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Cyprus Tourism - Travel to Cyprus

        

Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey. After Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus is the the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. While the island lies close to the Middle East, because of its large Greek population, it is considered to be a European country and is a member of the European Union.

Cyprus is a divided nation with the eastern and more southern part of the island, which is under Greek Cypriot control, known as the Republic of Cyprus, while the the Turkish Cypriot area, in the northern and western part of the island, refers to itself as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The United Nations operates a peacekeeping force on the island between the two cypriot ethnic groups.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External links 19 Geography 20 People 21 Government 22 Economy 23 Communications 24 Transportation 25 Transnational Issues

Regions in Cyprus

Administrative divisions

6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Lefkosa (Nicosia) and Larnaca

Cities in Cyprus

• Nicosia - the capital

Ports and harbors

Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Vasilikos

Other destinations - Travel to Cyprus

Understand Cyprus Tourism

Climate in Cyprus

Temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Terrain

Central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast.

highest point

Olympus 1,951 m

History of Cyprus

Independence from the UK was approved in 1960 with constitutional guarantees by the Greek Cypriot majority to the Turkish Cypriot minority. In 1974, a Greek-sponsored attempt to seize the government was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled almost 40% of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", but it is recognized only by Turkey. UN-led direct talks between the two sides to reach a comprehensive settlement to the division of the island began in January 2002.

Get into Cyprus

Travel to Cyprus By Plane

Travel to Cyprus By Train

Travel to Cyprus By car

Travel to Cyprus By Bus

Travel to Cyprus By Boat

Get around in Cyprus

Cyprus Talk

Languages

Greek, Turkish, English

Buy

Eat - Travel to Cyprus

Drink

Sleep - Cyprus Tourism

Learn

Work

Stay safe - Cyprus Tourism

Stay Healthy While You Travel to Cyprus

Respect

Contact

External Links for Cyprus Tourism

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Geography in Cyprus

Geographic coordinates

35 00 N, 33 00 E

Map references

Middle East

Coastline

648 km

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM

Natural resources

copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Land use

arable land: 10.61%
permanent crops: 4.65%
other: 84.74% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

400 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards

moderate earthquake activity; droughts

Environment - current issues

water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization

People in Cyprus

Population

767,314 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 22.4% (male 87,981; female 84,168)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 258,414; female 252,778)
65 years and over: 11% (male 36,607; female 47,366) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

0.57% (2002 est.)

Birth rate

12.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

7.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate

0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate

7.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.08 years
female: 79.5 years (2002 est.)
male: 74.77 years

Total fertility rate

1.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun: Cypriot(s)
adjective: Cypriot

Ethnic groups

Greek 85.2%, Turkish 11.6%, other 3.2% (2000)

Religions

Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4%

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98.7%
female: 95% (1999)

Government in Cyprus

Government type

republic
note: a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 after a Greek junta-based coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly support a settlement based on a federation (Greek Cypriot position) or confederation (Turkish Cypriot position)

Independence

16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriot area proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriot area celebrates 15 November (1983) as Independence Day

Constitution

16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983; a new constitution for the Turkish Cypriot area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

Legal system

based on common law, with civil law modifications

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Flag description

white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities
note: the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a white field

Economy in Cyprus

Economy - overview

Economic affairs are affected by the division of the country. The Greek Cypriot economy is prosperous but highly susceptible to external shocks. Erratic growth rates in the 1990s reflect the economy's vulnerability to swings in tourist arrivals, caused by political instability in the region and fluctuations in economic conditions in Western Europe. Economic policy is focused on meeting the criteria for admission to the EU. As in the Turkish sector, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few desalination plants are now online. The Turkish Cypriot economy has less than one-half the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is recognized only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. It remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government service, which together employ about half of the work force. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey provides substantial direct and indirect aid to tourism, education, industry, etc.

Labor force

Greek Cypriot area: 291,000; Turkish Cypriot area: 86,300 (2000)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, wood products

Electricity - production

3.13 billion kWh (1999); Turkish Cypriot area: NA kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
other: 0% (2000)
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%

Agriculture - products

potatoes, citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables

Exports - commodities

Greek Cypriot area: citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine, cement, clothing and shoes; Turkish Cypriot area: citrus, potatoes, textiles

Imports - commodities

Greek Cypriot area: consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, food and feed grains, machinery; Turkish Cypriot area: food, minerals, chemicals, machinery

Currency

Greek Cypriot area: Cypriot pound (CYP); Turkish Cypriot area: Turkish lira (TRL)

Currency code

CYP; TRL

Exchange rates

Cypriot pounds per US dollar - 0.6518 (January 2002), 0.6427 (2001), 0.6208 (2000), 0.5423 (1999), 0.5170 (1998), 0.5135 (1997); Turkish liras per US dollar - 1,370,629 (January 2002), 1,223,140 (2001), 625,219 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 260,724 (1998), 151,865 (1997)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use

Greek Cypriot area: 405,000 (1998); Turkish Cypriot area: 83,162 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Greek Cypriot area: 68,000 (1998); Turkish Cypriot area: 70,000 (1999)

Telephone system

general assessment: excellent in both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot areas
domestic: open wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations

Greek Cypriot area: AM 7, FM 60, shortwave 1 (1998); Turkish Cypriot area: AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

Greek Cypriot area: 310,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 56,450 (1994)

Television broadcast stations

Greek Cypriot area: 4 (plus 225 low-power repeaters) (September 1995); Turkish Cypriot area: 4 (plus 5 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions

Greek Cypriot area: 248,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 52,300 (1994)

Internet country code

.cy

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

6 (2000)

Internet users

150,000 (2002)

Transportation in Cyprus

Highways

total: Greek Cypriot area: 10,663 km (1998 est.); Turkish Cypriot area: 2,350 km (1996 est.)
paved: Greek Cypriot area: 6,249 km (1998 est.); Turkish Cypriot area: 1,370 km (1996 est.)
unpaved: Greek Cypriot area: 4,414 km (1998 est.); Turkish Cypriot area: 980 km (1996 est.)

Airports

15 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 3

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Heliports

10 (2002)

Transnational Issues in Cyprus

Disputes - international

reunification talks - the first since 1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas, a Greek Cypriot area controlled by the internationally recognized Cypriot Government (59% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (37% of the island), that are separated by a UN buffer zone (4% of the island) - have recommenced; there are two UK sovereign base areas mostly within the Greek-Cypriot portion of the island

Illicit drugs

minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; anti-money-laundering laws strengthened but few convictions

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