Cyprus Overview

It is another island nation, but the interesting part is that it is very close to some of the developed countries globally, which opens up doors for a lot of possibilities in several matters. Well, it makes the country itself better, but there are a lot of opportunities for you to explore things. So, here we will be elaborating on everything you need to know about Cyprus.

Geography of Cyprus
Cyprus is an island nation that is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. If we look at the populated islands, it is the third-largest and the most populous island here. Cyprus is located in the south of Turkey and north of Egypt. In the northeast, there are Israel, Gaza Strip, and Lebanon. In the southeast, there is Greece. Cyprus is a country that covers a total area of 9251 square kilometers.

A historical overview of Cyprus
Cyprus holds highly historical value as the first known civilization here dates back to the 10th millennium BC. It is also the place with some of the oldest wells in the whole world. Speaking of holding historical value, it is the place where archaeological remains from the oldest periods are preserved. It is one of the best strategic locations in the eastern Mediterranean, so different major powers consistently occupied it. Some of these powers include the Assyrians, Persians, and Egyptians. However, this island was seized by Alexander the Great in 333 BC.

Things did not stop here as it was still under the rule of different powers, and three centuries starting from 1571 to 1878 was the time when it was under Ottoman Rule. In 1912 Cyprus was formally annexed by the United Kingdom. It was when there were different types of people living there, which led to further issues for the place, and there was a huge dispute. This dispute is still here, and the political situation of the place is the result of this continuous dispute.

Demographics of Cyprus
Cyprus is a land of 1189265 people as per the 2018 estimate. Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, and other Cypriot populations make 77%, 18%, and 5% of the total population, respectively. As most of the population comprises Greek and Turkish, there are two official languages: Greek and Turkish. Other than these two, Armenian, Maronite Arabic, and Cypriot are considered as the minority languages. In addition to this, English is the language that is widely spoken, and most of the people in Cyprus can read, understand, and speak English. With the proficiency of Cypriots in English, it is also considered the second language of people here.

Economic and Developmental overview of Cyprus
Being a naturally beautiful place, it is one of the major tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. So, tourism has a major part in the economy here. Not only this, but the high-income economy of Cyprus makes it achieve a high human development index. Speaking of development as a country, it has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1961. Other than these, it has been a part of a lot of unions like the following:

• Cyprus was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
• It joined European Union on May 1st, 2004.
• Cyprus joined the Eurozone on January 1st, 2008. All of these play an important role in the development of Cyprus as a country. Now the economy here has become very prosperous.

Conclusion
Although Cyprus is an island country, there is a lot you need to explore about it. Here we discussed how it was attracting some of the major historical powers and other facts about Cyprus.

References

• Geonames
• Wikipedia

Other Databases

• Cities and Towns of Greece
• Turkey - Cities and Villages
• Cities of Israel