Cyprus, island in the northeastern Mediterranean; 9,251 km2, 1.2 million residents (2019).Formally, the island is a single state, but since the Turkish invasion of 1974 it has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot part in the north and a Greek Cypriot part in the south. The border between them, which also divides the capital Nicosia into two parts, is monitored by UN troops. The Turkish Cypriot part, which comprises 37 percent of the area, has its own government but is not recognized as an independent state by any country other than Turkey.
Country facts
- Kypriakí Dimokratía (Greek)
Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (Turkish) /
Republic of Cyprus - Country abbreviation: CY
- Area: 9 251 km2
- Population (2019): 1.2 million residents
- Capital: Nicosia
- Main languages: Greek, Turkish
- State: Republic
- Head of State and Head of Government: Nicos Anastasiades (President)
- Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 28,159
- GNI per capita (2018): US $ 26,300
- Currency unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
- Country number (telephony): 357
- Currency code: EUR
- Internet Domain Name: cy
- Time difference compared to Sweden: +1
- National Day: October 1 (Independence Day, 1960)
Nature
- Land use: forest (19%), agricultural land (14%), other (67%)
- Highest mountain: Olympus (1,951 m asl)
Population
- Population density (2019): 130 residents per km2
- Natural population growth (2019): 0.5%; birth number 11 ‰, death number 6 ‰
- Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (17%), 15-64 (69%), 65- (14%)
- Average life expectancy (2019): men 81 years, women 84 years
- Infant mortality (2019): 3 per 1,000 live births
- Population forecast 2050: 1.4 million residents
- HDI (2017): 0.869 (place 32 of 189)
- Urbanization rate (2019): 68%
- Most populous cities (2012): Nicosia (237,800 residents), Limassol (179,400), Larnaca (58,000)
- Railway network: nothing in operation
Cyprus crosses in the east-west direction of the Kyrenia Mountains along the north coast and the Troodos Mountains with Olympus (1,951 m asl) in the southwest. The chains are separated by the fertile Mesaoria plain. Large parts of the island consist of pasture or cultural lands, while just over 15% are wooded. The island has a distinctly Mediterranean climate.
Formally, the island is a single state, but since the Turkish invasion of 1974 it has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot part in the north and a Greek Cypriot part in the south. The border divides the capital Nicosia into two parts. The Turkish Cypriot part, which comprises 37% of the area, has its own government but is not recognized as an independent state by any country other than Turkey. According to the 1960 Constitution, Cyprus is a republic with a multi-party system, an executive president and an elected parliament. Both parts of Cyprus are now governed by different administrations. Formally, however, the president whom the Greek Cypriots appoint every five years is the entire head of Cyprus.
The service industries, with tourism and financial services as the most important industries, dominate the country’s business sector. Although the boundary between the parts was opened after 2003, the economies are still separate. The Greek Cypriot part, which gained EU membership in 2004, has had major financial problems since Greece in the mid-1990s and forced major cuts in the welfare system. However, the Turkish Cypriot part has fared better during the international financial turmoil.
