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Entry Year in EU: |
2004 |
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Seats: |
6 |
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Seats Percentage of EU: |
0.8 |
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Votes: |
4 |
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Votes Percentage
of EU: |
1.2 |
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Population: |
0.8 |
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Population Percentage of EU: |
0.2 |
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Area: |
9250 |
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Area Percentage
of EU: |
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Density: |
84 |
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Budget Contribution: |
144556416 |
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Budget Contribution of EU: |
0.14 |
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GDP: |
17772 |
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GDP Capita: |
21740 |
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GDP Nominal: |
21834 |
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Cyprus
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Cyprus (Greek: ??p???, Kýpros; Turkish: Kibris) is a Eurasian island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea south of the Anatolian peninsula (Asia Minor) or modern-day Turkey. Cyprus is third largest island in the Mediterranean. The northern area has been occupied by Turkey since it invaded in 1974 (the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey). There is also the United Nations-controlled Green Line separating the two, and two British Base Areas. Cyprus has been a member state of the European Union since May 1, 2004. |
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Terminology
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The name cyprus has a somewhat uncertain etymology. One suggestion is that it comes from the Greek word "??p???ss?? (kypa'rissos)" meaning "cypress" (Cupressus sempervirens) or even from the Greek name of the plant Lawsonia alba (henna), "??p??? (kypros)". Another school suggests that it stems from the eterocyprian word for copper. Dossin, for example, suggests that it has roots to the Sumerian word for copper, "zubar" or even the word "kubar" (bronze), due to the large deposits of copper ore found on the island. Through overseas trade, the island has already given its name to the Classical Latin word for the metal, which appears in the phrase aes Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum.
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History
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There are but small traces of the Stone Age, but the Bronze Age was characterized by a well-developed and clearly marked civilization. The people quickly learned to work the rich copper mines of the island. The Mycenæan civilization seems to have reached Cyprus at around 1600 B.C. and several Greek and Phœnician settlements that belong to the Iron Age can be found on the island. Cyprus came into contact with Egypt about 1500 B.C., and became an important trade partner for them.
Around 1200 B.C. began the arrival of the Sea people as settlers to Cyprus, a process which lasted for more than a century. This migration is remembered in many sagas concerning how some of the Greek heroes that participated in the Trojan war came to settle in Cyprus. The newcomers brought with them their language, new technology and introduced a new outlook for visual arts. The Phoencians arrived at the island in the early 1st Millennium BC. In times Cyprus supplied the Greeks with timber for their fleets
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Geography
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The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia), Cyprus is geographically situated in the eastern Mediterranean and just south of the Anatolian peninsula (or Asia Minor) of the Asian mainland; thus, it is commonly included in the Middle East (see also Western Asia and Near East). Turkey is 75 kilometres (47 miles) north; other neighbouring countries include Syria and Lebanon to the east, Israel to the southeast, Egypt to the south, and Greece to the west-north-west. |
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Politics
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After independence Cyprus became a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement despite all three guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and the UK) being North Atlantic Treaty Organization members. Cyprus left the Non-Aligned Movement in 2004 to join the European Union, though it retains special observer status |
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Political Division
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Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, with the UK, Greece and Turkey retaining limited rights to intervene in internal affairs.
The capital Nicosia remains divided since 1963. The UN buffer zone separates the two sectors.In July 1974, after a coup , Turkey Invaded Cyprus and has ever since occupied the north part. Cyprus has been divided, de facto, into the Greek-Cypriot controlled southern two-thirds of the island and the Turkish-occupied northern third. The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally-recognised government of the Republic of Cyprus, that controls the southern two-thirds of the island. Turkey aside, all foreign governments and the United Nations recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus.
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Reunification, the Annan Plan and EU entry
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The continued difficulties in finding a settlement presented a potential obstacle to Cypriot entry to the European Union, for which the government had applied in 1997. UN-sponsored talks between the Greek and Turkish leaders, Glafkos Klerides and Rauf Denktash, continued intensively in 2002, but without resolution. In December 2002, the EU formally invited Cyprus to join in 2004, insisting that EU membership would apply to the whole island and hoping that it would provide a significant enticement for reunification resulting from the outcome of ongoing talks. However, weeks before the UN deadline, Klerides was defeated in presidential elections by center candidate Tassos Papadopoulos. Papadopoulos had a reputation as a hard-liner on reunification and based his stance on international law and human rights. By mid-March, the UN declared that the talks had failed |
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Economy
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Economic affairs in Cyprus are dominated by the division of the country due to the Turkish occupation of the north part of the island.
The Cypriot economy is prosperous and has diversified in recent years. Cyprus has been sought as a basis for several offshore businesses, due to its highly developed infrastructure. Economic policy of the Cyprus government has focused on meeting the criteria for admission to the European Union.
Recently, oil has been discovered in the sea South of Cyprus (between Cyprus and Egypt) and talks are under way with Egypt to reach an agreement as to the exploitation of these resources. The level of the oil field in terms of production (barrels per day) that the two countries will be able to produce is still a matter of speculation.
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Demographics
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Greek and Turkish Cypriots share many customs but maintain their ethnicity based on religion, language, and close ties with their respective motherlands.
The major part of Greek Cypriots, and thus the majority of entire Cyprus, belong to the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Cyprus (Cypriot Orthodox Church), whereas most Turkish Cypriots are Sunni Muslims. Church attendance is relatively high and Cyprus is known, along with Malta and the Republic of Greece, as one of the most religious countries in the European Union. In addition, there are also small Latin, Maronite and Armenian Apostolic communities in Cyprus.
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Education
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Cyprus has a well-developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education. Unlike in other countries, state schools are generally seen as equivalent or better in quality of education than private sector institutions.
The majority of Cypriots receive their higher education at Greek, British, Turkish, other European and US universities, while there are also sizeable emigrant communities in the United Kingdom and Australia. Private colleges and state-supported universities have been developed by both the Turkish and Greek communities.
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