Starting in the early 19th century, ethnic Greeks of the island sought to bring about an end to almost 300 years of Ottoman rule and unite Cyprus with Greece. The United Kingdom took administrative control of the island in 1878, to prevent Ottoman possessions from falling under Russian control following the Cyprus Convention, which led to the call for union with Greece ( enosis) to grow louder. [ citation needed] Under the terms of the agreement reached between Britain and the Ottoman Empire, [ citation needed] the island remained an Ottoman territory. This is an ideal tourist stop for nature lovers visiting Cyprus. The park features extensive hiking trails as well as a grotto in the Baths of Aphrodite area of the park where Aphrodite is said to have met her lover Adonis. The Greek coup and Turkish invasion resulted in thousands of Cypriot casualties. [ citation needed] The Government of Cyprus reported providing for 200,000 refugees. [31] 160,000 [29] Greek Cypriots living in the Turkish-occupied northern region fled before Turkish forces or were evicted [ citation needed]; they had made up 82% of the region's population. The United Nations approved the voluntary resettlement of the remaining 51,000 Turkish Cypriots in the south in the northern area; many had fled to the British areas and awaited permission to migrate to the Turkish-controlled area.

Cyprus sits on the map at 35 degrees north latitude and 33 degrees east longitude. It is in Asia Minor, the Anatolian peninsula. Syria is about 300 kilometers (186 mi) away and is its closest neighbor. Other neighbors are Greece to the west, Turkey to the north, and Egypt to the south. The country is a major producer of potatoes for the European Union. Cyprus exports citrus fruits worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The second-largest city is Limassol. It is located on the southern coast of Cyprus and has a population of about 154,000 people.President of the Republic of Cyprus, archbishop Makarios III (left) and Vice-President Dr. Fazıl Küçük (right) In the 2008 presidential elections, Papadopoulos was defeated by AKEL candidate Dimitris Christofias, who pledged to restart talks on reunification immediately. [50] Speaking on the election result, Mehmet Ali Talat stated that "this forthcoming period will be a period during which the Cyprus problem can be solved within a reasonable space of time – despite all difficulties – provided that there is will". [51] Christofias held his first meeting as president with the Turkish Cypriot leader on 21 March 2008 in the UN buffer zone in Nicosia. [52] At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to launch a new round of "substantive" talks on reunification, and to reopen Ledra Street, which has been cut in two since the intercommunal violence of the 1960s and has come to symbolise the island's division. [53] On 3 April 2008, after barriers had been removed, the Ledra Street crossing was reopened in the presence of Greek and Turkish Cypriot officials. [54] 2008–2012 negotiations and tripartite meetings [ edit ] By 1954 a number of Turkish mainland institutions were active in the Cyprus issue such as the National Federation of Students, the Committee for the Defence of Turkish rights in Cyprus, the Welfare Organisation of Refugees from Thrace and the Cyprus Turkish Association. [ citation needed] Above all, the Turkish trade unions were to prepare the right climate for the main Turkish goal, the division of the island ( taksim) into Greek and Turkish parts, thus keeping the British military presence and installations on the island intact. By this time a special Turkish Cypriot paramilitary organisation Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT) was also established which was to act as a counterbalance to the Greek Cypriot enosis fighting organisation of EOKA. [20]

Main article: Annan Plan for Cyprus Proposed flag of the United Republic of Cyprus Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan was the creator of the Annan plan. The sides will seek to create a positive atmosphere to ensure the talks succeed. They commit to avoiding blame games or other negative public comments on the negotiations. They also commit to efforts to implement confidence building measures that will provide a dynamic impetus to the prospect for a united Cyprus. In Greece, the Turkish invasion caused political turmoil. On 23 July, the military junta collapsed and was replaced by Konstantinos Karamanlis's civilian government. On Cyprus the same day, Sampson was replaced by Acting President Glafcos Clerides in the absence of Makarios.

Also Known As

This region is on the northern side of the island. It has about 300,000 inhabitants. As mentioned before, other countries don’t recognize this part. United Kingdom Sovereign Base area Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar, a close ally of Mr. Erdogan, is advocating partition. It is possible that he is merely setting out the maximum price and would accept a lower offer if it can be tied to concessions on the EastMed issue. Turkey has been trying to promote its brand of Islamism in Northern Cyprus, building mosques and funding allied local politicians. This has caused concern among Turkish Cypriots, who are more secular and Europe-oriented than mainland Turks. Still, links between the north of the island and Ankara are multiplying and Mr. Tatar’s victory in 2019 implies the trend could continue.

The traditional folk music of Cyprus shares elements with Greek, Turkish, and Arabic music, all of which are related to Byzantine music. Cuisine Main articles: Timeline of events in Cyprus, 1974; 1974 Cypriot coup d'état; Turkish invasion of Cyprus; and Military operations during the Invasion of Cyprus (1974) The Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders and the British, Greek and Turkish foreign ministers will soon attend informal UN-sponsored 5+1 talks, scheduled to take place in Geneva from April 27 to 29. The previous 2017 bilateral talks in Switzerland had ended in stalemate. During the negotiations, the Turkish side will be asked to put aside its two-state solution and accept what is de facto reality – namely that the Republic of Cyprus is the only recognized actor on the international scene. Meanwhile, the Greek side will be called upon to support an internationally recognized federation with two distinct EEZs to reunite the island. Because the two outcomes are mutually exclusive, a compromise is unlikely. Greek (official) 80.9%, Turkish (official) 0.2%, English 4.1%, Romanian 2.9%, Russian 2.5%, Bulgarian 2.2%, Arabic 1.2%, Filipino 1.1%, other 4.3%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.) Another man, Solomos Solomou, was shot to death by Turkish troops while he was climbing to a flagpole to strike Turkish Flag during the same protests on 14 August 1996. [37] An investigation by authorities of the Republic of Cyprus followed, and the suspects were named as Kenan Akin and Erdan Emanet. International legal proceedings were instigated and arrest warrants for both were issued via Interpol. [38] During the demonstrations on 14 August 1996, two British soldiers were also shot by the Turkish forces: Neil Emery and Jeffrey Hudson, both from 39th Regiment Royal Artillery. Bombardier Emery was shot in his arm, whilst Gunner Hudson was shot in the leg by a high velocity rifle round and was airlifted to hospital in Nicosia then on to RAF Akrotiri.Today, modern art in Cyprus is on display at the Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts and several other museums. Theater and music performances can be seen at the Kypria International Festival, which takes place annually and was first held in 1991. After an occupation by the Knights Templar and the rule of Isaac Komnenos, the island in 1192 came under the rule of the Lusignan family, who established the Kingdom of Cyprus. In February 1489 it was seized by the Republic of Venice. [ citation needed] Between September 1570 and August 1571 it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, [ citation needed] starting three centuries of Turkish rule over Cyprus. Cyprus has an intense Mediterranean climate, with a typically strongly marked seasonal rhythm. Hot, dry summers (June to September) and rainy winters (November to March) are separated by short autumn and spring seasons (October and April to May, respectively) of rapid change. Autumn and winter precipitation, on which agriculture and water supply depend, is variable. Average annual precipitation is about 20 inches (500 mm). The lowest average precipitation of 14 inches (350 mm) occurs at Nicosia, and the highest, 41 inches (1,050 mm), is on Mount Olympus. Summer temperatures in Nicosia range between an average daily maximum of 98 °F (37 °C) and an average daily minimum of 70 °F (21 °C); in winter the range is between 59 °F (15 °C) and 41 °F (5 °C). From December to March the Troodos range experiences several weeks of below-freezing night temperatures, and snowfall is considerable. Plant and animal life