Project: Cyprus/Country
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| Flag of Cyrpus |
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Location
The Republic of Cyprus, is an island country located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, south of the Anatolian Peninsula and west of the Levant. It is geographically in Western Asia, but its cultural ties and geopolitics are overwhelmingly Southeastern European.
See also: Geography of Cyprus
Administrative Divisions
Cyprus is divided into six administrative districts, whose capitals share the same name: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos. These districts are further subdivided into municipalities and communities.
See also: Districts of Cyprus
The largest city in Cyprus is its capital, Nicosia. Other significant cities include Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta, Paphos, Morphou and Kyrenia.
History
The first undisputed settlement on the island of Cyprus occurred over 10,000 years ago. Since then, the island was subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians. The Mycenaean Greeks settled in Cyprus in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC. The Bronze Age saw the first cities being built, such as Enkomi, and systematic copper mining began. The island was seized by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. During the Roman period, Cyprus became a senatorial province and was a center of early Christianity. The Byzantine Empire ruled Cyprus from the 4th century AD until the late 12th century. The island was subsequently conquered by Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade in 1191. The Lusignan dynasty ruled Cyprus from 1192 to 1489, followed by the Venetians from 1489 to 1571. The Ottoman Empire then conquered Cyprus in 1571, and the island remained under Ottoman rule until 1878.
In 1878, the United Kingdom received Cyprus as a protectorate under the Cyprus Convention. The island became a British colony in 1925 and gained independence in 1960. In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus and occupied the northern part of the island, which led to the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus is recognized by the international community as the sole legitimate government of the island.
See also: History of Cyprus
Ethnicities
The people of Cyprus are broadly divided into two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, who share many cultural traits but maintain distinct identities based on ethnicity, religion, language, and close ties with Greece and Turkey respectively.
Greek Cypriots are the largest ethnic group in Cyprus, accounting for about 78% of the country’s population. Turkish Cypriots are an ethnic community who trace their origin back to the Ottoman Empire. Other minority communities include the Maronites and Armenians who are widely dispersed across the island.
See also: Greek Cypriots
Language
The official languages of Cyprus are Greek and Turkish. The everyday spoken language of Greek Cypriots is Cypriot Greek, and that of Turkish Cypriots is Cypriot Turkish. For official purposes, Standard Modern Greek and Standard Turkish are used. Minority languages include Armenian and Cypriot Arabic, which are recognized, and Kurbetcha, which is not officially recognized. English is also widely spoken, with 76% of the population able to communicate in English.
See also: Languages of Cyprus
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Greek Alphabet
Please use the correct letters when writing Greek names and locations. If your keyboard does not support some of these letters, please copy & paste them from the list below or use the following Alt codes.
| Capital letters | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Α | Β | Γ | Δ | Ε | Ζ | Η | Θ | Ι | Κ | Λ | Μ | Ν | Ξ | Ο | Π | Ρ | Σ | Τ | Υ | Φ | Χ | Ψ | Ω |
| Lower case letters | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| α | β | γ | δ | ε | ζ | η | θ | ι | κ | λ | μ | ν | ξ | ο | π | ρ | σ/ς | τ | υ | φ | χ | ψ | ω |
Alt codes
| A = Alt+913 | α = Alt+945 | Ά = Alt+902 | ά = Alt+940 | ||
| Β = Alt+914 | β = Alt+946 | ϐ = Alt+976 | |||
| Γ = Alt+915 | γ = Alt+947 | ||||
| Δ = Alt+916 | δ = Alt+948 | ||||
| E = Alt+917 | ε = Alt+949 | Έ = Alt+904 | έ = Alt+941 | ||
| Z = Alt+918 | ζ = Alt+950 | ϵ = Alt+1013 | ϶ = Alt+1014 | ||
| H = Alt+919 | η = Alt+951 | Ή = Alt+905 | ή = Alt+942 | ||
| Θ = Alt+920 | θ = Alt+952 | ϴ = Alt+1012 | ϑ = Alt+977 | ||
| I = Alt+921 | ι = Alt+953 | Ί = Alt+906 | ί = Alt+943 | ||
| K = Alt+922 | κ = Alt+954 | Ϊ = Alt+938 | ϊ = Alt+970 | ΐ = Alt+912 | |
| Λ = Alt+923 | λ = Alt+955 | Ϲ = Alt+1017 | ϲ = Alt+1010 | ||
| M = Alt+924 | μ = Alt+956 | Ͻ = Alt+1021 | ͻ = Alt+891 | ||
| N = Alt+925 | ν + Alt+957 | Ͼ = Alt+1022 | ͼ = Alt+892 | ||
| Ξ = Alt+926 | ξ = Alt+958 | Ͽ = Alt+1023 | ͽ = Alt+893 | ||
| O = Alt+927 | ο = Alt+959 | Ό = Alt+908 | ό = Alt+972 | ||
| Π = Alt+928 | π = Alt+960 | ϖ = Alt+982 | |||
| P = Alt+929 | ρ = Alt+961 | ||||
| Σ = Alt+931 | σ = Alt+963 | ς = Alt+962 | |||
| T = Alt+932 | τ = Alt+964 | ||||
| Y = Alt+933 | υ = Alt+965 | Ύ = Alt+910 | ύ = Alt+973 | ||
| Φ = Alt+934 | φ = Alt+966 | ϕ = Alt+981 | |||
| X = Alt+935 | χ = Alt+967 | Ϋ = Alt+939 | ϋ = Alt+971 | ||
| Ψ = Alt+936 | ψ = Alt+968 | ϒ = Alt+978 | ΰ = Alt+944 | ||
| Ω = Alt+937 | ω = Alt+969 | Ώ = Alt+911 | ώ = Alt+974 |
Turkish Alphabet
Please use the correct letters when writing Turkish names and locations. If your keyboard does not support some of these letters, please copy & paste them from the list below or use the following Alt codes.
| Capital letters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | Ç | D | E | F | G | Ğ | H | I | İ | J | K | L | M | N | O | Ö | P | R | S | Ş | T | U | Ü | V | Y | Z |
| Lower case letters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| a | b | c | ç | d | e | f | g | ğ | h | ı | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | ö | p | r | s | ş | t | u | ü | v | y | z |
Alt codes
| Â = Alt+0194 | â = Alt+0226 | |||
| Ç = Alt+0199 | ç = Alt+0231 | |||
| Ğ = Alt+0286 | ğ = Alt+0287 | |||
| Î = Alt+0206 | î = Alt+0238 | İ = Alt+0304 | ı = Alt+0305 | |
| Ö = Alt+0214 | ö = Alt+0246 | |||
| Ş = Alt+0350 | ş = Alt+0351 | |||
| Ü = Alt+0220 | ü = Alt+0252 | Û = Alt+0219 | û = Alt+0251 |
Religion
Religion in Cyprus is dominated by the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity, whose adherents make up 73% of the total population of the entire island. The Church of Cyprus, is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the Orthodox tradition using the Greek liturgy. It is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox autocephalous churches, achieving independence from the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East in 431 A.D. The Roman Catholic Church represents the second-most popular religious belief in Cyprus. An estimated 3% of Cyprus residents identify themselves as practicing Catholicism. Protestants and Anglicans make up about 2% of the total population in Cyprus. Islam is the largest non-Christian religion in Cyprus. There are also Baháʼí, Jewish, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and non-religious communities in Cyprus.
See also: Religion in Cyprus
See also: Demographics of Cyprus
Cypriot Naming Conventions
Prior to independence, when surnames became officially used in public registers, most Cypriots used patronymics. Today, Greek Cypriots often bear common Greek surnames, but there are some surnames which are markedly Cypriot. These names typically reflect place of birth or origin, or an occupation. For example: Paphitis (Παφίτης) “from Paphos”; Kaimakliotis (Καϊμακλιώτης ), “from Kaimakli”; Skarparis (Σκαρπάρης ), “shoemaker”; Komodromos (Κωμοδρόμος ), "smith".
A first-born son is often given as a first name his paternal grandfather’s name, and sometimes a second-born son will be given his maternal grandfather’s name, leading to much repetition of names.
See also: Greek Cypriot Names
This page was last modified 17:07, 7 October 2024. This page has been accessed 158 times.