Cyprus

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Cyprus

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Kipriakí Dimokratía/ Republic of Cyprus Area 9,251 sq km/3,571 sq mi (3,335 sq km/1,287 sq mi is Turkish-occupied) Capital Nicosia (divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots) Language Greek, Turkish (both official), English Religion Greek Orthodox 78%, Sunni Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1, 6 January, 25 March, 1 May, 28–29 October, 25–26 December; variable: Eid-ul-Adha, Good Friday, Easter Monday, end of Ramadan, Holy Saturday, Prophet's Birthday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Lefkosia, Gazimagusa Major ports Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos (Greek); Kyrenia and Famagusta (Turkish) Physical features central plain between two east–west mountain ranges Airports three international airports; total passengers carried: 5.8 million (2003 est) Railways none Roads total road network: 11,760 km/7,307 mi, of which 61.2% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 550.8 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Tassos Papadopoulos (Greek) from 2003 and Rauf Denktas (Turkish) from 1976 Political system liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions six districts Political parties Greek zone: Democratic Party (DEKO), federalist, centre left; Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL), socialist; Democratic Rally (DISY), centrist; Socialist Party–National Democratic Union of Cyprus (SK–EDEK), socialist; Turkish zone: National Unity Party (NUP); Communal Liberation Party (CLP); Republican Turkish Party (RTP); New British Party (NBP) Death penalty abolished in 2002 Armed forces National Guard of 10,000; Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) 4,000, plus 60,000 reserves (2006 est) Conscription for 25 months, then reserve to age 50 (officers 65) Defence spend (% GDP) 1.4 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 6.3 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3.9 (2002)


ECONOMY

Currency Cyprus pound and Turkish lira GDP (US$) 15.4 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.5 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 13.6 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 22,230 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 2.6% (2005) Unemployment 3% (2006 est) Labour force 4.8% agriculture, 24% industry, 71.2% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 10.5 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners UK, Greece, Italy, Germany, France Resources copper precipitates, beutonite, umber and other ochres Industries food processing, beverages, textiles, clothing and leather, chemicals and chemical petroleum, metal products, wood and wood products, tourism, financial services Exports pharmaceutical products, clothing, potatoes, manufactured foods, cigarettes, minerals, citrus fruits, industrial products. Principal market: UK 29.5% (2005) Imports mineral fuels, textiles, vehicles, metals, tobacco, consumer goods, basic manufactures, machinery and transport equipment, food and live animals. Principal source: Greece 15.2% (2005) Arable land 10.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products government-controlled area: barley, potatoes, grapes, citrus fruit, olives; TRNC area: wheat, barley, potatoes, citrus fruit, olives; livestock rearing (sheep and goats)


POPULATION

Population 844,600 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.3% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 91 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 70 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 20%, 15–59 63%, 60+ 17% (2005 est) Ethnic groups about 80% of the population is of Greek origin, while about 18% are of Turkish descent, and live in the northern part of the island within the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Life expectancy 77 (men); 82 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 9 Literacy rate 99% (men); 95% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 29.8 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4.4 (2002 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 100 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 50.3 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 86.1 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 406 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 384 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 30.9 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 40 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

14th–11th centuries BC Colonized by Myceneans and Achaeans from Greece. 9th century BC Phoenicans settled in Cyprus. 7th century BC Several Cypriot kingdoms flourished under Assyrian influence. 414–374 BC Under Evagoras of Salamis (in eastern Cyprus) the island's ten city kingdoms were united into one state and Greek culture, including the Greek alphabet, was promoted. 333–58 BC Became part of the Greek Hellenistic and then, from 294 BC, the Egypt-based Ptolemaic empire. 58 BC Cyprus was annexed by the Roman Empire. AD 45 Christianity introduced. AD 395 When the Roman Empire divided, Cyprus was allotted to the Byzantine Empire. 7th–10th centuries Byzantines and Muslim Arabs fought for control of Cyprus. 1191 Richard the Lionheart of England conquered Cyprus as a base for Crusades; he later sold it to a French noble, Guy de Lusignan, who established a feudal monarchy which ruled for three centuries. 1498 The Venetian Republic took control of Cyprus. 1571 Conquered by Ottoman Turks, who introduced Turkish Muslim settlers, but permitted Christianity to continue in rural areas. 1821–33 Period of unrest, following execution of popular Greek Orthodox Archbishop Kyprianos. 1878 Anglo-Turkish Convention: Turkey ceded Cyprus to British administration in return for defensive alliance. 1914 Formally annexed by Britain after Turkey entered World War I as a Central Power. 1915 Greece rejected an offer of Cyprus in return for entry into World War I on Allied side. 1925 Cyprus became a crown colony. 1931 Greek Cypriots rioted in support of demand for union with Greece (enosis); legislative council suspended. 1948 Greek Cypriots rejected new constitution because it did not offer links with Greece. 1955 The National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) began a terrorist campaign for enosis. 1958 Britain proposed autonomy for Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities under British sovereignty; plan accepted by Turks, rejected by Greeks; violence increased. 1959 Britain, Greece, and Turkey agreed to Cypriot independence, with partition and enosis both ruled out. 1960 Cyprus became an independent republic with Archbishop Makarios as president; Britain retained two military bases. 1963 Makarios proposed major constitutional reforms; Turkish Cypriots withdrew from government and formed separate enclaves; communal fighting broke out. 1964 United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force installed. 1968 Intercommunal talks made no progress; Turkish Cypriots demanded federalism; Greek Cypriots insisted on unitary state. 1974 Coup by Greek officers in Cypriot National Guard installed Nikos Sampson as president; Turkey, fearing enosis, invaded northern Cyprus; Greek Cypriot military regime collapsed; President Makarios restored. 1975 Northern Cyprus declared itself the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus, with Rauf Denktas as president. 1977 Makarios died; succeeded by Spyros Kyprianou. 1983 Denktas proclaimed independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus; recognized only by Turkey. 1985 Summit meeting between Kyprianou and Denktas failed to reach agreement; further peace talks failed in 1989, 1992, and 2003. 1988 Kyprianou succeeded as Greek Cypriot president by Georgios Vassiliou. 1993 Glafkos Clerides (DISY) replaced Vassiliou. 1994 European Court of Justice declared trade with northern Cyprus illegal. 1996 Further peace talks jeopardized by boundary killing of Turkish Cypriot soldier; mounting tension between north and south. 1997 UN-mediated peace talks between Clerides and Denktas collapsed. 1998 President Clerides re-elected. Denktas refused to meet British envoy. US mediation failed. Full European Union (EU) membership negotiations commenced. Greek Cyprus rejected Denktas's confederation proposals. 2000 Turkish Cypriot president Denktas re-elected for fourth five-year term. 2003 Denktas rejected federal unity deal with Greek part of the island, affecting Cyprus's proposed accession to EU in 2004. Clerides beaten by Tassos Papadopoulos in presidential elections. Turkish Cypriot authorities eased border restrictions for first time in 30 years, allowing crossing of the island's ‘green line’ 2004 Twin referendums on proposed UN reunification plan, in final effort to gain united EU entry, resulted in approval by Turkish Cypriots but overwhelming rejection by Greek Cypriots. On 1 May, Cyprus joined the EU along with nine other new states; it joined as a divided island. 2005 Mehmet Ali Talat elected president of Turkish Cyprus. UN and Greek Cypriot officials began exploratory talks aimed at new peace effort. Cyprus's parliament ratified EU constitution. 2006 At UN-sponsored talks, Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders agreed on series of preliminary measures and contacts between the two communities. Talks between EU and Turkey on Cyprus broke down. 2007 Dispute over oil drilling rights off Cyprus; Turkey denied sending extra warships to eastern Mediterranean. Barriers dividing the old city of Nicosia demolished, making way for another official, and commercially vital, crossing point.


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