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Cyprus:
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Other pages in this profile of Cyprus:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
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Background |
A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under direct government control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states. Nicosia continues to oppose EU efforts to establish direct trade and economic links to north Cyprus as a way of encouraging the Turkish Cypriot community to continue to support reunification. |
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Location |
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey |
Geographic coordinates |
35 00 N, 33 00 E |
Map references |
Middle East |
Area |
total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus) land: 9,240 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative |
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut |
Land boundaries |
total: NA; note - boundary with Dhekelia is being resurveyed border countries: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia NA |
Coastline |
648 km |
Maritime claims |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Climate |
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 |
Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m |
Natural resources |
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment |
Land use |
arable land: 10.81% permanent crops: 4.32% other: 84.87% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
400 sq km (2003) |
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 |
Environment - international agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note |
the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia) |
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