacov |last3=Roskin |first3=Joel |last4=Gildor |first4=Hezi |date=2015-09-02 |title=Neolithic Voyages to Cyprus: Wind Patterns, Routes, and Mechanisms |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15564894.2015.1060277 |journal=The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology |language=en |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=412–435 |doi=10.1080/15564894.2015.1060277 |issn=1556-4894 |access-date=26 April 2024 |archive-date=28 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528133150/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15564894.2015.1060277 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Remains of an eight-month-old cat were discovered buried with a human body at a separate [[Neolithic]] site in Cyprus.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wade |first=Nicholas |title=Study Traces Cat's Ancestry to Middle East |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/health/29iht-29cat.6404420.html |access-date=4 October 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509004708/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/health/29iht-29cat.6404420.html |archive-date=9 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The grave is estimated to be 9,500 years old (7500&nbsp;BC), predating [[ancient Egypt]]ian civilisation and pushing back the [[Domestication of the cat|earliest known feline-human association]] significantly.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marsha |last=Walton |title=Ancient burial looks like human and pet cat |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/04/08/cats.cyprus/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=9 April 2004 |access-date=23 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222092756/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/04/08/cats.cyprus/index.html |archive-date=22 December 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The remarkably well-preserved Neolithic village of [[Khirokitia]] is a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]], dating to approximately 6800&nbsp;BC.<ref>Simmons, A.&nbsp;H. ''Faunal extinction in an island society: pygmy hippopotamus hunters of Cyprus''. New York: Springer 1999, p.&nbsp;15. [https://books.google.com/books?id=hCwYwyEBXEAC&pg=PA15] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412181518/https://books.google.com/books?id=hCwYwyEBXEAC&pg=PA15|date=12 April 2016}}</ref>

During the Late [[Bronze Age]], from around 1650 BC Cyprus (identified in whole or part as [[Alashiya]] in contemporary texts) became more connected to the wider Mediterranean world driven by the trade in [[copper]] extracted from the Troodos Mountains, which stimulated the development of urbanised settlements across the island, with records suggesting that Cyprus at this time was ruled by "kings" who corresponded with the leaders of other Mediterranean states (like the [[pharaoh]]s of the [[New Kingdom of Egypt]], as documented in the [[Amarna letters]]).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Knapp |first1=A. Bernard |last2=Meyer |first2=Nathan |date=2023-07-01 |title=Merchants and Mercantile Society on Late Bronze Age Cyprus |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/724597 |journal=American Journal of Archaeology |language=en |volume=127 |issue=3 |pages=309–338 |doi=10.1086/724597 |issn=0002-9114 |access-date=26 April 2024 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118180509/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/724597 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The first recorded name of a Cypriot king is ''Kushmeshusha'', as appears on letters sent to [[Ugarit]] in the 13th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite book |author=Eric H. Cline |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_M1bCgAAQBAJ |title=1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed |date=22 September 2015 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-7449-1 |access-date=6 January 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121631/https://books.google.com/books?id=_M1bCgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the end of the Bronze Age, the island experienced two waves of Greek settlement.<ref>Thomas, Carol G. and Conant, Craig: ''The Trojan War'', pp.&nbsp;121–122. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. {{ISBN|0-313-32526-X}}, 9780313325267.</ref> The first wave consisted of [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean Greek]] traders, who started visiting Cyprus around 1400&nbsp;BC.<ref>[[Andreas G. Orphanides]], "Late Bronze Age Socio-Economic and Political Organization, and the Hellenization of Cyprus", Athens Journal of History, volume&nbsp;3, number&nbsp;1, 2017, pp.&nbsp;7–20</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YOwOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA168 |title=Greek Pottery in the Bronze Age |author=A.D. Lacy |page=168 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915234014/https://books.google.com/books?id=YOwOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA168 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov">{{cite web |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/frd/frdcstdy/cy/cypruscountrystu00sols/cypruscountrystu00sols.pdf|title=Cyprus : a country study |date=January 1991 |author=Solsten, Eric |website=loc.gov |publisher=Washington, D.C. : Federal Research Division, Library of Congress : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1993]|access-date=August 29, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829043002/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/frd/frdcstdy/cy/cypruscountrystu00sols/cypruscountrystu00sols.pdf|archive-date=August 29, 2025 }}</ref> A major wave of Greek settlement is believed to have taken place following the [[Late Bronze Age collapse]] of Mycenaean Greece from 1100 to 1050&nbsp;BC, with the island's predominantly Greek character dating from this period.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" /><ref>Thomas, Carol G. ''The Trojan War''. Santa Barbara, CA, US: Greenwood Publishing Group 2005. p.&nbsp;64. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UzASgBf2W10C&pg=PA98] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203171026/https://books.google.com/books?id=UzASgBf2W10C&pg=PA98|date=3 December 2015}}</ref>  Cyprus occupies an important role in [[Greek mythology]], being the birthplace of [[Aphrodite]] and [[Adonis]], and home to [[Cinyras|King Cinyras]], [[Teucer]] and [[Pygmalion (mythology)|Pygmalion]].<ref>Stass Paraskos, The Mythology of Cyprus (London: Orage Press, 2016) p.1f</ref> Literary evidence suggests an early Phoenician presence at [[Kition]], which was under [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyrian]] rule at the beginning of the 10th century BC.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hadjisavvas |first=Sophocles |title=The Phoenician Period Necropolis of Kition, Volume&nbsp;I |year=2013 |publisher=Shelby White and Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/wl/publications/2012/hadjisavvas.html |page=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111945/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/wl/publications/2012/hadjisavvas.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=9 September 2019 }}</ref> Some [[Phoenicia]]n merchants who were believed to come from [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] [[colony|colonised]] the area and expanded the political influence of Kition. After c.&nbsp;850&nbsp;BC, the Phoenicians rebuilt and reused the sanctuaries [at the Kathari site].[[File:Kition, Zeus Keraunios.jpg|thumb|upright|Zeus Keraunios, 500–480 BC, Nicosia museum]]

Cyprus is at a strategic location in the Eastern Mediterranean.<ref>{{cite book |author=Getzel M Cohen |title=The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands and Asia Minor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BnsPcZW4G7YC&pg=PA35 |year=1995 |publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-91408-7 |page=35 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911021830/https://books.google.com/books?id=BnsPcZW4G7YC&pg=PA35 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://openpublishing.psu.edu/ahd/content/domes-heaven-domed-basilicas-cyprus|title=Domes of Heaven: The Domed Basilicas of Cyprus|date=2008 |author=Charles A. Stewart|website=openpublishing.psu.edu |isbn=978-0-549-75556-2 |page=69 |publisher= ProQuest LLC|access-date=September 15, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250915091434/https://openpublishing.psu.edu/ahd/content/domes-heaven-domed-basilicas-cyprus|archive-date=September 15, 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Michael Spilling |author2=Jo-ann Spilling |title=Cyprus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ldSQLD985i4C&pg=PA23 |year=2010 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-4855-6 |page=23 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412132426/https://books.google.com/books?id=ldSQLD985i4C&pg=PA23 |archive-date=12 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was ruled by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] for a century starting in 708&nbsp;BC, before a brief spell under Egyptian rule and eventually [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] rule in 545&nbsp;BC.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" /> The Cypriots, led by [[Onesilus]], king of Salamis, joined their fellow Greeks in the [[Ionia]]n cities during the unsuccessful [[Ionian Revolt]] in 499&nbsp;BC against the Achaemenids. The revolt was suppressed, but Cyprus managed to maintain a high degree of autonomy and remained inclined towards the Greek world.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" /> 

During the whole period of the Persian rule, there is a continuity in the reign of the Cypriot kings, and during their rebellions they were crushed by Persian rulers from Asia Minor, which is an indication that the Cypriots were ruling the island with directly regulated relations with the Great King and there was not a Persian [[satrap]].<ref name="Parpas">{{Cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/8861166 |title=Alexander the Great and the Kingdoms of Cyprus – a Reconsideration |access-date=7 August 2022 |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807195911/https://www.academia.edu/8861166 |url-status=live |last1=Parpas |first1=Andreas P. |date=19 October 2014 }}</ref> The Kingdoms of Cyprus enjoyed special privileges and a semi-autonomous status, but they were still considered vassal subjects of the Great King.<ref name="Parpas"/>

The island was conquered by [[Alexander the Great]] in 333&nbsp;BC, and Cypriot navy helped Alexander during the [[siege of Tyre (332 BC)]]. The Cypriot fleet was also sent to help [[Amphoterus (admiral)|Amphoterus]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0530%3Abook%3D3%3Achapter%3D6%3Asection%3D3 |title=Arrian, Anabasis, 3.6.3 |access-date=7 August 2022 |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807201301/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0530:book%3D3:chapter%3D6:section%3D3 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, Alexander had two Cypriot generals [[Stasander]] and [[Stasanor]] both from the [[Soli, Cyprus|Soli]] and later both became satraps in Alexander's empire.
Following Alexander's death, the [[Partition of Babylon|division of his empire]], and the subsequent [[Wars of the Diadochi]], Cyprus became part of the [[Hellenistic civilization|Hellenistic empire]] of [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic Egypt]]. It was during this period that the island was fully [[Hellenization|Hellenised]]. In 58&nbsp;BC Cyprus was acquired by the [[Roman Republic]] and became [[Roman Cyprus]] in 22 BC.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov"/>

===Middle Ages===
{{Main|Cyprus in the Middle Ages|Kingdom of Cyprus}}

[[File:Nicosia by Giacomo Franco.jpg|thumb|The [[Walls of Nicosia]] were built by the Venetians to defend the city in case of an Ottoman attack.]]
[[File:Kyrenia 01-2017 img11 Castle exterior.jpg|thumb|[[Kyrenia Castle]] was originally built by the Byzantines and enlarged by the Venetians.]]
When the [[Roman Empire]] was divided into Eastern and Western parts in 286, Cyprus became part of the East Roman Empire (also called the [[Byzantine Empire]]); the island would remain part of the empire for some 900 years. Under Byzantine rule, the Greek orientation that had been prominent since antiquity developed the strong Hellenistic-Christian character that continues to be a hallmark of the Greek Cypriot community.<ref name="Keefe 1993">{{Country study |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |country=Cyprus |abbr=cy |title=Cyprus: A Country Study |url= https://www.loc.gov/item/92036090/ |edition=Fourth |editor-last=Solsten |editor-first=Eric |year=1993 |isbn=0-8444-0752-6 |last1=Keefe |first1=Eugene K. |last2=Solsten |first2=Eric |chapter=Historical Setting |pages=10–12}}</ref>

Beginning in 649, Cyprus endured repeated attacks and raids launched by [[Umayyad Caliphate]]. Many were quick raids, but others were large-scale attacks in which many Cypriots were killed and great wealth carried off or destroyed.<ref name="Keefe 1993"/> The city of [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]] was destroyed and never rebuilt.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov"/> Byzantine control remained stronger in the northern coast, the Arabs exerted more influence in the south. In 688, Emperor [[Justinian II|Justinian&nbsp;II]] and Caliph [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan|Abd al-Malik]] signed a treaty whereby Cyprus would be paying an equal amount of tribute to the Caliphate and tax to the Empire, but would remain politically neutral to both while being retained as a province administered by the Empire. There are no Byzantine churches which survive from this period, and the island entered a period of impoverishment.<ref>{{cite book |first=David Michael |author-link=Michael Metcalf |last=Metcalf |title=Byzantine Cyprus, 491–1191 |publisher=Cyprus Research Centre |year=2009|pages=32–33; 427–421}}</ref> Full Byzantine rule was restored in 965, when Emperor [[Nikephoros II Phokas|Nikephoros&nbsp;II Phokas]] scored decisive victories on land and sea.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" />

In 1156, [[Raynald of Châtillon]] and [[Thoros II|Thoros II of Armenia]] conducted a three-week military occupation and systematic sack of Cyprus. They extracted extensive tribute and captured prominent citizens for ransom, causing widespread devastation that critically hindered the island's economy for decades. Several Greek priests were mutilated and sent away to Constantinople.<ref>Norwich, J. J. (1995) ''Byzantium: The Decline and Fall''. London: Viking, p. 121</ref>

In 1185, [[Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus|Isaac Komnenos]], a member of the Byzantine imperial family, took over Cyprus and declared it independent of the Empire. In 1191, during the [[Third Crusade]], [[Richard I of England]] captured the island from Isaac.<ref>Riddle, J.M. ''A History of the Middle Ages''. Lanham, MD, US: Rowman & Littlefield 2008. p.&nbsp;326. [https://books.google.com/books?id=rhWpPr93KjMC&pg=PA326] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915220219/https://books.google.com/books?id=rhWpPr93KjMC&pg=PA326|date=15 September 2015}}</ref> He used it as a major supply base that was relatively safe from the [[Saracen]]s. A year later Richard sold the island to the [[Knights Templar]], who, following a bloody revolt, in turn sold it to [[Guy of Lusignan]]. His brother and successor [[Aimery of Cyprus|Aimery]] was recognised as [[Kingdom of Cyprus|King of Cyprus]] by [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]].<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" />

Following the death in 1473 of [[James II of Cyprus|James&nbsp;II]], the last Lusignan king, the [[Republic of Venice]] assumed control of the island, while the late king's Venetian widow, Queen [[Catherine Cornaro]], reigned as figurehead. Venice formally annexed the [[Kingdom of Cyprus]] in 1489, following the abdication of Catherine.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" /> The Venetians fortified [[Nicosia]] by building the [[Walls of Nicosia]], and used it as an important commercial hub. Throughout Venetian rule, the [[Ottoman Empire]] frequently raided Cyprus. In 1539 the Ottomans destroyed [[Limassol]] and so fearing the worst, the Venetians also fortified [[Famagusta]] and [[Kyrenia]].<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" />

Although the Lusignan French aristocracy remained the dominant social class in Cyprus throughout the medieval period, the former assumption that Greeks were treated only as serfs on the island<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" /> is no longer considered by academics to be accurate. It is now accepted that the medieval period saw increasing numbers of Greek Cypriots elevated to the upper classes, a growing Greek [[middle class|middle ranks]],<ref>See James G. Schryver, 'Colonialism or Conviviencia in Frankish Cyprus?' in I.W. Zartman (ed.), ''Understanding Life in the Borderlands: Boundaries in Depth and in Motio'' (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2010) pp.&nbsp;133–159; see also Evangelia Skoufari "Cyprus during the 16th&nbsp;century: a Frankish kingdom, a Venetian colony, a multicultural society", in ''Joves pensant la Mediterrània – Mar de diàleg'', no.&nbsp;5 dir. Enric Olivé Serret, Tarragona, Publicacions de la Universitat Rovira y Virgili, Tarragona 2008, pp.&nbsp;283–295.</ref> and the Lusignan royal household even marrying Greeks. This included King [[John II of Cyprus|John&nbsp;II of Cyprus]] who married [[Helena Palaiologina]].<ref>Benjamin Arbel, David Jacoby, ''Intercultural Contacts in the Medieval Mediterranean'', (London: Taylor and Francis, 1996) p.&nbsp;45</ref>

===Ottoman Cyprus===
{{Main|Ottoman Cyprus}}

[[File:Atlas Ortelius KB PPN369376781-073av-073br.jpg|thumb|left|''Cypri insvlae nova descript. 1573'', Ioannes à Deutecum f[ecit]. "Map of the island of Cyprus, newly drawn by Johannes van Deutecom in 1573."]]
In 1570, a full-scale Ottoman assault with 60,000 troops brought the island under Ottoman control, despite stiff resistance by the inhabitants of Nicosia and Famagusta. Ottoman forces capturing Cyprus [[Cyprus massacre|massacred]] many Greek and Armenian Christian inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/7.htm |editor=Eric Solsten |title=Cyprus: A Country Study |location=Washington |publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress |date=1991 |website=Countrystudies.us |access-date=16 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117041546/http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/7.htm |archive-date=17 January 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The previous Latin elite were destroyed and the first significant demographic change since antiquity took place with the formation of a Muslim community.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mallinson |first=William |title=Cyprus: A Modern History |publisher=I.&nbsp;B. Tauris |date=30 June 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HEjkuhF2GsMC&pg=PA81 |isbn=978-1-85043-580-8 |page=1 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121124/https://books.google.com/books?id=HEjkuhF2GsMC&pg=PA81 |url-status=live }}</ref> Soldiers who fought in the conquest settled on the island and Turkish peasants and craftsmen were brought to the island from [[Anatolia]].<ref>{{citation |last=Orhonlu |first=Cengiz |year=2010 |chapter=The Ottoman Turks Settle in Cyprus |title=The First International Congress of Cypriot Studies: Presentations of the Turkish Delegation |editor1-last=Inalcık |editor1-first=Halil |page=99 |publisher=Institute for the Study of Turkish Culture}}</ref> This new community also included banished Anatolian tribes, "undesirable" persons and members of various "troublesome" Muslim sects, as well as a number of new converts on the island.<ref>{{citation |last=Jennings |first=Ronald |year=1993 |title=Christians and Muslims in Ottoman Cyprus and the Mediterranean World, 1571–1640 |page=232 |publisher=New York University Press |isbn=978-0-8147-4181-8}}</ref>
[[File:Buyuk Han, Nicosia - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Büyük Han]], a [[caravanserai]] in Nicosia, is an example of the surviving Ottoman architecture in Cyprus.]]
The Ottomans abolished the [[feudal]] system previously in place and applied the [[Millet (Ottoman Empire)|millet system]] to Cyprus, under which non-Muslim peoples were governed by their own religious authorities. In a reversal from the days of Latin rule, the head of the [[Church of Cyprus]] was invested as leader of the Greek Cypriot population and acted as mediator between Christian Greek Cypriots and the Ottoman authorities. This status ensured that the Church of Cyprus was in a position to end the [[Catholic Church]]'s constant expansion efforts on the island.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/Embassies/Embassy_Madrid.nsf/all/6A33D29D666143A6C1257A36002ECA14/$file/ChipreUnaVisionHistorica.pdf?openelement |title=Cyprus a Historical Overview (Chipre Una Visión Historica) |work=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus website |first=William |last=Mallinson |format=PDF |language=es |access-date=22 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017133438/http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/Embassies/Embassy_Madrid.nsf/all/6A33D29D666143A6C1257A36002ECA14/$file/ChipreUnaVisionHistorica.pdf?openelement |archive-date=17 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Ottoman rule of Cyprus was at times indifferent, at times oppressive, depending on the temperaments of the sultans and local officials.<ref name="Ottoman">[http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/7.htm Cyprus – Ottoman Rule] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117041546/http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/7.htm |date=17 January 2013}}, ''U.S. Library of Congress''</ref>

The ratio of Muslims to Christians fluctuated throughout the period of Ottoman domination. In 1777–78, 47,000 Muslims constituted a majority over the island's 37,000 Christians.<ref>{{citation |last=Hatay |first=Mete |year=2007 |title=Is the Turkish Cypriot population shrinking?|url=http://www.prio.org/Global/upload/Cyprus/Publications/Is%20the%20Turkish%20Cypriot%20Population%20Shrinking.pdf |page=19 |publisher=International Peace Research Institute |isbn=978-82-7288-244-9 |access-date=February 4, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702022552/https://www.prio.org/Global/upload/Cyprus/Publications/Is%20the%20Turkish%20Cypriot%20Population%20Shrinking.pdf |archive-date=2 July 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> By 1872, the population of the island had risen to 144,000, comprising 44,000 Muslims and 100,000 Christians.<ref>''Osmanli Nufusu 1830–1914'' by [[Kemal Karpat]], {{ISBN|975-333-169-X}} and ''Die Völker des Osmanischen'' by Ritter zur Helle von Samo.</ref> The Muslim population included numerous [[crypto-Christians]],<ref name="Jennings 1992">{{cite book |author=Ronald Jennings |title=Christians and Muslims in Ottoman Cyprus and the Mediterranean World, 1571–1640 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dslYF9LopnMC&pg=PT596 |date=1 August 1992 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=978-0-8147-4318-8 |pages=596– |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412181717/https://books.google.com/books?id=dslYF9LopnMC&pg=PT596 |archive-date=12 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> including the [[Linobambaki]], a crypto-Catholic community that arose due to religious persecution of the Catholic community by the Ottoman authorities;<ref name="Jennings 1992"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Captain A.&nbsp;R. Savile|title=Cyprus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nxj9a-Stax4C&pg=PA130|year=1878 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |page=130 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911024127/https://books.google.com/books?id=nxj9a-Stax4C&pg=PA130 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> this community would assimilate into the Turkish Cypriot community during British rule.<ref>{{cite book |author=Chrysostomos Pericleous |title=Cyprus Referendum: A Divided Island and the Challenge of the Annan Plan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PHQAAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 |year=2009 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=978-0-85771-193-9 |page=131 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911014545/https://books.google.com/books?id=PHQAAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

As soon as the [[Greek War of Independence]] broke out in 1821, several Greek Cypriots left for Greece to join the Greek forces. In response, the Ottoman governor of Cyprus arrested and executed 486 prominent Greek Cypriots, including the Archbishop of Cyprus, [[Kyprianos of Cyprus|Kyprianos]], and four other bishops.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Farid |title=Historical dictionary of Cyprus |date=2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Md. [u.a.] |isbn=978-0-8108-6298-2 |pages=xxvii, 124 |edition=[Online-Ausg.]. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f82Jn_H4VukC}}</ref> In 1828, modern Greece's first president [[Ioannis Kapodistrias]] called for union of Cyprus with Greece, and numerous minor uprisings took place.<ref>{{cite book |author1=William Mallinson |author2=Bill Mallinson |title=Cyprus: a modern history |url=https://archive.org/details/cyprusmodernhist00mall |url-access=limited |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year= 2005 |page=[https://archive.org/details/cyprusmodernhist00mall/page/n30 10]|isbn=978-1-85043-580-8}}</ref> Reaction to Ottoman misrule led to uprisings by both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, although none were successful. After centuries of neglect by the Ottoman Empire, the poverty of most of the people and the ever-present tax collectors fuelled Greek nationalism, and by the 20th century the idea of ''[[enosis|union]]'' with newly independent Greece was firmly rooted among Greek Cypriots.<ref name="Ottoman" />

Under Ottoman rule, numeracy, school enrolment and literacy rates were all low. They persisted some time after Ottoman rule ended, and then increased rapidly during the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite book |author=Baten, Jörg |title=A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present. |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=51 |isbn=978-1-107-50718-0}}</ref>

===British Cyprus===
{{Main|British Cyprus|Modern history of Cyprus|Cyprus Emergency}}

[[File:Hosting the British flag at Nicosia.jpg|thumb|upright|Hoisting the British flag at Nicosia]]

In the aftermath of the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)]] and the [[Congress of Berlin]], Cyprus was [[Cyprus Convention|leased]] to the [[British Empire]] which de facto took over its administration in 1878 (though, in terms of sovereignty, Cyprus remained a ''[[de jure]]'' Ottoman territory until 5 November 1914, together with [[Khedivate of Egypt|Egypt and Sudan]])<ref name="Lausanne"/> in exchange for guarantees that Britain would use the island as a base to protect the Ottoman Empire against possible Russian aggression.<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" />

[[File:Cypriot demonstration 1930.jpg|thumb|[[Greek Cypriots|Greek Cypriot]] demonstrations for [[Enosis]] (union with Greece) in 1930]]
The island would serve Britain as a key military base for its colonial routes. By 1906, when the Famagusta harbour was completed, Cyprus was a strategic naval outpost overlooking the [[Suez Canal]], the crucial main route to India which was then Britain's most important overseas possession. Following the outbreak of the [[First World War]] and the decision of the Ottoman Empire to join the war on the side of the [[Central Powers]], on 5 November 1914 the British Empire formally annexed Cyprus and declared the Ottoman ''[[Khedive|Khedivate]]'' of [[Khedivate of Egypt|Egypt and Sudan]] a [[Sultanate of Egypt|''Sultanate'' and British protectorate]].<ref name="Lausanne"/><ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov"/>

In October 1915, Britain offered Cyprus to Greece, ruled by King [[Constantine I of Greece]], on the condition that Greece join the war on the side of the British and went to [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]]'s assistance, in order to fulfill her Treaty obligations under the [[Greek–Serbian Alliance of 1913|Serbo-Greek pact]] of May 1913.<ref name=Stavridis>Stavridis, Stavros Terry (31 July 1993),
''Greek-Cypriot Enosis of October 1915: "A Lost Opportunity?"''. [[La Trobe University]]. p. 289. Retrieved 5 August 2024.</ref> It gave Greece a "golden opportunity" in achieving ''[[enosis]]'' with Cyprus.<ref name=Stavridis/> Alternatively it was a "lost opportunity" when the [[Alexandros Zaimis|Zaimis]] administration declined the British proposal.<ref name=Stavridis/>

In 1923, under the [[Treaty of Lausanne (1923)|Treaty of Lausanne]], the nascent Turkish republic relinquished any claim to Cyprus,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Xypolia |first=Ilia |title='Cypriot Muslims among Ottomans, Turks and British |journal=Bogazici Journal |year=2011 |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=109–120 |doi=10.21773/boun.25.2.6 |doi-access=free| issn = 1300-9583}}</ref> and in 1925 it was declared a British [[crown colony]].<ref name="lcweb2.loc.gov" /> During the [[Second World War]], many Greek and Turkish Cypriots enlisted in the [[Cyprus Regiment]].

The Greek Cypriot population, meanwhile, had become hopeful that the British administration would lead to ''enosis''. The idea of ''enosis'' was historically part of the ''[[Megali Idea]]'', a greater political ambition of a Greek state encompassing the territories with large Greek populations in the former Ottoman Empire, including Cyprus and [[Asia Minor]] with a capital in [[Constantinople]], and was actively pursued by the [[Cypriot Orthodox Church]], which had its members educated in Greece. These religious officials, together with Greek military officers and professionals, some of whom still pursued the ''Megali Idea'', would later found the guerrilla organisation [[EOKA]] ''(Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston'' or National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ker-Lindsay |first1=James |title=The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know |date=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-975716-9 |pages=14–5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xTL382g5sWwC |quote=They hoped that the transfer of administration would pave the way for the island to be united with Greece—an aspiration known as 'enosis'. At the time, these calls for enosis were not just limited to Cyprus. Instead, Cyprus was part of a wider political movement&nbsp;... This overarching political ambition was known as the Megali Idea (Great Idea).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lange |first1=Matthew |title=Educations in Ethnic Violence: Identity, Educational Bubbles, and Resource Mobilization |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-50544-4 |page=88 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ac2NRpHoY3EC}}</ref> The Greek Cypriots viewed the island as historically Greek and believed that union with Greece was a natural right.<ref name="Diez 2002" /> In the 1950s, the pursuit of ''enosis'' became a part of the Greek national policy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huth |first1=Paul |title=Standing Your Ground: Territorial Disputes and International Conflict |date=2009 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-02204-5 |page=206 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NIAc-R5fgQoC |quote=From early 1950s onward Greece has favored union with Cyprus through a policy of enosis}}</ref>

[[File:Street riot in Nicosia 1956.jpg|thumb|A British soldier facing a crowd of Greek Cypriot demonstrators in Nicosia (1956)]]

Initially, the Turkish Cypriots favoured the continuation of the British rule.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Papadakis |first1=Yiannis |last2=Peristianis |first2=Nicos |last3=Welz |first3=Gisela |title=Divided Cyprus: Modernity, History, and an Island in Conflict |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-11191-3 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wzPG7b_m4swC&pg=PA2}}</ref> However, they were alarmed by the Greek Cypriot calls for ''enosis'', as they saw the union of [[Cretan State|Crete]] with Greece, which led to the exodus of [[Cretan Turks]], as a precedent to be avoided,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Isachenko |first1=Daria |title=The Making of Informal States: Statebuilding in Northern Cyprus and Transdniestria |date=2012 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-39207-6 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQeVnXmjBzYC&pg=PA37}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pericleous |first1=Chrysostomos |title=Cyprus Referendum: A Divided Island and the Challenge of the Annan Plan |date=2009 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-85771-193-9 |pages=135–6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PHQAAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA135}}</ref> and they took a pro-partition stance in response to the militant activity of EOKA.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Farid |title=Historical Dictionary of Cyprus |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6298-2 |page=xiv|quote=Greek Cypriots engaged in a military campaign for enosis, union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots, in response, expressed their desire for taksim, partition of the island.}}</ref> The Turkish Cypriots also viewed themselves as a distinct ethnic group of the island and believed in their having a separate right to [[self-determination]] from Greek Cypriots.<ref name="Diez 2002">{{cite book |last1=Diez |first1=Thomas |title=The European Union and the Cyprus Conflict: Modern Conflict, Postmodern Union |date=2002 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-6079-3 |page=83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A4QTUWBEC2kC&pg=PA83}}</ref> Meanwhile, in the 1950s, Turkish leader [[Adnan Menderes|Menderes]] considered Cyprus an "extension of Anatolia", rejected the partition of Cyprus along ethnic lines and favoured the annexation of the whole island to Turkey. Nationalistic slogans centred on the idea that "Cyprus is Turkish" and the ruling party declared Cyprus to be a part of the Turkish homeland that was vital to its security. Upon realising that the fact that the Turkish Cypriot population was only 20% of the islanders made annexation unfeasible, the national policy was changed to favour partition. The slogan "Partition or Death" was frequently used in Turkish Cypriot and Turkish protests starting in the late 1950s and continuing throughout the 1960s. Although after the Zürich and London conferences Turkey seemed to accept the existence of the Cypriot state and to distance itself from its policy of favouring the partition of the island, the goal of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders remained that of creating an independent Turkish state in the northern part of the island.<ref>{{cite book |author=Behlul (Behlul) Ozkan (Ozkan) |title=From the Abode of Islam to the Turkish Vatan: The Making of a National Homeland in Turkey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kCArlsRcHUMC&pg=PA199 |date=26 June 2012 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-18351-1 |page=199 |quote=In line with the nationalist rhetoric that "Cyprus is Turkish", Menderes predicated his declaration upon the geographic proximity between Cyprus and Anatolia, thereby defining "Cyprus as an extension of Anatolia". It was striking that Menderes rejected partitioning the island into two ethnic states, a position that would define Turkey's foreign policy regarding Cyprus after 1957|access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915212612/https://books.google.com/books?id=kCArlsRcHUMC&pg=PA199 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bellingeri 2005">{{cite book |author1=G. Bellingeri |author2=T. Kappler |title=Cipro oggi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pUcSji-f1zYC&pg=PA27 |year=2005 |publisher=Casa editrice il Ponte |isbn=978-88-89465-07-3 |pages=27–29 |quote=The educational and political mobilisation between 1948–1958, aiming at raising Turkish national consciousness, resulted in the involving Turkey as motherland in the Cyprus Question. From then on, Turkey, would work hand in hand with the Turkish Cypriot leadership and the British government to oppose the Greek Cypriot demand for Enosis and realise the partition of Cyprus, which meanwhile became the national policy. |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911010743/https://books.google.com/books?id=pUcSji-f1zYC&pg=PA27 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 1950, the Church of Cyprus organised a [[Cypriot enosis referendum, 1950|referendum]] under the supervision of clerics and with no Turkish Cypriot participation,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grob-Fitzgibbon |first1=Benjamin |title=Imperial Endgame: Britain's Dirty Wars and the End of Empire |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-30038-5 |page=285}}</ref> where 96% of the participating Greek Cypriots voted in favour of ''enosis''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dale C. Tatum |title=Who Influenced Whom?: Lessons from the Cold War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=70NxlYekQIgC&pg=PA43 |access-date=21 August 2013 |date=1 January 2002 |publisher=University Press of America |isbn=978-0-7618-2444-2 |page=43 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012220734/http://books.google.com/books?id=70NxlYekQIgC&pg=PA43 |archive-date=12 October 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Kourvetaris, George A. |title=Studies on modern Greek society and politics |publisher=East European Monographs |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bE5oAAAAMAAJ&q=90%25 |page=347 |isbn=978-0-88033-432-7 |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517125913/https://books.google.com/books?id=bE5oAAAAMAAJ&q=90%25 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hoffmeister 2006" />{{rp|9}} The Greeks were 80.2% of the total island's population at the time ([[Demographics of Cyprus|census 1946]]). Restricted autonomy under a constitution was proposed by the British administration but eventually rejected. In 1955 the EOKA organisation was founded, seeking union with Greece through armed struggle. At the same time the [[Turkish Resistance Organisation]] (TMT), calling for Taksim, or partition, was established by the Turkish Cypriots as a counterweight.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/www.cyprus-conflict.net/mavratsas.html |title=Politics, Social Memory, and Identity in Greek Cyprus since 1974 |author=Caesar V. Mavratsas |publisher=cyprus-conflict.net |access-date=13 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605233259/http://www.cyprus-conflict.net/www.cyprus-conflict.net/mavratsas.html |archive-date=5 June 2008}}</ref> British officials tolerated TMT's creation, fearing that enforcing the law against TMT would harm British relations with the Turkish government.<ref name="Bellingeri 2005" />

===Independence and inter-communal violence===
{{Main|Cyprus crisis of 1963–64}}

{{multiple image
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| footer            = The first president of Cyprus, [[Makarios III]] (left), and the first vice-president of Cyprus, [[Fazıl Küçük]] (right)
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During British rule, the future of the island became a matter of disagreement between the two prominent ethnic communities, [[Greek Cypriots]], who made up 77% of the population in 1960, and [[Turkish Cypriots]], who made up 18% of the population. From the 19th century onwards, the Greek Cypriot population pursued ''[[enosis]]'', union with [[Greece]], which became a Greek national policy in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Faustmann |first1=Hubert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzIXtVdDDwgC&pg=PA48 |title=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |last2=Ker-Lindsay |first2=James |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-03911-096-4 |page=48 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121228/https://books.google.com/books?id=AzIXtVdDDwgC&pg=PA48#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Farid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f82Jn_H4VukC&pg=PA25 |title=Historical Dictionary of Cyprus |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810862982 |page=25 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517123640/https://books.google.com/books?id=f82Jn_H4VukC&pg=PA25#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The Turkish Cypriot population initially advocated the continuation of the British rule, then demanded the annexation of the island to Turkey, and in the 1950s, together with Turkey, established a policy of ''[[Taksim (politics)|taksim]]'', the partition of Cyprus and the creation of a Turkish polity in the north.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trimikliniotis |first1=Nicos |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zS_HAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104 |title=Beyond a Divided Cyprus: A State and Society in Transformation |date=2012 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-137-10080-1 |page=104 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517121219/https://books.google.com/books?id=zS_HAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Ethnographic distribution in Cyprus 1960.jpg|thumb|Ethnic map of Cyprus according to the 1960 census]]
Cyprus was [[London and Zürich Agreements|granted independence]] in 1960, following an armed campaign spearheaded by EOKA.<ref name="independence">[http://www.parliament.cy/parliamenteng/index.htm Cyprus date of independence] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613002758/http://www.parliament.cy/parliamenteng/index.htm|date=13 June 2006}} (click on Historical review)</ref> As per the [[Zürich and London Agreement]], Cyprus officially attained independence on 16 August 1960, and at the time had a total population of 573,566; of whom 442,138 (77.1%) were Greeks, 104,320 (18.2%) Turks, and 27,108 (4.7%) others.<ref name="Solsten2">[http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/21.htm Eric Solsten, ed. ''Cyprus: A Country Study''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511100228/http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/21.htm |date=11 May 2011}}, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 1991.</ref> The UK retained the two [[Sovereign Base Areas]] of [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]], while government posts and public offices were allocated by ethnic quotas, giving the minority Turkish Cypriots a permanent veto, 30% in parliament and administration, and granting the three mother-states guarantor rights.

However, the division of power as foreseen by the constitution soon resulted in legal impasses and discontent on both sides, and nationalist militants started training again, with the military support of Greece and Turkey respectively. The Greek Cypriot leadership believed that the rights given to Turkish Cypriots under the 1960 constitution were too extensive and designed the [[Akritas plan]], which was aimed at reforming the constitution in favour of Greek Cypriots, persuading the international community about the correctness of the changes and violently subjugating Turkish Cypriots in a few days should they not accept the plan.<ref name="Solsten1">[http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/12.htm Eric Solsten, ed. ''Cyprus: A Country Study''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012050603/http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/12.htm |date=12 October 2011}}, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 1991.</ref> Tensions were heightened when Cypriot President Archbishop [[Makarios&nbsp;III]] called for [[Zürich and London Agreement#13 Amendments proposed by Makarios III|constitutional changes]], which were rejected by Turkey<ref name="Hoffmeister 2006">{{cite book |author=Hoffmeister, Frank |title=Legal aspects of the Cyprus problem: Annan Plan and EU accession |publisher=EMartinus Nijhoff Publishers |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LZXbg3ZwvGoC |isbn=978-90-04-15223-6 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517123627/https://books.google.com/books?id=LZXbg3ZwvGoC |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|17–20}} and opposed by Turkish Cypriots.<ref name="Solsten1" />

Intercommunal violence [[Bloody Christmas (1963)|erupted]] on 21 December 1963, when two Turkish Cypriots were killed at an incident involving the Greek Cypriot police. The violence resulted in the death of 364&nbsp;Turkish and 174&nbsp;Greek Cypriots,<ref>Oberling, Pierre. ''The road to Bellapais'' (1982), Social Science Monographs, [https://books.google.com/books?id=XIK6AAAAIAAJ&q=According+to+official+records%2C+364+Turkish+Cypriots+and+174+Greek+Cypriots+were+killed+during+the+1963-1964+crisis. p.&nbsp;120] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428082807/https://books.google.com/books?id=XIK6AAAAIAAJ&q=According+to+official+records,+364+Turkish+Cypriots+and+174+Greek+Cypriots+were+killed+during+the+1963-1964+crisis. |date=28 April 2023 }}: "According to official records, 364&nbsp;Turkish Cypriots and 174&nbsp;Greek Cypriots were killed during the 1963–1964 crisis."</ref> destruction of 109 Turkish Cypriot or mixed villages and displacement of 25,000–30,000 Turkish Cypriots. The crisis ended the government's legitimacy to Turkish Cypriots and began their withdrawal from the administration;<ref name="Hoffmeister 2006" />{{rp|56–59}} the nature of this event is still controversial. In some areas, Greek Cypriots prevented Turkish Cypriots from travelling and entering government buildings, while some Turkish Cypriots willingly withdrew in response to the calls of the Turkish Cypriot administration.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ker-Lindsay |first1=James |title=The Cyprus Problem: What Everyone Needs to Know |date=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-975716-9 |pages=35–6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xTL382g5sWwC |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517123104/https://books.google.com/books?id=xTL382g5sWwC |url-status=live }}</ref> Turkish Cypriots started living in [[Turkish Cypriot enclaves|enclaves]]. The republic's structure was changed, unilaterally, by Makarios, and Nicosia was divided by the [[Green Line (Cyprus)|Green Line]], with the deployment of [[UNFICYP]] troops.<ref name="Hoffmeister 2006" />{{rp|56–59}}

In 1964, Turkey threatened to invade Cyprus<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/10/newsid_3037000/3037898.stm |work=BBC News |date=24 April 2004 |access-date=25 October 2009 |title=1964: Guns fall silent in Cyprus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217190225/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/10/newsid_3037000/3037898.stm |archive-date=17 December 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> in response to the continuing [[Cypriot intercommunal violence]], but a strongly worded telegram from US President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] on 5 June halted them, warning that the US would not stand beside Turkey in case of a consequential Soviet invasion of Turkish territory.<ref>{{cite book |title=Johnson's 1964 letter to Inonu and Greek lobbying of the White House |author=Jacob M. Landau|publisher=Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations |year=1979}}</ref> Meanwhile, by 1964, ''enosis'' was a Greek policy and would not be abandoned; Makarios and the Greek prime minister [[Georgios Papandreou]] agreed that ''enosis'' should be the ultimate aim and King [[Constantine II of Greece|Constantine]] wished Cyprus "a speedy union with the mother country". Greece dispatched 10,000 troops to Cyprus to counter a possible Turkish invasion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Farid |title=Cyprus and International Peacemaking 1964–1986 |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-67752-6 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Znp9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517125857/https://books.google.com/books?id=Znp9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Bloody Christmas (1963)|crisis of 1963–64]] had brought further [[Cypriot intercommunal violence|intercommunal violence]] between the two communities, displaced more than 25,000 Turkish Cypriots into [[Turkish Cypriot enclaves|enclaves]]<ref name="Hoffmeister 2006" />{{rp|56–59}}<ref name="Intercommunal Violence">{{cite web |date=21 December 1963 |title=U.S. Library of Congress – Country Studies – Cyprus – Intercommunal Violence |url=http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/13.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623135118/http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/13.htm |archive-date=23 June 2011 |access-date=25 October 2009 |publisher=Countrystudies.us}}</ref> and brought the end of Turkish Cypriot representation in the republic.

===1974 coup d'état, invasion, and division===

{{Main|1974 Cypriot coup d'état|Turkish invasion of Cyprus}}

[[File:Famagusta-Varosha 2007.JPG|thumb|[[Varosha, Famagusta|Varosha (Maraş)]], a suburb of Famagusta, was abandoned when its inhabitants fled in 1974 and remains under Turkish military control.]]

On 15 July 1974, the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|Greek military junta]] under [[Dimitrios Ioannides]] carried out a [[1974 Cypriot coup d'état|coup d'état]] in Cyprus, to [[Enosis|unite the island with Greece]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Papadakis |first1=Yiannis |title=Nation, narrative and commemoration: political ritual in divided Cyprus |journal=History and Anthropology |date=2003 |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=253–270 |doi=10.1080/0275720032000136642 |s2cid=143231403 |quote=culminating in the 1974 coup aimed at the annexation of Cyprus to Greece}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Atkin |first1=Nicholas |last2=Biddiss |first2=Michael |last3=Tallett |first3=Frank |title=The Wiley-Blackwell Dictionary of Modern European History Since 1789 |isbn=978-1-4443-9072-8 |page=184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QyXCTW_MCQC |date=23 May 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |access-date=26 August 2017 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517125914/https://books.google.com/books?id=1QyXCTW_MCQC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Journal of international law and practice, Volume&nbsp;5 |date=1996 |publisher=Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University |page=204}}</ref> The coup ousted president [[Makarios&nbsp;III]] and replaced him with pro-[[enosis]] nationalist [[Nikos Sampson]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Cyprus: Big Troubles over a Small Island |date=29 July 1974 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911440,00.html |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221060408/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911440,00.html |archive-date=21 December 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In response to the coup,{{efn|See:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ronen |first1=Yaël |title=Transition from Illegal Regimes under International Law |date=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-49617-9 |page=62 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4OEHtL5xoroC |quote=Tensions escalated again in July 1974, following a coup d'état by Greek Cypriots favouring a union of Cyprus with Greece. In response to the coup, Turkey invaded Cyprus. |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517125752/https://books.google.com/books?id=4OEHtL5xoroC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bryant |first1=Rebecca |last2=Papadakis |first2=Yiannis |title=Cyprus and the Politics of Memory: History, Community and Conflict |date=2012 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=978-1-78076-107-7 |page=5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4WUhDjksUUC |quote=In response to the coup, Turkey launched a military offensive in Cyprus that divided the island along the Green Line, which now splits the entire island. |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517125819/https://books.google.com/books?id=y4WUhDjksUUC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Diez |first1=Thomas |title=The European Union and the Cyprus Conflict: Modern Conflict, Postmodern Union |date=2002 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-6079-3 |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A4QTUWBEC2kC |quote=Turkey did, however, act unilaterally in 1974, in response to a military coup in Cyprus instigated by the military junta ruling then in Greece with the apparent objective of annexing the island. |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517125754/https://books.google.com/books?id=A4QTUWBEC2kC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ker-Lindsay |first1=James |last2=Faustmann |first2=Hubert |last3=Mullen |first3=Fiona |title=An Island in Europe: The EU and the Transformation of Cyprus |date=2011 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1QEn3G4L7MC |quote=Divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded in response to a Greek led coup, many observers felt that taking in the island would either be far too risky or far too problematic. |isbn=9781848856783 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517124237/https://books.google.com/books?id=R1QEn3G4L7MC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mirbagheri |first1=Faruk |title=Historical Dictionary of Cyprus |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-6298-2 |page=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f82Jn_H4VukC |quote=On 20 July 1974, in response to the coup and justifying its action under the Treaty of Guarantee, Turkey landed forces in Kyrenia.}}</ref>}} five days later, on 20 July 1974, the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkish army invaded]] the island, citing a right to intervene to restore the constitutional order from the 1960 [[Treaty of Guarantee (1960)|Treaty of Guarantee]]. This justification has been rejected by the [[United Nations]] and the international community.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gray |first1=Christine |title=International Law and the Use of Force |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-102162-6 |page=94 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qnFCAgAAQBAJ |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517124202/https://books.google.com/books?id=qnFCAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Turkish air force began bombing Greek positions in Cyprus, and hundreds of [[paratroopers]] were dropped in the area between Nicosia and Kyrenia, where well-armed Turkish Cypriot enclaves had been long-established; while off the Kyrenia coast, Turkish troop ships landed 6,000 men as well as tanks, trucks and armoured vehicles.<ref>{{cite book |author=Taki Theodoracopulos |title=The Greek Upheaval: Kings, Demagogues, and Bayonets |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPscAAAAYAAJ |date=1 January 1978 |publisher=Caratzas Bros. |isbn=978-0-89241-080-4 |page=66 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911011201/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPscAAAAYAAJ |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Eric Solsten |author2=Library of Congress. Federal Research Division |title=Cyprus, a country study |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5UuFAAAAIAAJ |year=1993 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |isbn=978-0-8444-0752-4 |page=219 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905234346/https://books.google.com/books?id=5UuFAAAAIAAJ |archive-date=5 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Three days later, when a ceasefire had been agreed,<ref name="Craig 2001">{{cite book |author1=Brendan O'Malley |author2=Ian Craig |title=The Cyprus Conspiracy: America, Espionage and the Turkish Invasion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Jz3AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA195 |date=25 June 2001 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-85773-016-9 |pages=195–197 |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412182115/https://books.google.com/books?id=4Jz3AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA195 |archive-date=12 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Turkey had landed 30,000 troops on the island and captured Kyrenia, the corridor linking Kyrenia to Nicosia, and the Turkish Cypriot quarter of Nicosia itself.<ref name="Craig 2001" /> The junta in [[Athens]], and then the Sampson regime in Cyprus fell from power. In Nicosia, [[Glafkos Clerides]] temporarily assumed the presidency.<ref name="Craig 2001" /> But after the peace negotiations in [[Geneva]], the Turkish government reinforced their Kyrenia bridgehead and started a second invasion on 14 August.<ref>{{cite book |author=Sumantra Bose |title=Contested Lands: Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus, and Sri Lanka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KKZcgOJPjVkC&pg=PA86 |date=30 June 2009 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-02856-2 |page=86 |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412133548/https://books.google.com/books?id=KKZcgOJPjVkC&pg=PA86 |archive-date=12 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The invasion resulted in [[Morphou]], [[Karpass Peninsula|Karpass]], Famagusta and the [[Mesaoria]] coming under Turkish control.

International pressure led to a ceasefire, and by then 36% of the island had been taken over by the Turks and 180,000 Greek Cypriots had been evicted from their homes in the north.<ref>U.S. Congressional Record, V.&nbsp;147, Pt.&nbsp;3, 8 March 2001 to 26 March 2001 [https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ9DhiRRtIoC&pg=PA4095] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910224624/https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ9DhiRRtIoC&pg=PA4095|date=10 September 2015}}</ref> At the same time, around 50,000 Turkish Cypriots were displaced to the north and settled in the properties of the displaced Greek Cypriots. Among a variety of sanctions against Turkey, in mid-1975 the US Congress imposed an arms embargo on Turkey for using US-supplied equipment during the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus]] in 1974.<ref>{{cite book |title=Turkey and the United States: The Arms Embargo Period |publisher=Praeger Publishers (5 August 1986) |isbn=978-0275921415 |year=1986}}</ref> There were 1,534 Greek Cypriots<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=34064&cat_id=1 |title=Over 100 missing identified so far |newspaper=Cyprus Mail |access-date=13 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202937/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=34064&cat_id=1 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and 502 Turkish Cypriots<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=30795&cat_id=1 |title=Missing cause to get cash injection |newspaper=Cyprus Mail |access-date=13 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014514/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=30795&cat_id=1 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> missing as a result of the fighting from 1963 to 1974.

The Republic of Cyprus has ''[[de jure]]'' [[sovereignty]] over the entire island, including its [[territorial waters]] and [[exclusive economic zone]], with the exception of the Sovereign Base Areas of [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]], which remain under the UK's control according to the [[London-Zürich Agreements|London and Zürich Agreements]]. However, the island is ''[[de facto]]'' partitioned into two main parts: the area under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus, in the south and west and comprising about 59% of the island's area, and the north,<ref>{{cite web |title=According to the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 550 and 541 |url=https://www.un.org/documents/sc/res/1984/scres84.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319123420/http://www.un.org/documents/sc/res/1984/scres84.htm |archive-date=19 March 2009 |access-date=27 March 2009 |publisher=United Nations}}</ref> administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, covering about 36% of the island's area. Another nearly 4% of the island's area is covered by the [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN buffer zone]]. The international community considers the northern part of the island to be territory of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkish forces.{{efn|See:<ref>{{cite book |author=European Consortium for Church-State Research. Conference |title=Churches and Other Religious Organisations as Legal Persons: Proceedings of the 17th Meeting of the European Consortium for Church and State Research, Höör (Sweden), 17–20 November 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hogL92shGUIC&pg=PA50 |year=2007 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |isbn=978-90-429-1858-0 |page=50 |quote=There is little data concerning recognition of the 'legal status' of religions in the occupied territories, since any acts of the 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' are not recognized by either the Republic of Cyprus or the international community.|access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412144859/https://books.google.com/books?id=hogL92shGUIC&pg=PA50 |archive-date=12 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Quigley |title=The Statehood of Palestine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iTR3BQ0aJ6UC&pg=PA164 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-49124-2 |page=164 |quote=The international community found this declaration invalid, on the ground that Turkey had occupied territory belonging to Cyprus and that the putative state was therefore an infringement on Cypriot sovereignty. |date=6 September 2010 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906001102/https://books.google.com/books?id=iTR3BQ0aJ6UC&pg=PA164 |archive-date=6 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Nathalie Tocci |author-link=Nathalie Tocci |title=EU Accession Dynamics and Conflict Resolution: Catalysing Peace Or Consolidating Partition in Cyprus?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T6Z0Io3kQZ4C&pg=PA56 |date=January 2004 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |isbn=978-0-7546-4310-4 |page=56 |quote=The occupied territory included 70&nbsp;percent of the island's economic potential with over 50&nbsp;percent of the industrial&nbsp;... In addition, since partition Turkey encouraged mainland immigration to northern Cyprus.&nbsp;... The international community, excluding Turkey, condemned the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) as a. |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915202840/https://books.google.com/books?id=T6Z0Io3kQZ4C&pg=PA56 |archive-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Dr Anders Wivel |author2=Robert Steinmetz |title=Small States in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUeWqEjS6-IC&pg=PA165 |date=28 March 2013 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. |isbn=978-1-4094-9958-9 |page=165 |quote=To this day, it remains unrecognised by the international community, except by Turkey |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922110421/https://books.google.com/books?id=iUeWqEjS6-IC&pg=PA165 |archive-date=22 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Peter Neville |title=Historical Dictionary of British Foreign Policy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dVosJPY04xAC&pg=PA293 |date=22 March 2013 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7371-1 |page=293 |quote=Ecevit ordered the army to occupy the Turkish area on 20 July 1974. It became the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but Britain, like the rest of the international community, except Turkey, refused to extend diplomatic recognition to the enclave. British efforts to secure Turkey's removal from its surrogate territory after 1974 failed. |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918212811/https://books.google.com/books?id=dVosJPY04xAC&pg=PA293 |archive-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} The occupation is viewed as illegal under international law and amounting to illegal occupation of EU territory since Cyprus became a member of the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=James Ker-Lindsay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1QEn3G4L7MC&pg=PA15 |title=An Island in Europe: The EU and the Transformation of Cyprus |author2=Hubert Faustmann |author3=Fiona Mullen |date=15 May 2011 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=978-1-84885-678-3 |page=15 |quote=Classified as illegal under international law, and now due to Cyprus' accession into the [[European Union]] is also an illegal occupation of EU territory. |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918194718/https://books.google.com/books?id=R1QEn3G4L7MC&pg=PA15 |archive-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Post-division===
[[File:Cy-map.png|thumb|upright=1.6|A map showing the division of Cyprus]]

After the restoration of constitutional order and the return of Archbishop [[Makarios&nbsp;III]] to Cyprus in December 1974, Turkish troops remained, occupying the northeastern portion of the island. In 1983, the [[Assembly of the Republic (Northern Cyprus)|Turkish Cypriot parliament]], led by the Turkish Cypriot leader [[Rauf Denktaş]], [[Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus|proclaimed]] the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Turkey.<ref name="CIA">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Cyprus|access-date=9 February 2010}}</ref>

The events of the summer of 1974 dominate the [[Cyprus dispute|politics]] on the island, as well as [[Greco-Turkish relations]]. [[Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus|Turkish settlers]] have been settled in the north with the encouragement of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot states. The Republic of Cyprus considers their presence a violation of the [[Geneva Convention]],<ref name="Hoffmeister 2006" />{{rp|56–59}} whilst many Turkish settlers have since severed their ties to Turkey and their second generation considers Cyprus to be their homeland.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Volume&nbsp;5 |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195334029 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofhu0005unse_j7e0/page/460 460] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofhu0005unse_j7e0 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
[[File:EU Foreign Ministers Gymnich Meeting in Cyprus. 7.-8. September 2012 (7954502290).jpg|thumb|Foreign Ministers of the European Union countries in Limassol during Cyprus Presidency of the EU in 2012]]
The Turkish invasion, the ensuing occupation and the declaration of independence by the TRNC have been condemned by United Nations resolutions, which are reaffirmed by the Security Council every year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprusun.org/?cat=52 |title=Full list UN Resolutions on Cyprus |publisher=Un.int |access-date=29 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930051656/http://www.cyprusun.org/?cat=52 |archive-date=30 September 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:Close to the buffer zone - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Street in the divided capital of Nicosia]]
Attempts to resolve the Cyprus dispute have continued. In 2004, the [[Annan Plan]], drafted by then UN Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]], was put to a [[Cypriot Annan Plan referendums, 2004|referendum]] in both Cypriot administrations. 65% of Turkish Cypriots voted in support of the plan and 74% Greek Cypriots voted against the plan, saying that it disproportionately favoured Turkish Cypriots and gave unreasonable influence over the nation to Turkey.<ref>{{cite book |last=Palley |first=Claire |title=An International Relations Debacle: The UN Secretary-general's Mission of Good Offices in Cyprus 1999–2004 |publisher=Hart Publishing |date=18 May 2005 |page=224 |isbn=978-1-84113-578-6}}</ref> In total, 66.7% of the voters [[Cypriot Annan Plan referendum, 2004|rejected the Annan Plan]].

On 1 May 2004, Cyprus joined the [[European Union]], together with nine other countries.<ref>Stephanos Constantinides & Joseph Joseph, 'Cyprus and the European Union: Beyond Accession', ''Études helléniques/Hellenic Studies'' 11&nbsp;(2), Autumn 2003</ref> Cyprus was accepted into the EU as a whole, although the EU legislation is suspended in Northern Cyprus until a final settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Efforts have been made to enhance freedom of movement between the two sides. In April 2003, Northern Cyprus unilaterally eased checkpoint restrictions, permitting Cypriots to cross between the two sides for the first time in 30 years.<ref>{{cite news |url-status=live |title=Emotion as Cyprus border opens |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2969089.stm |access-date=3 May 2016 |work=BBC News |date=23 April 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065858/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2969089.stm |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> In March 2008, a wall that had stood for decades at the boundary between the Republic of Cyprus and the [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN buffer zone]] was demolished.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6433045.stm |title=Greek Cypriots dismantle barrier |work=BBC News |access-date=7 March 2008 |date=9 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307041606/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6433045.stm |archive-date=7 March 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The wall had cut across [[Ledra Street]] in the heart of Nicosia and was seen as a strong symbol of the island's 32-year division. On 3 April 2008, Ledra Street was reopened in the presence of Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/03/europe/EU-GEN-Cyprus-Ledra-Street.php Ledra Street crossing opens in Cyprus] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615132540/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/03/europe/EU-GEN-Cyprus-Ledra-Street.php |date=15 June 2008}}. [[Associated Press]] article published on [[International Herald Tribune]] Website, 3 April 2008</ref> The two sides relaunched reunification talks in 2015,<ref>{{cite news |last=Hadjicostis |first=Menelaos |date=11 May 2015 |title=UN envoy says Cyprus reunification talks to resume May 15 |url=https://apnews.com/b80d6a4b9c50403589f4582f7ebcf0d6 |work=Associated Press News |access-date=24 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524115638/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2015/UN-envoy-says-divided-Cyprus-rival-leaders-to-restart-stalled-reunification-talks-May-15/id-b80d6a4b9c50403589f4582f7ebcf0d6 |archive-date=24 May 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> but these collapsed in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Helena |title=Cyprus reunification talks collapse amid angry scenes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/07/cyprus-reunification-talks-collapse-amid-angry-scenes |website=The Guardian |access-date=1 March 2021 |date=7 July 2017 |archive-date=7 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707144641/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/07/cyprus-reunification-talks-collapse-amid-angry-scenes |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[European Union]] warned in February 2019 that Cyprus was selling [[Passports of the European Union|EU passports]] to [[Russian oligarchs]], and thus would allow [[organized crime|organised crime]] syndicates to infiltrate the EU.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/cyprus-golden-passports-bring-russians-eu-190202172320680.html |title=Cyprus 'golden passports' bring Russians into the EU |work=Al Jazeera |access-date=4 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204165732/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/cyprus-golden-passports-bring-russians-eu-190202172320680.html |archive-date=4 February 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, leaked documents revealed a wider range of former and current officials from Afghanistan, China, Dubai, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Vietnam who bought a Cypriot citizenship prior to a change of the law in July 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/exclusive-cyprus-sold-passports-politically-exposed-persons-200823204320183.html |title=Exclusive: Cyprus sold passports to 'politically exposed persons' |work=Al Jazeera |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824100832/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/exclusive-cyprus-sold-passports-politically-exposed-persons-200823204320183.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rakopoulos |first1=Theodoros |last2=Fischer |first2=Leandros |title=In Cyprus, the Golden Passports Scheme Shows Us How Capitalism and Corruption Go Hand in Hand |journal=Jacobin |date=10 November 2020 |url=https://jacobinmag.com/2020/11/cyprus-golden-passports-citizenship-corruption |access-date=13 November 2020 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112225241/https://jacobinmag.com/2020/11/cyprus-golden-passports-citizenship-corruption |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 2020 Cyprus and Turkey have been [[Cyprus–Turkey maritime zones dispute|engaged in a dispute]] over the extent of their [[exclusive economic zone]]s, ostensibly sparked by oil and gas exploration in the area.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cyprus: EU 'appeasement' of Turkey in exploration row will go nowhere |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-turkey-eu-cyprus-idUSKCN25D1FZ |work=Reuters |date=17 August 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020 |archive-date=17 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817150821/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-turkey-eu-cyprus-idUSKCN25D1FZ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2023, the [[Cyprus Confidential]] data leak published by the [[International Consortium of Investigative Journalists]] showed the country's financial network entertaining strong links with Russian oligarchs and high-up figures in the Kremlin, supporting the regime of [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cyprus Confidential – ICIJ |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/ |website=icij.org |access-date=14 November 2023 |date=14 November 2023 |archive-date=24 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224150800/https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 2024, on the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Northern Cyprus, Turkish President Erdoğan rejected a United Nations-endorsed plan for a federal government and supported the idea of having two separate states within Cyprus. Greek Cypriots immediately rejected Erdoğan's two-state proposal, calling it a "non-starter".<ref>{{cite web |title= Erdoğan dashes hopes for resumption of Cyprus talks on invasion's 50th anniversary |url= https://www.politico.eu/article/turkish-president-erdogan-dashes-hopes-resumption-cyprus-talks-invasion-50th-anniversary/ |work=Politico |access-date=21 July 2024 |date=20 July 2024 }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Cyprus}}

[[File:Cyprus sentinel2.jpg|thumb|A [[Sentinel-2]] image of Cyprus taken in 2022]]
[[File:Sea caves Cape Greco 9.jpg|thumb|Sea caves at [[Cape Greco]]]]
[[File:CIPAR 25.9.2025.jpg|thumb|Landscape of Cyprus]]

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after the [[List of islands of Italy|Italian islands]] of [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]], both in terms of area and population.<ref name="CIA"/> It is also the [[List of islands by area|world's 80th largest by area]] and [[List of islands by population|world's 51st largest by population]]. It measures {{convert|240|km|mi|0}} long from end to end and {{convert|100|km|mi|0}} wide at its widest point. It lies between latitudes [[34th parallel north|34°]] and [[36th parallel north|36° N]], and longitudes [[32nd meridian east|32°]] and [[35th meridian east|35° E]].

Neighbouring territories include [[Turkey]] 75 kilometres (47 mi) to the north, [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]] to the northeast ({{convert|105|and|108|km|mi|0}}, respectively), [[Israel]] 200 kilometres (124 mi) to the southeast, [[Egypt]] {{convert|380|km|mi|0}} to the south, and [[Greece]] to the west: {{convert|280|km|mi|0}} to the small [[Dodecanese|Dodecanesian]] island of [[Kastellorizo]], {{convert|400|km|mi|0}} to [[Rhodes]] and {{convert|800|km|mi|0}} to the Greek mainland. Cyprus is at the crossroads of three continents, with some sources placing Cyprus in Europe,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/cyprus |title=Travel – National Geographic |website=travel.nationalgeographic.com |access-date=19 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817175131/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cyprus-facts/ |archive-date=17 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1016541.stm |title=BBC News – Cyprus country profile |date=23 December 2011 |access-date=1 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728172734/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1016541.stm |archive-date=28 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Europe map / Map of Europe – Facts, Geography, History of Europe – Worldatlas.com |url=http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516064446/http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm |archive-date=16 May 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> and some sources placing Cyprus in Western Asia and the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web |title=United Nations Statistics Division- Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications (M49) |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#asia |website=United |publisher=[[United Nations Statistics Division|UNSD]] |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417070721/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#asia |archive-date=17 April 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CIA" />

The physical relief of the island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the [[Troodos Mountains]] and the smaller [[Kyrenia Mountains|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 (Cyprus)|Mount Olympus]] at {{convert|1952|m|abbr=on}}, 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 {{convert|1024|m|abbr=on}}. The island lies within the [[Anatolian Plate]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Erdik |first1=Mustafa |title=Strong Ground Motion Seismology |year=2013 |page=469|author-link=Mustafa Erdik}}</ref>

Cyprus contains the [[Cyprus Mediterranean forests]] ecoregion.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287}}</ref> It had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.06/10, ranking it 59th globally out of 172 countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M. |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |year=2020 |page=5978 |issn=2041-1723 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |pmid=33293507 |pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref>

[[Geopolitics|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 (Cyprus)|Green Line]] provides a [[buffer zone]] that separates the two and covers 2.67% of the island. Lastly, there are [[Sovereign Base Areas|two bases under British sovereignty]] on the island: [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]], covering the remaining 2.74%.
[[File:Former UN tower, North Nicosia, Cyprus.jpg|thumb|right|UN tower in the buffer zone]]

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Cyprus}}

[[File:Chionistra winter 1.JPG|thumb|The [[Troodos Mountains]] experience heavy snowfall in winter.]]
Cyprus has a [[Subtropics|subtropical climate]] – [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] and [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] type (in the north-eastern part of the island) – [[Köppen climate classification]]s ''Csa'' and ''BSh'',<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Peel, M.&nbsp;C. |author2=Finlayson B.&nbsp;L. |author3=McMahon, T.&nbsp;A. |name-list-style=amp | year=2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen – Geiger climate classification |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |issn=1027-5606  |doi-access=free}} ''(direct: [http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203170339/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |date=3 February 2012}})''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/|work=CIA Factbook|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402195116/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ |archive-date=2 April 2021|url-status=dead|title=Malta}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cyprus holiday weather |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/travel/holiday-weather/europe/cyprus/cyprus-weather |access-date=1 May 2023 |website=Met Office |language=en |archive-date=1 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501205120/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/travel/holiday-weather/europe/cyprus/cyprus-weather |url-status=live }}</ref> The average annual temperature on the coast is around {{convert|24|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|14|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night. Generally, summers last about eight months, beginning in April with average temperatures of {{convert|21|-|23|C|F}} during the day and {{convert|11|-|13|C|F}} at night, and ending in November with average temperatures of {{convert|22|-|23|C|F}} during the day and {{convert|12|–|14|C|F}} at night, although in the remaining four months temperatures sometimes exceed {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/MS/MS.nsf/DMLclimet_reports_en/DMLclimet_reports_en?OpenDocument&Start=1&Count=1000&Expand=1 |title=Meteorological Service – Climatological and Meteorological Reports |access-date=25 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621054634/http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/ms/ms.nsf/DMLclimet_reports_en/DMLclimet_reports_en?OpenDocument&Start=1&Count=1000&Expand=1 |archive-date=21 June 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Sunshine hours on the coast are around 3,200 per year, from an average of 5–6 hours of sunshine per day in December to an average of 12–13 hours in July.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/cyprus/ |title=Cyprus Climate Guide |access-date=5 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201044557/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/cyprus/ |archive-date=1 December 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> This is about double that of cities in the northern half of Europe; for comparison, London receives about 1,540 per year.<ref name="London climate">{{cite web |url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcpv7fnqu |title=Met Office: Climate averages 1981–2010 |publisher=[[Met Office]] |access-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405045424/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/gcpv7fnqu |archive-date=5 April 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In December, London receives about 50 hours of sunshine<ref name="London climate" /> while coastal locations in Cyprus about 180 hours (almost as much as in May in London).

===Water supply===
[[File:Kouris Dam - overflow day 8 April 2012.jpg|thumb|[[Kouris Dam]] overflow in April 2012]]

Cyprus suffers from a chronic shortage of water. The country relies heavily on rain to provide household water, but in the past 30&nbsp;years average yearly precipitation has decreased.<ref name="Meteo">{{cite web |author1=Department of Meteorology |title=The Climate of Cyprus |url=http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/MS/MS.nsf/DMLcyclimate_en/DMLcyclimate_en?OpenDocument |access-date=8 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614000827/http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/ms/ms.nsf/DMLcyclimate_en/DMLcyclimate_en?opendocument |archive-date=14 June 2015 |quote=Statistical analysis of rainfall in Cyprus reveals a decreasing trend of rainfall amounts in the last 30-year[s].}}</ref> Between 2001 and 2004, exceptionally heavy annual rainfall pushed water reserves up, with supply exceeding demand, allowing total storage in the island's reservoirs to rise to an all-time high by the start of 2005.
However, since then demand has increased annually – a result of local population growth, foreigners moving to Cyprus and the number of visiting tourists – while supply has fallen as a result of more frequent droughts<ref name="Meteo" /> ([[2006 European heat wave]], [[2018 European heat wave]], [[2019 European heat waves]], [[2022 European heat waves]]).

Dams remain the principal source of water both for domestic and agricultural use; Cyprus has a total of 108 dams and reservoirs, with a total water storage capacity of about {{convert|330000000|m3|-9|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/wdd/Wdd.nsf/All/F1C37F7EC2249715C2256CC50039DDD5?OpenDocument&highlight=108%20dams Dams of Cyprus] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014105005/http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/wdd/Wdd.nsf/All/F1C37F7EC2249715C2256CC50039DDD5?OpenDocument&highlight=108%20dams |date=14 October 2017}} Water Development Department, Republic of Cyprus.</ref> Water [[desalination]] plants are gradually being constructed to deal with recent years of prolonged drought.

The Government has invested heavily in the creation of water desalination plants which have supplied almost 50 per cent of domestic water since 2001. Efforts have also been made to raise public awareness of the situation and to encourage domestic water users to take more responsibility for the conservation of this increasingly scarce commodity.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://moa.gov.cy/sectors/water-resources/water-development-department/?lang=en |title=''Water Development Department'' |date=12 February 2024 |access-date=20 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220091822/https://moa.gov.cy/sectors/water-resources/water-development-department/?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

Turkey has built a water pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea from [[Anamur]] on its southern coast to the northern coast of Cyprus, to supply Northern Cyprus with potable and irrigation water ''(see [[Northern Cyprus Water Supply Project]])''.

=== Flora and fauna ===
{{main|Cyprus Mediterranean forests}}

{{See also|List of endemic plants of Cyprus}}
Cyprus is home to a number of [[Endemism|endemic]] species, including the [[Cypriot mouse]], the [[Quercus alnifolia|golden oak]] and the [[Cedrus brevifolia|Cyprus cedar]].

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Cyprus}}

[[File:Christodoulides2019a.jpg|150px|thumb|upright=0.5|[[Nikos Christodoulides]], [[President of Cyprus]] since February 2023]]
Cyprus is a [[presidential republic]]. The head of state and of the government is elected by a process of [[universal suffrage]] for a five-year term. Executive power is exercised by the government with legislative power vested in the [[House of Representatives (Cyprus)|House of Representatives]] whilst the Judiciary is independent of both the executive and the legislature.

The 1960 Constitution provided for a presidential system of government with independent executive, legislative and judicial branches as well as a complex system of checks and balances including a weighted power-sharing ratio designed to protect the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. The executive was led by a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president elected by their respective communities for five-year terms and each possessing a right of veto over certain types of legislation and executive decisions. Legislative power rested on the House of Representatives who were also elected on the basis of separate voters' rolls.

[[File:Parlanet cyprus.jpg|thumb|right|[[Presidential Palace, Nicosia]]]]

Since 1965, following clashes between the two communities, the [[Turkish Cypriot]] seats in the House have remained vacant. In 1974 Cyprus was divided de facto when the Turkish army occupied the northern third of the island. The Turkish Cypriots subsequently declared independence in 1983 as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus but were recognised only by Turkey. In 1985 the TRNC adopted a constitution and held its first elections. The United Nations recognises the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the entire island of Cyprus.

As of 2007, the [[House of Representatives (Cyprus)|House of Representatives]] had 56 members elected for a five-year term by [[proportional representation]], and three observer members representing the [[Armenians in Cyprus|Armenian]], [[Roman Catholicism in Cyprus|Latin]] and [[Maronites in Cyprus|Maronite]] minorities. Twenty-four seats were allocated to the [[Turkish people|Turkish]] community but have remained vacant since 1964. The political environment was dominated by the communist [[Progressive Party of Working People|AKEL]], the liberal conservative [[Democratic Rally]], the [[centrism|centrist]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ιδεολογική Διακήρυξη του Δημοκρατικού Κόμματος |date=16 April 2000 |trans-title=Ideological Declaration of the Democratic Party |publisher=[[Democratic Party (Cyprus)|Democratic Party]] |language=el |url=http://www.diko.org.cy/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611174508/http://www.diko.org.cy/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=24 |archive-date=11 June 2007 |access-date=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Democratic Party (Cyprus)|Democratic Party]], and the [[social democracy|social-democratic]] [[Movement for Social Democracy|EDEK]].

In 2008, [[Dimitris Christofias]] became the country's first Communist head of state. Due to his involvement in the [[2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis]], Christofias did not run for re-election in 2013. The Presidential election in 2013 resulted in [[Democratic Rally]] candidate [[Nicos Anastasiades]] winning 57.48% of the vote. As a result, Anastasiades was sworn in on 28 February 2013. Anastasiades was re-elected with 56% of the vote in the [[Cypriot presidential election, 2018|2018 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Νικητής των εκλογών στην Κύπρο με 56% ο Νίκος Αναστασιάδης |trans-title=Nicos Anastasiades wins Cyprus elections with 56% |date=4 February 2018 |access-date=8 February 2018 |url=http://www.tribune.gr/world/news/article/434054/nikitis-ton-eklogon-stin-kypro-56-o-nikos-anastasiadis.html |language=el |work=Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205003251/http://www.tribune.gr/world/news/article/434054/nikitis-ton-eklogon-stin-kypro-56-o-nikos-anastasiadis.html |archive-date=5 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cyprus country profile  |url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-1721924 |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=1 November 2014 |access-date=22 March 2026 |archive-date=22 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122034013/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17219245}}</ref> On 28 February 2023, [[Nikos Christodoulides]], the winner of the 2023 presidential [[2023 Cypriot presidential election|election]] run-off, was sworn in as the eighth president of the Republic of Cyprus.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Cyprus president sworn in |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230228-new-cyprus-president-sworn-in |website=[[France 24]] |publisher=[[France Médias Monde]] |agency=[[Agence France Press]] |date=28 February 2023 |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=28 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228220614/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230228-new-cyprus-president-sworn-in |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Districts of Cyprus|List of cities, towns and villages in Cyprus}}

The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six districts: [[Nicosia District|Nicosia]], [[Famagusta District|Famagusta]], [[Kyrenia District|Kyrenia]], [[Larnaca District|Larnaca]], [[Limassol District|Limassol]] and [[Paphos District|Paphos]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/abc/maps/members/cyprus_en.htm |title=Maps – Cyprus |website=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] |publisher=[[European Commission]] |access-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418223806/http://europa.eu/abc/maps/members/cyprus_en.htm |archive-date=18 April 2009}}</ref>

{{centre|
{{image label begin |image=Cyprus districts not named.svg |width=550}}
{{Image label|x=0.34|y=0.34|scale=600 |text=[[Nicosia District|<span style="color:white;">Nicosia</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.26|y=0.48|scale=600 |text=[[Limassol District|<span style="color:white;">Limassol</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.47|y=0.44|scale=600 |text=[[Larnaca District|Larnaca]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.08|y=0.42|scale=600 |text=[[Paphos District|<span style="color:white;">Paphos</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.585|y=0.27|scale=600 |text=[[Famagusta District|<span style="color:black;">Famagusta</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=0.37|y=0.215|scale=600 |text=[[Kyrenia District|Kyrenia]]}}
{{image label end}}
}}
<!--
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" | District !! rowspan="2" | Capital !! rowspan="2" | Population<ref>Northern Cyprus excluded.</ref>
|-
! {{small|English}} !! {{small|Greek}} !! {{small|Turkish}}
|-
| [[Nicosia District|Nicosia]] || {{lang|el|Λευκωσία}} || {{lang|tr|Lefkoşa}} || [[Nicosia]] || 326,980
|-
| [[Limassol District|Limassol]] || {{lang|el|Λεμεσός}} || {{lang|tr|Limasol}} || [[Limassol]] || 235,330
|-
| [[Larnaca District|Larnaca]] || {{lang|el|Λάρνακα}} || {{lang|tr|Larnaka}} || [[Larnaca]] || 143,192
|-
| [[Paphos District|Paphos]] || {{lang|el|Πάφος}} || {{lang|tr|Baf}} || [[Paphos]] || 88,276
|-
| [[Famagusta District|Famagusta]] || {{lang|el|Αμμόχωστος}} || {{lang|tr|Gazimağusa}} || [[Famagusta]] || 46,629
|-
| [[Kyrenia District|Kyrenia]] || {{lang|el|Κερύvεια}} || {{lang|tr|Girne}} || [[Kyrenia]] || {{NA}}
|}
-->

===Exclaves and enclaves===
[[File:Dhekelia Power Station.jpg|thumb|[[Dhekelia Power Station]]]]

Cyprus has four [[exclave]]s, all in territory that belongs to the [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia|British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia]]. The first two are the villages of [[Ormidhia]] and [[Xylotymvou]]. The third is the [[Dhekelia Power Station]], which is divided by a British road into two parts. The northern part is the [[Electricity Authority of Cyprus|EAC]] refugee settlement. The southern part, even though located by the sea, is also an exclave because it has no [[territorial waters]] of its own, those being UK waters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geosite.jankrogh.com/dhekelia.htm |title=Dhekelia |website=Geosite.jankrogh.com |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=28 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424181230/http://geosite.jankrogh.com/dhekelia.htm |archive-date=24 April 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN buffer zone]] runs up against Dhekelia and picks up again from its east side off [[Ayios Nikolaos, SBA|Ayios Nikolaos]] and is connected to the rest of Dhekelia by a thin land corridor. In that sense the buffer zone turns the [[Paralimni]] area on the southeast corner of the island into a de facto, though not [[de jure]], exclave.

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Cyprus}}

The Republic of Cyprus is a member of the following international groups: [[Australia Group]], [[Commonwealth of Nations|CN]], [[Council of Europe|CE]], [[CFSP]], [[EBRD]], [[European Investment Bank|EIB]], [[EU]], [[FAO]], [[IAEA]], [[IBRD]], [[ICAO]], [[International Chamber of Commerce|ICC]], [[International Criminal Court|ICCt]], [[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[IHO]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Meteorological Organization|IMO]], [[Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[Inter-Parliamentary Union|IPU]], [[ITU]], [[MIGA]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Nuclear Suppliers Group|NSG]], [[OPCW]], [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], UN, [[UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[UNHCR]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[UPU]], [[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[WHO]], [[WIPO]], [[WMO]], [[WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTO]].<ref name="CIA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/enlargement_process/past_enlargements/eu10/cyprus_en.htm |title=Country Profile: Cyprus |department=Enlargement Archives |date=1 May 2004 |website=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] |publisher=[[European Commission]] |access-date=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204003532/http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/enlargement_process/past_enlargements/eu10/cyprus_en.htm |archive-date=4 February 2009}}</ref>

Cyprus is the 88th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Peace Index 2024 |date=June 2024 |page=9 |url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf#page=11 |publisher=[[Institute for Economics and Peace]]}}</ref>

===Military===
{{Main|Cypriot National Guard}}

[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Cyprus 7 October 2010-2.jpeg|thumb|Welcoming ceremony of the former [[president of Russia|Russian president]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] by the soldiers of the [[Cypriot National Guard]]]]

The [[Cypriot National Guard]] is the main military institution of the Republic of Cyprus. It is a [[combined arms]] force, with land, air and naval elements. Historically all male citizens were required to spend 24 months serving in the National Guard after their 17th birthday, but in 2016 this period of compulsory service was reduced to 14 months.<ref>{{cite news |first=Kerry |last=Kolasa-Sikiaridi |title=Cyprus Drastically Reduces Mandatory Army Service to 14 Months |date=15 July 2016 |url=http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/07/15/cyprus-drastically-reduces-mandatory-army-service-to-14-months/ |website=[[Greek Reporter]] |access-date=21 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713184252/http://greece.greekreporter.com/2016/07/15/cyprus-drastically-reduces-mandatory-army-service-to-14-months/ |archive-date=13 July 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Annually, approximately 10,000 persons are trained in recruit centres. Depending on their awarded speciality the conscript recruits are then transferred to speciality training camps or to operational units.

While until 2016 the armed forces were mainly conscript based, since then a large professional enlisted institution has been adopted (ΣΥΟΠ), which combined with the reduction of conscript service produces an approximate 3:1 ratio between conscript and professional enlisted.

===Law, justice and human rights===
{{Main|Cyprus Police|Human rights in Cyprus}}

[[File:Supreme Court of Justice old square Nicosia Republic of Cyprus Cyprus 2.jpg|thumb|Supreme Court of Justice]]

The [[Cyprus Police]] (Greek: {{lang|el|Αστυνομία Κύπρου}}, {{langx|tr|Kıbrıs Polisi}}) is the only National Police Service of the Republic of Cyprus and is under the Ministry of Justice and Public Order since 1993.<ref>{{cite web 
|title= Defence – Security – Police 
|url= http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/0/E58D7CBF76D5A989C225701400505902?OpenDocument 
|publisher= Cyprus Government Web Portal 
|access-date= 11 October 2012 
|archive-date= 4 March 2016 
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190723/http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/0/E58D7CBF76D5A989C225701400505902?OpenDocument 
|url-status= dead 
}}</ref>

In "Freedom in the World 2011", Freedom House rated Cyprus as "free".<ref>{{cite web |title=Freedom in the World 2011: Cyprus |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2011/cyprus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307040239/http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2011/cyprus |date=7 March 2013 |archive-date=7 March 2013 |access-date=28 June 2013 |publisher=[[Freedom House]]}}</ref> In January 2011, the Report of the Office of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] on the question of Human Rights in Cyprus noted that the ongoing division of Cyprus continues to affect human rights throughout the island "including freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, the right to life, freedom of religion, and economic, social and cultural rights".<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|UN High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |title=Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the question of human rights in Cyprus |url=http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-21.pdf |date=7 January 2011 |publisher=[[United Nations Human Rights Council]] |access-date=14 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731132114/http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-21.pdf |archive-date=31 July 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The constant focus on the division of the island can sometimes mask other human rights issues.<ref>{{cite web |title=1999 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Cyprus |date=25 February 2000 |author=(([[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor]])) |publisher=[[US Department of State]] |url=http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/cyprus/usdos99_cyprus.htm |via=xpats.io |access-date=17 November 2010 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514093918/http://www.asylumlaw.org/docs/cyprus/usdos99_cyprus.htm}}</ref> Prostitution is rife, and the island has been criticised for its role in the sex trade as one of the main routes of [[human trafficking]] from Eastern Europe.<ref>{{cite news |last=Christou |first=Jean |title=US report raps Cyprus over battle on flesh trade |url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=26259&cat_id=1 |access-date=13 October 2007 |newspaper=[[Cyprus Mail]] |location=Nicosia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014803/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=26259&cat_id=1 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |quote=Countries such as Nigeria, Chad and Rwanda are doing more to combat people trafficking than Cyprus, according to the latest US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Theodoulou |first=Jacqueline |title=A shame on our society |url=http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=24784&cat_id=9 |newspaper=[[Cyprus Mail]] |location=Nicosia |access-date=13 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202918/http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=24784&cat_id=9 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |quote=The trafficking of women in Cyprus constitutes possibly the biggest social sickness of today, both in the south and north of the island.}}</ref>

In 2014, Turkey was ordered by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] to pay well over $100m in compensation to Cyprus for the invasion;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=12 May 2014 |title = European court orders Turkey to pay damages for Cyprus invasion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/may/12/european-court-human-rights-turkey-compensation-cyprus-invasion |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]] |issn=17563224 |access-date=8 April 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150414060240/http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/may/12/european-court-human-rights-turkey-compensation-cyprus-invasion |archive-date=14 April 2015 |url-status=live |quote=Penalty of €90m will compensate relatives of missing Greek Cypriots and may open door to claims from Crimea dispute.}}</ref> [[Ankara]] announced that it would ignore the judgment.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Karadeniz |first1=Tulay |last2=Tokasabay |first2=Ece |date=13 May 2014 |title=Turkey to ignore court order to pay compensation to Cyprus |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-cyprus-davutoglu-idUSBREA4C0AX20140513 |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=7 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200741/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-turkey-cyprus-davutoglu-idUSBREA4C0AX20140513 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live |quote=Turkey has no plans to pay 90 million euros ($124 million) to Cyprus as ordered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday.}}</ref> In 2014, a group of Cypriot refugees and a European parliamentarian, later joined by the Cypriot government, filed a complaint to the [[International Court of Justice]], accusing Turkey of violating the [[Geneva Conventions]] by directly or indirectly transferring [[Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus|its civilian population]] into occupied territory.{{citation needed |date=September 2018}} Other violations of the Geneva and the Hague Conventions—both ratified by Turkey—amount to what archaeologist Sophocles Hadjisavvas called "the organised destruction of Greek and Christian heritage in the north".<ref name="Hadjisavvas 2015" /> These violations include looting of cultural treasures, deliberate destruction of churches, neglect of works of art, and altering the names of important historical sites, which was condemned by the [[International Council on Monuments and Sites]]. Hadjisavvas has asserted that these actions are motivated by a Turkish policy of erasing the Greek presence in Northern Cyprus within a framework of ethnic cleansing. But some perpetrators are just motivated by greed and are seeking profit.<ref name="Hadjisavvas 2015">{{cite journal |last=Hadjisavvas |first=Sophocles |date=May 2015 |title=Perishing Heritage: The Case of the Occupied Part of Cyprus |jstor=10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.3.2.0128 |journal=Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies |volume=3 |number=2 |pages=128–140 |doi=10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.3.2.0128 |publisher=[[Penn State University Press]] |quote=... the deliberate destruction of [Greek] heritage as an instrument toward the obliteration of an identity of a people in the framework of ethnic cleansing. |quote-page=129 }}</ref> Art law expert Alessandro Chechi has classified the connection of cultural heritage destruction to ethnic cleansing as the "Greek Cypriot viewpoint", which he reports as having been dismissed by two [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe|PACE]] reports. Chechi asserts joint Greek and Turkish Cypriot responsibility for the destruction of cultural heritage in Cyprus, noting the destruction of Turkish Cypriot heritage in the hands of Greek Cypriot extremists.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chechi |first=Alessandro |editor1-last=Benzo |editor1-first=Andrea |editor2-last=Ferrari |editor2-first=Silvio |title=Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean |date=2014 |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]] |location=Farnham |isbn=9781472426017 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/_/VqCrBAAAQBAJ? |via=[[Google Books]] |pages=314–316 |chapter=Sacred heritage in Cyprus: bolstering protection through the implementation of international law standards and the adoption of an object-oriented approach}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Cyprus}}

[[File:Cyprus central bank Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Central Bank of Cyprus]]]]

In the early 21st century, Cyprus boasted a prosperous service-based economy that made it the wealthiest of the ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004.<ref name="Econ" /> However, the Cypriot economy was later damaged by the [[2008 financial crisis]] and the [[Euro area crisis]]. In June 2012, the Cypriot government announced it would need €{{Nowrap|1.8 billion}} in foreign aid to support the [[Cyprus Popular Bank]], and this was followed by [[Fitch Group|Fitch]] downgrading Cyprus's credit rating to [[junk status]].<ref name="BBC News 2012">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18577983 |title=Cyprus's credit rating cut to junk status by Fitch |date=25 June 2012 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC News Online |access-date=25 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628131610/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18577983 |archive-date=28 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Fitch stated Cyprus would need an additional €{{Nowrap|4 billion}} to support its banks and the downgrade was mainly due to the exposure of [[Bank of Cyprus]], [[Cyprus Popular Bank]], and [[Hellenic Bank]], Cyprus's three largest banks, to the [[Greek government-debt crisis]].<ref name="BBC News 2012" />

[[File:BlueEurozone.svg|thumb|Cyprus is part of a monetary union, the [[eurozone]] (dark blue) and of the [[Internal Market (European Union)|EU single market]].]]
The [[2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis]] led to an agreement with the [[Eurogroup]] in March 2013 to split Cyprus Popular Bank, into a "bad" bank which would be wound down over time and a "good" bank which would be absorbed by the Bank of Cyprus. In return for a €10 billion [[bailout]] from the [[European Commission]], the [[European Central Bank]] and the [[International Monetary Fund]], often referred to as the "troika", the Cypriot government was required to impose a significant [[haircut (finance)|haircut]] on [[deposit insurance|uninsured deposits]], a large proportion of which were held by wealthy [[Russians]] who used Cyprus as a [[tax haven]]. Insured deposits of €100,000 or less were not affected.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eurogroup Statement on Cyprus|url=http://eurozone.europa.eu/newsroom/news/2013/03/eg-statement-cyprus-25-03-13/ |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171011040449/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/splash/?requested=%2fcouncil-eu%2feurogroup%2f |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 October 2017 |publisher=[[Eurogroup]]|access-date=30 March 2013 |date=25 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Jan Strupczewski |author2=Annika Breidthardt |title=Last-minute Cyprus deal to close bank, force losses |work=Reuters |date=25 March 2013 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyprus-parliament-idUSBRE92G03I20130325 |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325042059/https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/25/us-cyprus-parliament-idUSBRE92G03I20130325 |archive-date=25 March 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Eurogroup signs off on bailout agreement reached by Cyprus and troika |newspaper=Ekathimerini |location=Greece |date=25 March 2013 |url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_25/03/2013_489702 |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326124216/http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_25/03/2013_489702 |archive-date=26 March 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Limassol New General Hospital 03.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|Limassol General Hospital]]
Cyprus made a staggering{{Clarify|date=May 2024}} economic recovery in the 2010s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cyprus country update October 2019 {{!}} Atradius |url=https://group.atradius.com/publications/economic-research/cyprus-update-october-2019.html |access-date=4 October 2023 |website=group.atradius.com |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101012641/https://group.atradius.com/publications/economic-research/cyprus-update-october-2019.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and according to the 2023 International Monetary Fund estimates, Cyprus's [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|per capita GDP]] at [[international dollar|$]]54,611 is the highest in [[Southern Europe]], though slightly below the European Union average.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GDP per capita, current prices |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PPPPC@WEO/EUQ/CYP/EU |access-date=3 October 2023 |website=imf.org |archive-date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021104923/https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PPPPC@WEO/EUQ/CYP/EU |url-status=live }}</ref> Tourism, financial services and shipping are significant parts of the economy, and Cyprus has been sought as a base for several offshore businesses due its low tax rates and [[Ease of doing business index|ease of doing business]]. Robust growth was achieved in the 1980s and 1990s, due to the focus placed by Cypriot governments on meeting the criteria for admission to the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web |last=European Commission |date=8 November 2000 |title=2000 regular report from the commission on Cyprus' progress towards accession |url=https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2016-12/cy_en_1.pdf |access-date=4 October 2023 |website=Europa.eu |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024154652/https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2016-12/cy_en_1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Cypriot government adopted the euro as the national currency on 1 January 2008, replacing the [[Cypriot pound]].<ref name="Econ">{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/All/2E23E22A811DE449C2256EBD004F3BEB?OpenDocument |title=Cyprus Economy |access-date=4 May 2007 |work=Republic of Cyprus |publisher=cyprus.gov.cy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623090342/http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/All/2E23E22A811DE449C2256EBD004F3BEB?OpenDocument |archive-date=23 June 2012}}</ref>

Cyprus is the last EU member fully isolated from energy interconnections and it is expected that it will be connected to European network via the [[EuroAsia Interconnector]], a 2000 MW [[high-voltage direct current]] [[submarine power cable|undersea power cable]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euroasia-interconnector.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EuroAsia_Interconnector_Project_Overall_leaflet_English.pdf |title=The EuroAsia Interconnector |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216204549/http://www.euroasia-interconnector.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/EuroAsia_Interconnector_Project_Overall_leaflet_English.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[EuroAsia Interconnector]] will connect Greek, Cypriot, and Israeli power grids. It is a leading Project of Common Interest of the [[European Union]] and also priority Electricity Highway Interconnector Project.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-energy/projects-by-country/multi-country/3.10.1-0004-cyel-s-m-16 |title=EU Projects by country |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117013332/https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-energy/projects-by-country/multi-country/3.10.1-0004-cyel-s-m-16 |archive-date=17 January 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/infrastructure/projects-common-interest/funding-projects-common-interest |title=Funding for Projects of Common Interest – Energy – European Commission |website=Energy |date=5 April 2017 |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127083951/https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/infrastructure/projects-common-interest/funding-projects-common-interest |archive-date=27 January 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In recent years significant quantities of offshore natural gas have been discovered in the area known as [[Block 12|Aphrodite]] (at the exploratory drilling block 12) in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone ([[EEZ]]),<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilson |first=George |title=Something sizzling in Cyprus: gas shakes regional chessboard |url=http://www.athensnews.gr/issue/13427/36582 |newspaper=[[Athens News]] |date=23 January 2011 |access-date=7 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128165535/http://www.athensnews.gr/issue/13427/36582 |archive-date=28 January 2012}}</ref> about {{convert|175|km|0|abbr=off}} south of Limassol at 33°5'40″N and 32°59'0″E.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ali |first=Jaber |title=Lebanese Cabinet discusses offshore energy policies |url=http://www.middle-east-confidential.com/1470-lebanese-cabinet-discusses-offshore-energy-policies.html |newspaper=Middle East Confidential |date=15 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118191351/http://www.middle-east-confidential.com/1470-lebanese-cabinet-discusses-offshore-energy-policies.html |archive-date=18 January 2012 |access-date=7 September 2011}}</ref> However, Turkey's offshore drilling companies have accessed both natural gas and oil resources since 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-may-drill-for-oil-and-gas-in-cyprus-minister.aspx?PageID=238&NID=55114&NewsCatID=348 |title=Turkey may drill for oil and gas in Cyprus: Minister – ENERGY |date=25 September 2013 |access-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202172134/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-may-drill-for-oil-and-gas-in-cyprus-minister.aspx?PageID=238&NID=55114&NewsCatID=348 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cyprus demarcated its maritime border with Egypt in 2003, with Lebanon in 2007,<ref>{{cite web |title=Cyprus – Exclusive Economic Zone – Turkey's provocative behaviour |url=http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/0/FE475A6A54F2F7B2C225757100257AD4?opendocument |publisher=Republic of Cyprus |date=10 August 2011 |access-date=7 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111063117/http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/0/FE475A6A54F2F7B2C225757100257AD4?opendocument |archive-date=11 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> and with Israel in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title='Don't attempt to test Turkey's past' |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=8216don8217t-attempt-to-test-turkey8217s-past8217-2011-09-06 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet Daily News]] |date=6 September 2011 |location=Istanbul |access-date=7 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110908052540/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=8216don8217t-attempt-to-test-turkey8217s-past8217-2011-09-06 |archive-date=8 September 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2011, the US-based firm [[Noble Energy]] entered into a production-sharing agreement with the Cypriot government regarding the block's commercial development.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ament |first=Carol|title=Full speed ahead for Cyprus drilling|url=http://famagusta-gazette.com/full-speed-ahead-for-cyprus-drilling-p12736-69.htm|access-date=7 September 2011|newspaper=Famagusta Gazette|date=19 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326132611/http://famagusta-gazette.com/full-speed-ahead-for-cyprus-drilling-p12736-69.htm|archive-date=26 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Turkey, which does not recognise the border agreements of Cyprus with its neighbours,<ref>{{cite news |title=Noble Energy: Good chance of large gas find off Cyprus |url=http://www.neurope.eu/article/noble-energy-good-chance-large-gas-find-cyprus |newspaper=New Europe |date=20 February 2011 |access-date=7 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330094744/http://www.neurope.eu/article/noble-energy-good-chance-large-gas-find-cyprus |archive-date=30 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> threatened to mobilise its naval forces if Cyprus proceeded with plans to begin drilling at Block&nbsp;12.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ankara threatens naval action over Cyprus' Block 12 drill |url=http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/77401/Ankara_threatens_naval_action_over_Cyprus_Block_12_drill |newspaper=[[PanARMENIAN.Net]] |date=6 September 2011 |access-date=7 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406202940/http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/77401/Ankara_threatens_naval_action_over_Cyprus_Block_12_drill |archive-date=6 April 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cyprus's drilling efforts have the support of the US, EU, and UN, and on 19 September 2011 drilling in Block&nbsp;12 began without any incidents being reported.<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey's Miscalculation Over Cypriot Drilling |url=https://www.stratfor.com/sample/geopolitical-diary/turkeys-miscalculation-over-cypriot-drilling |work=Stratfor News |date=20 September 2011 |access-date=12 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614012637/https://www.stratfor.com/sample/geopolitical-diary/turkeys-miscalculation-over-cypriot-drilling |archive-date=14 June 2015}}</ref>

===Infrastructure===
{{Main|Transport in Cyprus|Telecommunications in Cyprus}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = 
| width1            = 227
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Cranes Limassol Harbour 20110703.jpg
| width2            = 200
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = 
| footer            = The [[port of Limassol]], the busiest in Cyprus
}}

Cyprus is one of only three EU nations in which vehicles drive on the [[Right- and left-hand traffic|left-hand side of the road]], a remnant of British rule. [[Roads and motorways in Cyprus|A series of motorways]] runs along the coast from [[Paphos]] to [[Ayia Napa]], with two motorways running inland to Nicosia, one from Limassol and one from [[Larnaca]].

Per capita private car ownership is the 29th-highest in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.VEH.NVEH.P3 |title=World Bank Data: Motor vehicles (per 1,000 people) |publisher=[[The World Bank]] |access-date=27 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209114811/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.VEH.NVEH.P3 |archive-date=9 February 2014}}</ref> There were approximately 344,000 privately owned vehicles, and a total of 517,000 registered motor vehicles in the Republic of Cyprus in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/PWD/PWD.nsf/All/1099BBC9002543B4C225713B00147808?Opendocument |title=''Public Works Department official statistics'' |publisher=Mcw.gov.cy |date=24 March 2006 |access-date=25 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326001533/http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/PWD/PWD.nsf/All/1099BBC9002543B4C225713B00147808?Opendocument |archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref> In 2006, plans were announced to improve and expand bus services and other public transport throughout Cyprus, with the financial backing of the [[European Union]] Development Bank. In 2010 the new bus network was implemented.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprusbybus.com/ |title=Cyprus By Bus |access-date=16 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218190605/http://www.cyprusbybus.com/ |archive-date=18 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cyprus has two international airports in the government-controlled areas, the busier one being in [[Larnaca International Airport|Larnaca]] and the other in [[Paphos International Airport|Paphos]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Statesman's Yearbook |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |page=386 |chapter=Cyprus}}</ref> The [[Ercan International Airport]] is the only active one in the non-government-controlled areas, but all international flights there must have a stopover in Turkey.<ref>{{cite web |title='Direct' flights to the north will go via Turkey |url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/09/23/direct-flights-to-the-north-will-go-via-turkey/ |publisher=Cyprus Mail |access-date=23 January 2023 |date=23 September 2022 |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123001834/https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/09/23/direct-flights-to-the-north-will-go-via-turkey/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The main [[harbour]]s of the island are [[Limassol Port|Limassol]] and [[Larnaca]], which serve cargo, passenger and [[cruise ship]]s.

Cyprus has no active railroads, but in recent years there is a call to rebuild rail line for the first time in 70 years. The call was made by the European rail supply industry association (Unife) along with Cyprus Railways Consortium.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-07 |title=European railway association calls for trains to return to Cyprus |url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/01/07/european-railway-association-calls-for-trains-to-return-to-cyprus |access-date=2026-01-18 |website=cyprus-mail.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=May |first=Tiana |date=2025-11-05 |title=Cyprus Railways Consortium Calls for Island-Wide Rail Plan |url=https://railway-news.com/cyprus-railways-consortium-calls-for-island-wide-rail-plan/ |access-date=2026-01-18 |website=Railway-News |language=en-gb}}</ref>

[[CYTA|Cyta]], the [[Public ownership|state-owned]] telecommunications company, manages most telecommunications and Internet connections on the island. However, following deregulation of the sector, a few private telecommunications companies emerged, including [[Monaco Telecom|epic]], [[Cablenet]], [[OTEnet Telecom]], [[Omega Telecom]] and [[PrimeTel]]. In the non-government-controlled areas of Cyprus, two different companies administer the mobile phone network: [[Turkcell]] and [[KKTC Telsim]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Cyprus|List of cities, towns and villages in Cyprus}}

[[File:Cyprus-demography.png|thumb|left|Population growth, 1961–2003 (numbers for the entire island, excluding Turkish settlers residing in Northern Cyprus)]]
[[File:Cypruspop-2010.svg|thumb|left|2010 population by age and gender]]

According to the Republic of Cyprus's website, the population in the government controlled areas was 918,100 at the 2021 Census, with the most populous district being Nicosia (38%), followed by Limassol (28%).<ref>{{Cite web |last=CYSTAT |title=2021 Census Results |url=https://www.census2021.cystat.gov.cy/Announements/18%20May%202022%20CENSUS%20OF%20POPULATION%20-%20PRELIMINARY%20RESULTS.pdf |access-date=15 December 2023 |archive-date=19 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119132756/https://www.census2021.cystat.gov.cy/Announements/18%20May%202022%20CENSUS%20OF%20POPULATION%20-%20PRELIMINARY%20RESULTS.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Nicosia Metropolitan area, consisting of seven municipalities, is the largest urban area on the island with a population of 255,309.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government Website (Aftodoiikisi) |title=2021 population statistics |url=https://www.aftodioikisi.com.cy/%ce%bf-%ce%bc%ce%b9%ce%ba%cf%81%cf%8c%cf%84%ce%b5%cf%81%ce%bf%cf%82-%ce%ba%ce%b1%ce%b9-%ce%bc%ce%b5%ce%b3%ce%b1%ce%bb%cf%8d%cf%84%ce%b5%cf%81%ce%bf%cf%82-%ce%b4%ce%ae%ce%bc%ce%bf%cf%82-%ce%ba%ce%bf/ |access-date=15 December 2023 |archive-date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021110912/https://www.aftodioikisi.com.cy/%CE%BF-%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%81%CF%8C%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9-%CE%BC%CE%B5%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%8D%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%B4%CE%AE%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%BA%CE%BF/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As per the first population census after independence, carried out in December 1960 and covering the entire island, Cyprus had a total population of 573,566, of whom 442,138 (77.1%) were Greeks, 104,320 (18.2%) Turks, and 27,108 (4.7%) others.<ref name="Solsten2" /><ref name="Hatay 2007">Hatay, Mete "Is the Turkish Cypriot Population Shrinking?", International Peace Research Institute, 2007. Pages 22–23.</ref> The CIA World Factbook calculated that in 2001, [[Greek Cypriots]] comprised 77%, [[Turkish Cypriots]] 18%, and others 5% of the total Cypriot population.<ref>{{cite web |title=The World Factbook – Ethnic Groups |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html#cy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625160623/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html#cy |archive-date=25 June 2014 |access-date=22 June 2013 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref><ref name="Hadjipavlou 2002">{{cite book |last=Hadjipavlou |first=Maria |title=Peace Education: The Concept, Principles, and Practices Around the World |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8058-4193-0 |editor1-last=Salomon |editor1-first=Gavriel |page=195 |chapter=Cyprus: A Partnership Between Conflict Resolution and Peace Education |editor2-last=Nevo |editor2-first=Baruch}}</ref>

Due to the inter-communal ethnic tensions between 1963 and 1974, an island-wide census was regarded as impossible. Nevertheless, the Cypriot government conducted one in 1973, without the Turkish Cypriot populace.<ref>{{cite book |last=St John-Jones |first=L.W. |year=1983 |title=The Population of Cyprus: Demographic Trends and Socio-Economic Influences |place=London |publisher=Maurice Temple Smith Ltd |page=17 |isbn=978-0-85117-232-3}}</ref> According to this census, the Greek Cypriot population was 482,000. One year later, in 1974, the Cypriot government's Department of Statistics and Research estimated the total population of Cyprus at 641,000; of whom 506,000 (78.9%) were Greeks, and 118,000 (18.4%) Turkish.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cyprus Ministry of Interior |year=1992 |title=The Demographic Structure of Cyprus |url=http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/All/20C7614D06858E9FC2256DC200380113/$file/cuco%20report.pdf?OpenElement |publisher=Parliamentary Assembly |page=6 |access-date=22 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107111845/http://www.moi.gov.cy/MOI/pio/pio.nsf/All/20C7614D06858E9FC2256DC200380113/$file/cuco%20report.pdf?OpenElement |archive-date=7 January 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> After the military occupation of part of the island in 1974, the government of Cyprus conducted six more censuses: in 1976, 1982, 1992, 2001, 2011 and 2021; these excluded the Turkish population which was resident in non-government-controlled areas of the island.<ref name="Hatay 2007" />

In addition to this, the Republic of Cyprus is home to 110,200 foreign permanent residents<ref>{{citation |author=Republic of Cyprus Statistical Service|year=2006 |title= Demographic Report 2005 |location=Nicosia |publisher=Republic of Cyprus Statistical Service|page=12}}</ref> and an estimated 10,000–30,000 undocumented illegal immigrants.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nicos |first1=Trimikliniotis |last2=Demetriou |first2=Corina |year=2007 |title=Active Civic Participation of Immigrants in Cyprus |url=http://www.politis-europe.uni-oldenburg.de/download/Cyprus.pdf |publisher=POLITIS |page=8 |access-date=22 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511082254/http://www.politis-europe.uni-oldenburg.de/download/Cyprus.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hadjipavlou 2002" /> As of 2011, there were 10,520 people of [[Russians in Cyprus|Russian]] origin living in Cyprus.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boyle |first1=Kevin |url=https://archive.org/details/freedomofreligio00kevi |title=Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report |last2=Sheen |first2=Juliet |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-415-15978-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/freedomofreligio00kevi/page/288 288] |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Salih |first=Halil Ibrahim |title=Cyprus: Ethnic Political Counterpoints |publisher=University Press of America |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-15978-4 |page=121}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+Largest groups of foreign residents
|-
! scope="column | Nationality 
! scope="column" | Population (2011)
|-
! scope="row" | {{flagu|Greece}}
| 29,321
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|United Kingdom}}
| 24,046
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Romania}}
| 23,706
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Bulgaria}}
| 18,536
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Philippines}}
| 9,413
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Russia}}
| 8,164
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Sri Lanka}}
| 7,269
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Vietnam}}
| 7,028
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|Syria}}
| 3,054
|-
! scope="row" |{{flagu|India}}
| 2,933
|}

According to the 2006 census carried out by Northern Cyprus, there were 256,644 ([[de jure]]) people living in Northern Cyprus. 178,031 were citizens of Northern Cyprus, of whom 147,405 were born in Cyprus (112,534 from the north; 32,538 from the south; 371 did not indicate what region of Cyprus they were from); 27,333 born in Turkey; 2,482 born in the UK and 913 born in Bulgaria. Of the 147,405 citizens born in Cyprus, 120,031 say both parents were born in Cyprus; 16,824 say both parents born in Turkey; 10,361 have one parent born in Turkey and one parent born in Cyprus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nufussayimi.devplan.org/Census%202006.pdf |title=Census.XLS |access-date=25 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116120824/http://nufussayimi.devplan.org/Census%202006.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref>

In 2010, the [[International Crisis Group]] estimated that the total population of the island was 1.1 million,<ref>{{cite web |author=International Crisis Group |year=2010 |title=Cyprus: Bridging the Property Divide |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/turkey-cyprus/cyprus/210%20Cyprus%20-%20Bridging%20the%20Property%20Divide.ashx |publisher=International Crisis Group |page=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103083632/http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/turkey-cyprus/cyprus/210%20Cyprus%20-%20Bridging%20the%20Property%20Divide.ashx |archive-date=3 November 2011}}</ref> of which there were an estimated 300,000 residents in the north, perhaps half of whom were [[Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus|either born in Turkey]] or are children of such settlers.<ref>{{cite web |author=International Crisis Group |year=2010 |title=Cyprus: Bridging the Property Divide |url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/turkey-cyprus/cyprus/210%20Cyprus%20-%20Bridging%20the%20Property%20Divide.ashx |publisher=International Crisis Group |page=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103083632/http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/turkey-cyprus/cyprus/210%20Cyprus%20-%20Bridging%20the%20Property%20Divide.ashx |archive-date=3 November 2011}}</ref>

[[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-Dna haplogroups]] are found at the following frequencies in Cyprus: [[Haplogroup J (Y-DNA)|J]] (43.07% including 6.20% J1), [[Haplogroup E1b1b (Y-DNA)|E1b1b]] (20.00%), [[Haplogroup R1 (Y-DNA)|R1]] (12.30% including 9.2% R1b), [[Haplogroup F (Y-DNA)|F]] (9.20%), [[Haplogroup I (Y-DNA)|I]] (7.70%), [[Haplogroup K (Y-DNA)|K]] (4.60%), [[Haplogroup A (Y-DNA)|A]] (3.10%).<ref>(n=65), {{Cite journal
|last1= Capelli |first1= C.
|last2= Redhead |first2= N.
|last3= Romano |first3= V.
|last4= Cali |first4= F.
|last5= Lefranc |first5= G.
|last6= Delague |first6= V.
|last7= Megarbane |first7= A.
|last8= Felice |first8= A. E.
|last9= Pascali |first9= V. L.
|last10= Neophytou |first10= P. I.
|last11= Poulli |first11= Z.
|last12= Novelletto |first12= A.
|last13= Malaspina |first13= P.
|last14= Terrenato |first14= L.
|last15= Berebbi |first15= A.
|last16= Fellous |first16= M.
|last17= Thomas |first17= M. G.
|last18= Goldstein |first18= D. B.
|title = Population Structure in the Mediterranean Basin: A Y Chromosome Perspective
|doi = 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2005.00224.x
|journal= Annals of Human Genetics
|volume= 70
|issue= 2
|pages= 207–225
|year= 2006
|pmid= 16626331
| hdl = 2108/37090
| s2cid = 25536759
| hdl-access = free
}}</ref> J, K, F and E1b1b haplogroups consist of lineages with differential distribution within Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

Outside Cyprus there are significant and thriving diasporas – both a [[Greek Cypriot diaspora]] and a [[Turkish Cypriot diaspora]] – in the United Kingdom, [[Australia]], [[Canada]], the [[United States]], Greece and Turkey.

According to [[Council of Europe]], approximately 1,250 [[Romani people]] live in Cyprus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/cyprus_en#:~:text=Contacts-,Facts+and+figures,0.16%25+of+the+population).|title=Cyprus - European Commission|website=commission.europa.eu}}</ref>

{{Largest cities of Cyprus}}

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in Cyprus}}

{{bar box
|title=[[Religion in Cyprus]] ([[Pew Research Center|Pew Research]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/cyprus/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |title=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project: Cyprus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717053131/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/cyprus/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |archive-date=17 July 2014 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |date=2010}}</ref><ref name="CIA"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Eastern Orthodoxy]]|purple|78}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|green|20}}
{{bar percent|Other|grey|1}}
{{bar percent|None|black|1}}
}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = Kloster Kykkos BW 2023-09-20 10-56-59.jpg
| width1            = 180
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| caption1          = 
| image2            = Larnaca 01-2017 img30 Salt Lake.jpg
| width2            = 180
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| caption2          = 
| footer            = [[Kykkos Monastery]] in [[Pedoulas]] (left) and [[Hala Sultan Tekke]] near [[Larnaca Salt Lake]] (right)
}}

The majority of Greek Cypriots identify as [[Christians]], specifically [[Church of Cyprus|Greek Orthodox]],<ref name="CIA" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/All/817E9279C04E4480C2257023002B858C?OpenDocument |title=About Cyprus – Towns and Population |work=Government Web Portal – Areas of Interest |publisher=[[Government of Cyprus]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225142919/http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/All/817E9279C04E4480C2257023002B858C?OpenDocument |archive-date=25 February 2012 |access-date=9 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cytoc.html |title=A Country Study: Cyprus |last=Solsten |first=Eric |date=January 1991 |work=[[Federal Research Division]] |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=9 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905040619/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cytoc.html |archive-date=5 September 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> whereas most Turkish Cypriots are adherents of [[Sunni Islam]]. The first [[President of Cyprus]], [[Makarios&nbsp;III]], was an [[archbishop]].

[[Hala Sultan Tekke]], situated near the [[Larnaca Salt Lake]] is an object of [[pilgrimage]] for Muslims.

According to the 2001 census carried out in the government-controlled areas,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mof.gov.cy/mof/cystat/statistics.nsf/populationcondition_en/populationcondition_en?OpenDocument&sub=2&e= |publisher=Statistical Service of Cyprus: Population and Social Statistics |title=Main Results of the 2001 Census |access-date=28 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821110627/http://www.mof.gov.cy/mof/cystat/statistics.nsf/populationcondition_en/populationcondition_en?OpenDocument&sub=2&e= |archive-date=21 August 2010}}</ref> 94.8% of the population was [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]], 0.9% [[Armenian religion in Cyprus|Armenian]] and [[Maronite Church|Maronite]], 1.5% [[Latin Church|Latin]] [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], 1.0% [[Church of England]], and 0.6% Muslim. There is also a [[History of the Jews in Cyprus|Jewish community on Cyprus]]. The remaining 1.3% adhered to other religious denominations or did not state their religion.  The Greek Orthodox, [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], and both the Maronite and Latin Catholics are constitutionally recognised denominations and exempt from taxes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://acninternational.org/religiousfreedomreport/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cyprus.pdf |title=Religious Freedom in the World Report 2021: Cyprus |publisher=ACN International |access-date=8 February 2023 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222201819/https://acninternational.org/religiousfreedomreport/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cyprus.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Main|Languages of Cyprus}}

[[File:Armenian Alphabet.jpg|thumb|right|The Armenian alphabet at the [[Melkonian Educational Institute]]. [[Armenian language|Armenian]] is recognised as a minority language in Cyprus.]]

Cyprus has two official languages, Greek and [[Turkish language|Turkish]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.presidency.gov.cy/presidency/presidency.nsf/all/1003AEDD83EED9C7C225756F0023C6AD/$file/CY_Constitution.pdf |title=The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus |publisher=President of the Republic of Cyprus |section=Article 3 |page=2 |access-date=18 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001544/http://www.presidency.gov.cy/presidency/presidency.nsf/all/1003AEDD83EED9C7C225756F0023C6AD/$file/CY_Constitution.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Armenian language|Armenian]] and [[Cypriot Maronite Arabic]] are recognised as minority languages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://languagecharter.eokik.hu/sites/StatesParties/Cyprus.htm |title=Implementation of the Charter in Cyprus |work=Database for the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages |publisher=Public Foundation for European Comparative Minority Research |access-date=20 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207055025/http://languagecharter.eokik.hu/sites/StatesParties/Cyprus.htm |archive-date=7 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/languages/langmin/euromosaic/cy1_en.html |title=EUROPA – Education and Training – Regional and minority languages – Euromosaïc study |work=Europa (web portal) |date=27 October 2006 |access-date=3 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704194723/http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/languages/langmin/euromosaic/cy1_en.html |archive-date=4 July 2010}}</ref> Although without official status, [[English language|English]] is widely spoken and features widely on road signs and in public notices and advertisements.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Ammon |editor1-first=Ulrich |editor2-last=Dittmar |editor2-first=Norbert |editor3-last=Mattheier |editor3-first=Klaus J. |editor4-last=Trudgill |editor4-first=Peter |chapter=Greece and Cyprus |pages=1881–1889 |title=Sociolinguistics: an international handbook of the science of language and society / Soziolinguistik: ein internationales Handbuch zur Wissenschaft von Sprache und Gesellschaft |year=2006 |edition=2nd |series=Handbooks of linguistics and communication science / Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft |volume=3 |location=Berlin |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783110184181 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LMZm0w0k1c4C |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517130217/https://books.google.com/books?id=LMZm0w0k1c4C |url-status=live }}</ref> English was the sole official language during British colonial rule and the [[lingua franca]] until 1960, and continued to be used (de facto) in courts of law until 1989 and in legislation until 1996.<ref name=Euromosaic>{{cite book |editor1-last=European Commission, Directorate-General for Education and Culture |title=Euromosaic III: Presence of regional and minority language groups in the new member states |date=2006 |publisher=Office for official publications of the European communities |location=Brussels |isbn=978-92-79-01291-4 |pages=19–23 |url=http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/euromosaic-iii-pbNC7406031/ |access-date=8 August 2015 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517130232/https://op.europa.eu/en/web/general-publications/publications |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, 80.4% of Cypriots were proficient in English as a [[second language]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mejer |first1=Lene |last2=Boateng |first2=Sadi q Kwesi |last3=Turchetti |first3=Paolo |title=Population and social conditions |series=Statistics in Focus |issue=49/2010 |year=2010 |publisher=[[eurostat]] |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3433488/5565660/KS-SF-10-049-EN.PDF |access-date=13 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217061503/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3433488/5565660/KS-SF-10-049-EN.PDF |archive-date=17 February 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Russian is widely spoken among the country's minorities, residents and citizens of post-Soviet countries, and [[Pontic Greeks]]. [[Russian language|Russian]], after English and Greek, is the third language used on many signs of shops and restaurants, particularly in Limassol and Paphos. In addition, in 2006, 12% of the population spoke [[French language|French]] and 5% spoke [[German language|German]].<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf Europeans and their Languages] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414102658/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf |date=14 April 2016}}, [[Eurobarometer]], European Commission, 2006.</ref>

The everyday spoken language of Greek Cypriots is [[Cypriot Greek]], and that of Turkish Cypriots is [[Cypriot Turkish]].<ref name=Euromosaic /> These [[vernacular]]s both differ from their [[standard language|standard registers]] significantly.<ref name=Euromosaic />

===Education===
{{Main|Education in Cyprus}}

[[File:Izgled-Faneromeni shool and the Mausoleum of the Martyrs of 9 July 1821, Nicosia-2.jpg|thumb|[[Faneromeni School]] is the oldest all-girls primary school in Cyprus.]]

Cyprus has a highly developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education. The high quality of instruction can be attributed in part to the fact that nearly 7% of the GDP is spent on education which makes Cyprus one of the top three spenders of education in the EU along with Denmark and Sweden.<ref>[http://www.childinfo.org/files/IND_Cyprus.pdf UNICEF, Division of Policy and Practice, Statistics and Monitoring Section] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510004016/http://www.childinfo.org/files/IND_Cyprus.pdf |date=10 May 2011}} childinfo.org, May 2008.</ref> Cyprus was ranked 25th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/cyprus |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref>

State schools are generally seen as equivalent in quality of education to private-sector institutions. However, the value of a state high-school diploma is limited by the fact that the grades obtained account for only around 25% of the final grade for each topic, with the remaining 75% assigned by the teacher during the semester, in a minimally transparent way. Cypriot universities (like universities in Greece) ignore high school grades almost entirely for admissions purposes. While a high-school diploma is mandatory for university attendance, admissions are decided almost exclusively on the basis of scores at centrally administered university entrance examinations that all university candidates are required to take.

The majority of Cypriots receive their higher education at Greek, British, Turkish, other European and North American universities. Cyprus currently{{when|date=May 2019}} has the highest percentage of citizens of [[Legal working age|working age]] who have higher-level education in the EU at 30% which is ahead of Finland's 29.5%. In addition, 47% of its population aged 25–34 have tertiary education, which is the highest in the EU. The body of Cypriot students is highly mobile, with 78.7% studying in a university outside Cyprus.

==Culture==
[[File:Entrance to Pancyprian Gymnasium, Nicosia.jpg|thumb|The entrance of the historic [[Pancyprian Gymnasium]]]]
Greek and Turkish Cypriots share many cultural traits, while also possessing some differences. Several traditional foods (such as [[souvla]] and [[halloumi]]) and beverages are similar,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hatay |first=Mete |date=2006 |title=The Levantine Legacy of Cypriot Culinary Culture |url=https://cyprusreview.org/index.php/cr/article/view/296/258 |journal=Cyprus Review |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=129–142 |access-date=16 April 2023 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416101814/https://cyprusreview.org/index.php/cr/article/view/296/258 |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as expressions and ways of life. Hospitality and buying or offering food and drinks for guests or others are common among both. In both communities, music, dance and art are integral parts of social life and many artistic, verbal and nonverbal expressions, traditional dances such as [[tsifteteli]], similarities in dance costumes and importance placed on social activities are shared between the communities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fong |first1=Mary |last2=Chuang |first2=Rueyling |title=Communicating Ethnic and Cultural Identity |date=2004 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-1739-4 |page=286 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ue4CCUhRYa4C&pg=PA286 |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517130338/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ue4CCUhRYa4C&pg=PA286#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the two communities have distinct religions and religious cultures, with the Greek Cypriots traditionally being [[Church of Cyprus|Greek Orthodox]] and Turkish Cypriots traditionally being [[Sunni Muslims]], which has partly hindered cultural exchange.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cyprus in Europe: Seizing the Momentum of Nice |author=Patrick R. Hugg |publisher=Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law |date=November 2001 |ssrn=2257945}}</ref> Greek Cypriots have influences from Greece and Christianity, while Turkish Cypriots have influences from Turkey and [[Islam]].

The [[Limassol Carnival Festival]] is an annual [[carnival]] which is held at [[Limassol]], in Cyprus. The event which is very popular in Cyprus was introduced in the 20th century.{{Sfn|Merin|Burdick1979|p=82}}

===Arts===
{{See also|List of Cypriot artists}}
[[File:Classic aristocratic houses in Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Typical Cypriot architecture in old part of [[Nicosia]], Cyprus]]
The art history of Cyprus can be said to stretch back up to 10,000 years, following the discovery of a series of [[Chalcolithic]] period carved figures in the villages of [[Khoirokoitia]] and [[Lempa (Lemba)|Lempa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arcl.ed.ac.uk/arch/lemba/homepage.html |title=Lemba Archaeological Research Centre |publisher=Arcl.ed.ac.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117041553/http://www.arcl.ed.ac.uk/arch/lemba/homepage.html |archive-date=17 January 2013 |access-date=25 October 2009}}</ref> The island is the home to numerous examples of high quality religious [[icon painting]] from the [[Cyprus in the Middle Ages|Middle Ages]] as well as [[List of painted churches in Cyprus|many painted churches]]. Cypriot architecture was heavily influenced by [[French Gothic architecture|French Gothic]] and Italian [[renaissance architecture|renaissance]] introduced in the island during the era of Latin domination (1191–1571).

A well known traditional art that dates at least from the 14th&nbsp;century is the [[Lefkara lace]], which originates from the village of [[Pano Lefkara|Lefkara]]. Lefkara lace is recognised as an [[intangible cultural heritage]] (ICH) by UNESCO, and it is characterised by distinct design patterns, and its intricate, time-consuming production process. Another local form of art that originated from Lefkara is the production of Cypriot Filigree (locally known as ''Trifourenio''), a type of jewellery that is made with twisted threads of silver.

In modern times Cypriot art history begins with the painter Vassilis Vryonides (1883–1958) who studied at the [[Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia|Academy of Fine Arts]] in Venice.<ref>Chrysanthos Christou, ''A short History of Modern and Contemporary Cypriot Art'', Nicosia 1983.</ref> Arguably the two founding fathers of modern Cypriot art were Adamantios Diamantis (1900–1994) who studied at London's [[Royal College of Art]] and 
Christophoros Savva (1924–1968) who also studied in London, at [[Saint Martin's School of Art]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hatjecantz.de/christoforos-savva-7519-1.html#:~:text=Christoforos%20Savva%20(1924%E2%80%931968),newly%20established%20Republic%20of%20Cyprus. |title=Christoforos Savva |publisher=www.hatjecantz.de |access-date=12 September 2021 |archive-date=19 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919011443/https://www.hatjecantz.de/christoforos-savva-7519-1.html#:~:text=Christoforos%20Savva%20(1924%E2%80%931968),newly%20established%20Republic%20of%20Cyprus. |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1960, Savva founded, together with Welsh artist Glyn Hughes, Apophasis [Decision], the first independent cultural centre of the newly established Republic of Cyprus. In 1968, Savva was among the artists representing Cyprus in its inaugural [[National pavilions at the Venice Biennale|Pavilion]] at the [[34th Venice Biennale]]. English Cypriot Artist [http://glynhughesart.com/ Glyn HUGHES] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619052247/http://glynhughesart.com/ |date=19 June 2021 }} 1931–2014.<ref>Ministry of Education and Culture, ''State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art'' (Nicosia: MOEC,1998)</ref> In many ways these two artists set the template for subsequent Cypriot art and both their artistic styles and the patterns of their education remain influential to this day. In particular the majority of Cypriot artists still train in England<ref>Michael Paraskos, "The Art of Modern Cyprus", in ''Sunjet'', Spring 2002, 62f</ref> while others train at art schools in Greece and local art institutions such as the [[Cyprus College of Art]], [[University of Nicosia]] and the [[Frederick Institute of Technology]].

One of the features of Cypriot art is a tendency towards figurative painting although [[conceptual art]] is being rigorously promoted by a number of art "institutions" and most notably the Nicosia Municipal Art Centre. Municipal art galleries exist in all the main towns and there is a large and lively commercial art scene.

Other notable Greek Cypriot artists include [[Panayiotis Kalorkoti]], [[Nicos Nicolaides]], [[Stass Paraskos]], [[Telemachos Kanthos]], and [[Chris Achilleos]]; and Turkish Cypriot artists include [[İsmet Güney]], [[Ruzen Atakan]] and [[Mutlu Çerkez]].

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Cyprus}}

[[File:Laghouto.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Laouto]], dominant instrument of the Cypriot traditional music]]

The traditional [[folk music]] of Cyprus has several common elements with [[Music of Greece|Greek]], [[Music of Turkey|Turkish]], and [[Arabic music]], all of which descend from Byzantine music, including Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot dances such as the ''tillirkotissa'', as well as the Middle Eastern-inspired ''[[tsifteteli]]'' and ''arapies''. There is also a form of musical poetry known as ''chattista'' which is often performed at traditional feasts and celebrations. The instruments commonly associated with Cyprus folk music are the violin ("fkiolin"), [[lute]] ("laouto"), Cyprus flute ([[fipple flute|''pithkiavlin'']]), [[oud]] ("outi"), [[kanonaki]] and percussions (including the "[[drum|tamboutsia]]"). Composers associated with traditional Cypriot music include [[Solon Michaelides]], [[Marios Tokas]], Evagoras Karageorgis and Savvas Salides. Among musicians is also the acclaimed pianist [[Cyprien Katsaris]], composer [[Andreas G. Orphanides]], and composer and artistic director of the European Capital of Culture initiative [[Marios Joannou Elia]].

[[Popular music]] in Cyprus is generally influenced by the Greek ''[[Laïka]]'' scene; artists who play in this genre include international [[Music recording sales certification|platinum]] star [[Anna Vissi]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Billboard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQ0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8 |date=8 May 1999 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |page=8 |quote=Sony Music executives congratulate Greek artist Anna Vissi before her recent sold-out performance at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York the first stop in her North-American tour to promote her album Antidoto |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911001516/https://books.google.com/books?id=eQ0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8 |archive-date=11 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Hellander, Paul |author2=Kate Armstrong |author3=Michael Clark |author4=Christopher Deliso|title=Lonely Planet Greek Islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4PDWSOx4lUwC&pg=PA49 |year=2008|publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74104-314-3 |page=49 |quote=The country's big pop and laïka stars include Anna Vissi, Notis Sfakiana- kis, Despina Vandi, Yiannis Ploutarhos, Antonis Remos, Mihalis Hatziyian- nis, heartthrob Sakis Rouvas and Greek-Swedish singer Elena Paparizou, who won Greece |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922103814/https://books.google.com/books?id=4PDWSOx4lUwC&pg=PA49 |archive-date=22 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Billboard|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MhQEAAAAMBAJ |date=14 July 2001 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MhQEAAAAMBAJ/page/n70 71] |quote=The hits of platinum stars Anna Vissi, Despina Vandi and Keti Garbi are played in clubs together with the Anna Vissi international dance hits of Deep- swing, Planetfunk |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=20 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Rhythm: Global Sounds and Ideas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JbA4AQAAIAAJ |year=2000 |publisher=World Marketing Incorporated |volume=9 |issue=6–11 |page=70 |quote=We have a Euro Music category with clips by the Gipsy Kings and Anna Vissi, a huge star for Sony Greece 'We also have&nbsp;... |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910221009/https://books.google.com/books?id=JbA4AQAAIAAJ |archive-date=10 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Evridiki]], and [[Sarbel]]. [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] and [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] have been supported by the emergence of Cypriot rap and the [[urban music]] scene at [[Ayia Napa]], while in the last years the [[reggae]] scene is growing, especially through the participation of many Cypriot artists at the annual [[Reggae Sunjam]] festival. Is also noted Cypriot rock music and ''[[Éntekhno]]'' rock is often associated with artists such as [[Michalis Hatzigiannis]] and [[Alkinoos Ioannidis]]. [[Heavy metal music|Metal]] also has a small following in Cyprus represented by bands such as Armageddon (rev.16:16), Blynd, [[Winter's Verge]], [[Methysos]] and Quadraphonic.

===Literature===
{{Main|Cypriot literature}}

[[File:Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Napoli, 1969) - BEIC 6353768.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Zeno of Citium]], founder of the [[Stoicism|Stoic]] school of philosophy]]

Literary production of the antiquity includes the ''[[Cypria]]'', an [[epic poetry|epic poem]], probably composed in the late 7th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BC and attributed to [[Stasinus]]. The ''Cypria'' is one of the first specimens of Greek and European poetry.<ref>"An indication that at least the main contents of the ''Cypria'' were known around 650 BC is provided by the representation of the [[Judgment of Paris]] on the [[Chigi vase]]" (Burkert 1992:103). On the [[proto-Corinthian]] [[ewer]] of c.&nbsp;640&nbsp;BC known as the [http://www.wisc.edu/arth/ah300/13-myth/33.image.html Chigi "vase"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821235045/http://www.wisc.edu/arth/ah300/13-myth/33.image.html |date=21 August 2013 }}, Paris is identified as ''Alexandros'', as he was apparently called in ''Cypria''. </ref> The Cypriot [[Zeno of Citium]] was the founder of the [[Stoicism|Stoic]] school of philosophy.

Epic poetry, notably the "acritic songs", flourished during the [[Middle Ages]]. Two chronicles, one written by [[Leontios Machairas]] and the other by [[Georgios Boustronios]], cover the entire Middle Ages until the end of Frankish rule (4th&nbsp;century–1489). ''Poèmes d'amour'' written in medieval Greek Cypriot date back from the 16th&nbsp;century. Some of them are actual translations of poems written by [[Petrarch]], [[Bembo]], [[Ariosto]] and G.&nbsp;[[Jacopo Sannazaro|Sannazzaro]].<ref>Th. Siapkaras- Pitsillidés, Le Pétrarchisme en Cypre. Poèmes d'&nbsp;amour en dialecte Chypriote d' après un manuscript du XVIe siècle, Athènes 1975 (2ème&nbsp;édition)</ref> Many Cypriot scholars fled Cyprus at troubled times, such as [[Ioannis Kigalas]] (c.&nbsp;1622–1687) who migrated from Cyprus to Italy in the 17th&nbsp;century, several of his works have survived in books of other scholars.<ref>{{cite book |author=Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Institut für Griechisch-Römische Altertumskunde, Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Zentralinstitut für Alte Geschichte und Archäologie |title=Berliner byzantinistische Arbeiten, Volume&nbsp;40 |publisher=Akademie-Verlag |year=1956 |pages=209–210 |quote=John Cigala (born at Nicosia 1622). He studied at the College of Saint Athanasios, Rome (1635–1642), which he graduated as doctor of philosophy and theology and at which he taught Greek successfully for eight years (1642–1650)&nbsp;... What has survived of his work as a number of epigrams published in books of other scholars.}}</ref>

[[File:Ioannis Kigalas (1622-1687) Cyprus.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Ioannis Kigalas]] ({{Circa|1622}}–1687) was a [[Nicosia]] born [[Greek people|Greek]] Cypriot scholar and professor of philosophy who was largely active in the 17th century.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Serena, Sebastiano |author2=Barbarigo, Gregorio |title=S.&nbsp;Gregorio Barbarigo e la vita spirituale e cultuale nel suo Seminario di Padova; lettre e saggi editi dagli amici in memoria |publisher=Editrice Antenore |year=1963 |page=495 |oclc=6706000 |quote=Giovanni Cicala, greco di Cipro, prof. di Filosofia nella Università&nbsp;... Al qual fine permetteva tutta la confidenza con il Cigala e con il Papadopoli, ambedue greci nativi e Lettori pubblici nell'Universita di Padova, coi quail si tratteneva, in frequenti discorsi sopra questa material, le mezze giornate intiere&nbsp;...}}</ref>]]
Hasan Hilmi Efendi, a Turkish Cypriot poet, was rewarded by the Ottoman sultan [[Mahmud II|Mahmud&nbsp;II]] and said to be the "sultan of the poems".<ref>Gazioğlu, Ahmet C. (1990). The Turks in Cyprus: a province of the Ottoman Empire (1571–1878), 293–295, K.&nbsp;Rüstem.</ref>

Modern Greek Cypriot literary figures include the poet and writer [[Costas Montis]], poet [[Kyriakos Charalambides]], poet [[Michalis Pasiardis]], writer [[Nicos Nicolaides]], Stylianos Atteshlis, [[Altheides]], {{Interlanguage link|Loukis Akritas|el|Λουκής Ακρίτας}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.philatelism.com/details.php?issueid=256 |title=Cyprus Stamp Issue: Loukis Akritas |access-date=29 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511195913/http://www.philatelism.com/details.php?issueid=256 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Demetris Th. Gotsis]]. [[Dimitris Lipertis]], [[Vasilis Michaelides]] and Pavlos Liasides are folk poets who wrote poems mainly in the [[Cypriot Greek|Cypriot-Greek]] dialect.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.philatelism.com/details.php?issueid=91 |title=Cyprus Stamp Issue: Cyprus Poets |access-date=29 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511195859/http://www.philatelism.com/details.php?issueid=91 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.philatelism.com/details.php?issueid=252 |title=Cyprus Stamp Issue: Centenary Birthday Anniversary of Poet Pavlos Liasides |access-date=29 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511195938/http://www.philatelism.com/details.php?issueid=252 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Among leading Turkish Cypriot writers are [[Osman Türkay]], twice nominated for the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]],<ref>[http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/printnews.aspx?DocID=-31947 Kozmik şiirin yazarı] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017204605/http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/printnews.aspx?DocID=-31947 |date=17 October 2015}} (Hürriyet). Retrieved 31 December 2014.</ref> [[Özker Yaşın]], [[Neriman Cahit]], [[Urkiye Mine Balman]], [[Mehmet Yaşın]] and [[Neşe Yaşın]].

There is an increasingly strong presence of both temporary and permanent emigre Cypriot writers in world literature, as well as writings by second and third-generation Cypriot writers born or raised abroad, often writing in English. This includes writers such as [[Michael Paraskos]] and [[Stephanos Stephanides]].<ref>Alexander Davidian, 'A literary resilience' in ''The Cyprus Weekly'' (Cyprus newspaper), 10 January 2016</ref>

Examples of Cyprus in foreign literature include the works of Shakespeare, with most of the play ''[[Othello]]'' by [[William Shakespeare]] set on the island of Cyprus. British writer [[Lawrence Durrell]] lived in Cyprus from 1952 until 1956, during his time working for the British colonial government on the island, and wrote the book ''[[Bitter Lemons]]'' about his time in Cyprus which won the second [[Duff Cooper Prize]] in 1957.

===Mass media===
{{Main|Media of Cyprus|Television in Cyprus|Radio in Cyprus|Cinema of Cyprus}}

In the 2015 Freedom of the Press report of [[Freedom House]], the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus were ranked "free". The Republic of Cyprus scored 25/100 in [[press freedom]], 5/30 in Legal Environment, 11/40 in Political Environment, and 9/30 in Economic Environment (the lower scores the better).<ref>[https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/cyprus Freedom House] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216211325/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/cyprus |date=16 February 2016}}, 2015 report Cyprus</ref> In the 2025 [[World Press Freedom Index]], [[Reporters Without Borders]] ranked the Republic of Cyprus 77th out of 180 countries and stated that "[a]lthough freedom of the press is guaranteed by the constitution, the government, the Orthodox Church and business interests have significant influence over the media in Cyprus."{{Update after|2026|05|04|reason=The preceding text should be updated from the 2026 World Press Freedom Index.}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=Index |url=https://rsf.org/en/index |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250504093658/https://rsf.org/en/index?year=2025 |archive-date=4 May 2025 |access-date=6 July 2025 |website=[[Reporters Without Borders]]}}</ref>

The law provides for [[freedom of speech]] and [[Freedom of the press|press]], and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to ensure freedom of speech and of the press. The law prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice.<ref>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204274 "Cyprus"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328020122/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204274 |date=28 March 2020 }}, ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2014.</ref>

Local television companies in Cyprus include the state-owned [[Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation]] which runs two television channels. In addition on the Greek side of the island there are the private channels ANT1 Cyprus, Plus TV, Mega Channel, Sigma TV, Nimonia TV (NTV) and New Extra. In Northern Cyprus, the local channels are [[Bayrak|BRT]], the Turkish Cypriot equivalent to the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, and a number of private channels. The majority of local arts and cultural programming is produced by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation and BRT, with local arts documentaries, review programmes and filmed drama series.

===Cinema===
{{Main|Cinema of Cyprus}}

The most worldwide known Cypriot director, to have worked abroad, is [[Michael Cacoyannis]]. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, George Filis produced and directed ''Gregoris Afxentiou'', ''Etsi Prodothike i Kypros'', and ''The Mega Document''. In 1994, Cypriot film production received a boost with the establishment of the Cinema Advisory Committee. In 2000, the annual amount set aside for filmmaking in the national budget was [[Cypriot pound|CYP£]]500,000 (about €850,000). In addition to government grants, Cypriot co-productions are eligible for funding from the [[Council of Europe]]'s [[Eurimages]] Fund, which finances European film co-productions. To date, four feature films on which a Cypriot was an executive producer have received funding from Eurimages. The first was ''I Sphagi tou Kokora'' (1996), followed by ''Hellados'' (unreleased), ''To Tama'' (1999), and ''O Dromos gia tin Ithaki'' (2000).<ref>"[http://www.filmbirth.com/cyprus.html Film Birth – History of Cinema – Cyprus] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924012748/http://www.filmbirth.com/cyprus.html |date=24 September 2015}}".</ref>

===Cuisine===

{{Main|Cypriot cuisine}}

[[File:Vin et gastronomie chypriotes.jpg|thumb|left|Cypriot ''[[meze]]'']]

During the medieval period, under the French Lusignan monarchs of Cyprus an elaborate form of courtly cuisine developed, fusing French, Byzantine and Middle Eastern forms. The Lusignan kings were known for importing Syrian cooks to Cyprus, and it has been suggested that one of the key routes for the importation of Middle Eastern recipes into France and other Western European countries, such as blancmange, was via the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus. These recipes became known in the West as ''vyands de Chypre'', or foods of Cyprus, and the food historian William Woys Weaver has identified over one hundred of them in English, French, Italian and German recipe books of the Middle Ages. One that became particularly popular across Europe in the medieval and early modern periods was a stew made with chicken or fish called ''malmonia'', which in English became mawmeny.<ref>William Woys Weaver, 'Poland in the Middle Ages' in Maria Dembinska (ed.) ''Food and Drink in Medieval Poland: Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past'' (Philadelphia: University of University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999) pp.&nbsp;41–46</ref>

Another example of a Cypriot food ingredient entering the Western European canon is the cauliflower, still popular and used in a variety of ways on the island today, which was associated with Cyprus from the early Middle Ages. Writing in the 12th and 13th centuries the Arab botanists [[Ibn al-'Awwam]] and [[Ibn al-Baitar]] claimed the vegetable had its origins in Cyprus,<ref>{{cite web |title=Cabbage Flowers for Food|url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/broccoli.html |website=Aggie Horticulture |publisher=Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System |access-date=12 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812232947/http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu//archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/broccoli.html |archive-date=12 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Fenwick |first=G. Roger |author2=Heaney, Robert K. |author3=Mullin, W. John |author4=VanEtten, Cecil H. |title=Glucosinolates and their breakdown products in food and food plants |journal=CRC Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |date=1982 |volume=18| issue=2 |pages=123–201 |doi=10.1080/10408398209527361 |pmid=6337782}}</ref> and this association with the island was echoed in Western Europe, where cauliflowers were originally known as Cyprus cabbage or ''Cyprus colewart''. There was also a long and extensive trade in cauliflower seeds from Cyprus, until well into the sixteenth century.<ref>Jon Gregerson, ''Good Earth'' (Portland: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company, 1990) p.41</ref>

[[File:Halloumislice zoom.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Cypriot [[Halloumi]]]]
[[File:Cafes in a stoa small path in Nicosia Republic of Cyprus.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|Cypriot style café in an arcade in [[Nicosia]]]]

Although much of the Lusignan food culture was lost after the fall of Cyprus to the Ottomans in 1571, a number of dishes that would have been familiar to the Lusignans survive today, including various forms of tahini and houmous, zalatina, skordalia and pickled wild song birds called ambelopoulia. [[Ambelopoulia]], which is today highly controversial, and illegal, was exported in vast quantities from Cyprus during the Lusignan and Venetian periods, particularly to Italy and France. In 1533 the English traveller to Cyprus, John Locke, claimed to have seen the pickled wild birds packed into large jars, of which 1200 jars were exported from Cyprus annually.<ref>David Bannerman and Mary Bannerman ''Birds of Cyprus'' (London: Oliver and Boyd, 1958) p.&nbsp;384</ref>

Also familiar to the Lusignans would have been [[Halloumi]] cheese, which some food writers today claim originated in Cyprus during the Byzantine period<ref>{{cite book |author1=Goldstein, Darra |author2=Merkle, Kathrin |author3=Parasecoli, Fabio |author4=Mennell, Stephen |author5=Council of Europe |title=Culinary cultures of Europe: identity, diversity and dialogue |publisher=Council of Europe |year=2005 |page=121 |isbn=978-92-871-5744-7 |quote=Most culinary innovations in the Cypriot cuisine occurred during the Byzantine era&nbsp;... Experimentation with dairy products resulted in the now-famous halloumi and feta cheese.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Robinson, R. K. |author2=Tamime, A. Y. |title=Feta and Related Cheeses |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=1991 |page=144 |isbn=978-1-85573-278-0 |quote=Halloumi is a semi-hard to hard, unripened cheese that traditionally is made from either sheep's or goat's milk or a mixture. Although the cheese has its origins in Cyprus, it is widely popular throughout the Middle East, and hence many countries have now become involved with its manufacture.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Murdoch Books Pty Limited |title=Essential Mediterranean |publisher=Murdoch Books |year=2005 |page=21 |isbn=978-1-74045-539-8 |quote=HALOUMl Originating in Cyprus, this salty, semi-hard sheep's milk cheese is a popular table cheese}}</ref> although the name of the cheese itself is thought by academics to be of Arabic origin.<ref name="Papademas 117">P. Papademas, "Halloumi Cheese" in A.Y. Tamime (ed.), ''Brined Cheeses'' (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006) p.117</ref> There is no surviving written documentary evidence of the cheese being associated with Cyprus before the year 1554, when the Italian historian [[Florio Bustron]] wrote of a sheep-milk cheese from Cyprus he called ''calumi''.<ref name="Papademas 117"/> Halloumi (Hellim) is commonly served sliced, grilled, fried and sometimes fresh, as an appetiser or [[meze]] dish.

Seafood and fish dishes include squid, octopus, [[red mullet]], and [[European seabass|sea bass]]. Cucumber and tomato are used widely in salads. Common vegetable preparations include potatoes in olive oil and parsley, pickled cauliflower and beets, asparagus and [[taro]]. Other traditional delicacies are meat marinated in dried coriander seeds and wine, and eventually dried and smoked, such as ''lountza'' (smoked [[pork loin]]), charcoal-grilled lamb, [[souvlaki]] (pork and chicken cooked over charcoal), and [[sheftalia]] (minced meat wrapped in [[mesentery]]). ''Pourgouri'' ([[bulgur]], cracked wheat) is the traditional source of carbohydrate other than bread, and is used to make the delicacy [[Kibbeh|koubes]].

Fresh vegetables and fruits are common ingredients. Frequently used vegetables include courgettes, green peppers, [[okra]], green beans, artichokes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and grape leaves, and pulses such as beans, broad beans, peas, black-eyed beans, chick-peas and lentils. The most common fruits and nuts are pears, apples, grapes, oranges, [[mandarin orange|mandarines]], nectarines, [[medlar]], blackberries, cherry, strawberries, figs, watermelon, melon, avocado, lemon, pistachio, almond, chestnut, walnut, and hazelnut.

Cyprus is also well known for its desserts, including ''lokum'' (also known as [[Turkish delight]]) and [[Soutzoukos]].<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3753928.stm Cyprus villagers make giant sweet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517130802/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3753928.stm |date=17 May 2024 }}", ''BBC News'', 18 October 2004</ref> This island has [[Protected geographical indications in the European Union#General regime|protected geographical indication (PGI)]] for its ''lokum'' produced in the village of [[Geroskipou]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Turks riled as Cyprus set to win EU trademark on Turkish Delight | date=13 December 2007 |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/13/europe/EU-GEN-Cyprus-Turkish-Delight.php |work=International Herald Tribune |access-date =14 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202125809/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/13/europe/EU-GEN-Cyprus-Turkish-Delight.php |archive-date=2 December 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://cyprus-mail.com/2016/07/04/agros-rose-preserve-included-protected-geographical-indication-list/ |title=Agros rose preserve included in protected geographical indication list |last=Andreou |first=Evie |date=4 July 2016 |work=Cyprus Mail |access-date=19 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120070241/http://cyprus-mail.com/2016/07/04/agros-rose-preserve-included-protected-geographical-indication-list/ |archive-date=20 January 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Sports===

[[File:Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center 11.JPG|thumb|[[Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center|Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre]] in [[Limassol]]]]

Sport governing bodies include the [[Cyprus Football Association]], [[Cyprus Basketball Federation]], [[Cyprus Volleyball Federation]], [[Cyprus Automobile Association]], Cyprus Badminton Federation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyprusbadminton.com |title=Cyprus Badminton Federation |publisher=Cyprusbadminton.com |access-date=27 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403054924/http://www.cyprusbadminton.com/ |archive-date=3 April 2009}}</ref> [[Cyprus Cricket Association]], [[Cyprus Rugby Federation]] and the Cyprus Pool Association.

Notable sports teams in the Cyprus leagues include [[APOEL FC]], [[Anorthosis Famagusta FC]], [[AC Omonia]], [[AEL Lemesos|AEL Limassol FC]], [[Apollon Limassol FC]], [[Nea Salamis Famagusta FC]], [[Olympiakos Nicosia]], [[AEK Larnaca FC]], [[Aris Limassol FC]], [[AEL Limassol B.C.]], [[Keravnos B.C.]] and [[Apollon Limassol B.C.]] Stadiums or sports venues include the [[GSP Stadium]] (the largest in the Republic of Cyprus-controlled areas), [[Tsirion Stadium]] (second largest), [[Neo GSZ Stadium]], [[Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium]], [[Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium]]. [[Makario Stadium]] and [[Alphamega Stadium]].

In the 2008–09 season, [[Anorthosis Famagusta FC]] was the first Cypriot team to qualify for the [[UEFA Champions League]] Group stage. Next season, [[APOEL FC]] qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage, and reached the last 8 of the [[2011–12 UEFA Champions League]] after finishing top of its group and beating French [[Olympique Lyonnais]] in the Round of 16. The [[Cyprus national rugby union team]] known as ''The Moufflons'' currently holds the record for most consecutive international wins, which is especially notable as the [[Cyprus Rugby Federation]] was only formed in 2006.

Footballer [[Sotiris Kaiafas]] won the [[European Golden Shoe]] in the 1975–76 season; Cyprus is the smallest country by population to have one of its players win the award. Tennis player [[Marcos Baghdatis]] was ranked 8th in the world, was a finalist at the Australian Open, and reached the [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] semi-final, all in 2006. High jumper [[Kyriakos Ioannou]] achieved a jump of 2.35m at the 11th [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics]] in [[Osaka]], Japan, in 2007, winning the bronze medal. He has been ranked third in the world. In motorsports, [[Tio Ellinas]] is a successful race car driver, currently racing in the [[GP3 Series]] for Marussia [[Manor Motorsport]]. There is also mixed martial artist [[Costas Philippou]], who competed in [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]]'s middleweight division from 2011 until 2015. Costas holds a 6–4 record in UFC bouts.

Also notable for a Mediterranean island, the siblings [[Christopher Papamichalopoulos|Christopher]] and [[Sophia Papamichalopoulou]] qualified for the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were the only athletes who managed to qualify and thus represented [[Cyprus at the 2010 Winter Olympics]]. The country's first ever Olympic medal, a silver medal, was won by the sailor [[Pavlos Kontides]], at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in the [[Sailing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's Laser class|Men's Laser class]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Cyprus|Countries|Asia|Europe|European Union|Islands
}}
* [[Ancient regions of Anatolia]]
* [[List of Cypriots|List of notable Cypriots]]
* [[Northern Cyprus]]
* [[Outline of Cyprus]]
* [[copper|Cuprum]] (scientific name for "copper")
{{Clear}}

==Notes==

{{notelist}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

==Further reading==

{{Refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book |author=Brewin, Christopher |title=European Union and Cyprus |publisher=Eothen Press |year=2000 |isbn= 978-0-906719-24-4}}
* {{cite book |author=Charalambous, Giorgos |title=Party-Society Relations in the Republic of Cyprus |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2015 |isbn= 978-1-317386-56-8}}
* Clark, Tommy. ''A Brief History of Cyprus'' (2020) [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Cyprus-Tommy-Clark/dp/1527268527/ excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326034636/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Cyprus-Tommy-Clark/dp/1527268527/ |date=26 March 2023 }}
* {{cite book |editor=Dods, Clement|title=Cyprus: The Need for New Perspectives |publisher=The Eothen Press |year=1999 |isbn= 978-0-906719-23-7}}
* {{cite book |author=Durrell, Lawrence |title=Bitter Lemons |publisher=Faber and Faber |orig-year=1957 |date=March 2001|isbn=978-0-571-20155-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/bitterlemonsofcy0000durr }}
* {{cite book |author1=Faustmann, Hubert |author2=Nicos Peristianis |title=Britain and Cyprus: Colonialism and Post-Colonialism, 1878–2006 |publisher=Bibliopolis |year=2006 |isbn= 978-3-933925-36-7}}
* {{cite book |author=Gibbons, Harry Scott |title=The Genocide Files |publisher=Charles Bravos Publishers |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-9514464-2-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/genocidefiles00gibb }}
* {{cite book |author=Hannay, David |title=Cyprus: The Search for a Solution |publisher=[[I.B.Tauris]] |year=2005 |isbn= 978-1-85043-665-2}}
* {{cite book |author=Hitchens, Christopher |title=Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger |publisher=Verso |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-85984-189-1}}
* {{cite book |author=Ker-Lindsay, James |title=EU Accession and UN Peacemaking in Cyprus |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4039-9690-9}}
* {{cite book |author1=Ker-Lindsay, James |author2=Hubert Faustmann |title=The Government and Politics of Cyprus |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2009 |isbn= 978-3-03911-096-4}}
* {{cite book |author=Mallinson, William |title=Cyprus a Modern History |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2005 |isbn= 978-1-85043-580-8}}
* {{cite book |last1=Merin |first1=Jennifer |last2=Burdick |first2=Elizabeth B. |title=International directory of theatre, dance, and folklore festivals: a project of the International Theatre Institute of the United States, inc |url=https://archive.org/details/internationaldir00meri |url-access=registration |date=1 November 1979 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-20993-2 }}
* {{cite book |author=Mirbagheri, Farid |title=Cyprus and International Peacemaking |publisher=Hurst |year=1989 |isbn=978-1-85065-354-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/cyprusinternatio0000mirb }}
* {{cite book |author=Nicolet, Claude|title=United States Policy Towards Cyprus, 1954–1974 |publisher=Bibliopolis |year=2001 |isbn= 978-3-933925-20-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Oberling, Pierre|title=The Road to Bellapais |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=1982 |isbn= 978-0-88033-000-8}}
* {{cite book |author1=O'Malley, Brendan |author2=Ian Craig|title=The Cyprus Conspiracy |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=1999 |isbn= 978-1-86064-737-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Palley, Claire |title=An International Relations Debacle: The UN Secretary-General's Mission of Good Offices in Cyprus, 1999–2004 |publisher=Hart Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84113-578-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Papadakis, Yiannis|title=Echoes from the Dead Zone: Across the Cyprus Divide |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-85043-428-3}}
* {{cite book |author=Richmond, Oliver|title=Mediating in Cyprus |publisher=Frank Cass |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7146-4431-8}}
* {{cite book |editor=Richmond, Oliver |editor2=James Ker-Lindsay |title=The Work of the UN in Cyprus: Promoting Peace and Development |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-333-91271-3}}
* {{cite book |author=Richter, Heinz |title=A Concise History of Modern Cyprus 1878–2009 |publisher=Rutzen |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-447-06212-1}}
* Sacopoulo, Marina (1966). ''Chypre d'aujourd'hui''. Paris: G.-P. Maisonneuve et Larose. 406&nbsp;p., ill. with b&w photos. and fold. maps.
* {{cite book |author=Tocci, Nathalie |title=EU Accession Dynamics and Conflict Resolution: Catalysing Peace or Consolidating Partition in Cyprus? |publisher=Ashgate |year=2004 |isbn= 978-0-7546-4310-4}}
* {{cite book |author1=Yiorghos, Leventis |author2=Murata Sawayanagi Nanako |author3=Hazama Yasushi |title=Crossing Over Cyprus |publisher=Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA) Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) |year=2008 |isbn=978-4-86337-003-6}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==

{{Sister project links|Cyprus|voy=Cyprus}}
'''General Information'''
* {{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Cyprus}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1021835.stm Timeline of Cyprus by BBC]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080727022814/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/cyprus.htm Cyprus] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* [https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/eur/ci/cy/ Cyprus] information from the [[United States Department of State]] includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17217956 Cyprus profile] from the [[BBC News]]
* [http://www.unficyp.org/ The UN in Cyprus]

'''Government'''
* [http://www.cyprustrade.co.uk/ Cyprus High Commission Trade Centre – London] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625180826/http://www.cyprustrade.co.uk/ |date=25 June 2022 }}
* [http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/citizen_en?OpenForm&access=0&SectionId=citizen&CategoryId=none&SelectionId=home&print=0&lang=en Republic of Cyprus – English Language] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702085503/http://www.cyprus.gov.cy/portal/portal.nsf/citizen_en?OpenForm&access=0&SectionId=citizen&CategoryId=none&SelectionId=home&print=0&lang=en |date=2 July 2022 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061003102510/http://www.kypros.org/Constitution/English/index.htm Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus]
* [https://www.pio.gov.cy/en/ Press and Information Office – Ministry of Interior] 
* [https://www.cystat.gov.cy/en/ Cyprus Statistical Service]

'''Tourism'''
* [http://www.visitcyprus.com/ Read about Cyprus on visitcyprus.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628111323/http://www.visitcyprus.com/ |date=28 June 2010 }} – the official travel portal for Cyprus
* [http://www.cyprus.com/ Cyprus informational portal and open platform for contribution of Cyprus-related content] – www.Cyprus.com
* {{osmrelation-inline|307787}}

'''Cuisine'''
* [https://publications.gov.cy/assets/user/publications/2022/2022_040/HTML/ Gastronomical map of Cyprus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423165804/https://publications.gov.cy/assets/user/publications/2022/2022_040/HTML/ |date=23 April 2023 }}

'''Archaeology'''
* [http://triarte.brynmawr.edu/PRT212?sid=336967&x=32613387&x=32613388 Cypriot Pottery, Bryn Mawr College Art and Artifact Collections]
* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/162840 ''The Cesnola collection of Cypriot art : stone sculpture''], a fully digitised text from The Metropolitan Museum of Art libraries

'''Official publications'''
* [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmfaff/113/11302.htm The British government's Foreign Affairs Committee report on Cyprus].
* [http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/All/BD477C55623013C5C2256D740027CF98?OpenDocument Legal Issues arising from certain population transfers and displacements on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus in the period since 20 July 1974] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928053046/http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/All/BD477C55623013C5C2256D740027CF98?OpenDocument |date=28 September 2008 }}
* [http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cna/2004/04-04-08.cna.html#01 Address to Cypriots by President Papadopoulos (FULL TEXT)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821165847/http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cna/2004/04-04-08.cna.html#01 |date=21 August 2008 }}
* [http://www.hri.org/docs/annan/ Annan Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423224443/http://www.hri.org/docs/annan/ |date=23 April 2022 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041217052134/http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/content/en/Article.aspx?office=1&folder=44&article=86 Embassy of Greece, USA – Cyprus: Geographical and Historical Background]

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