Cyprus
Cyprus (in
Greek Kypros Κυπρος; and in
Turkish Kıbrıs) is an island in the
Mediterranean Sea, 113 kilometres (70 miles) south of
Turkey.
\n \nThe English-language "Cyprus" is a Latinized version of the name, which derives from the ancient Greek word for
copper, large deposits of which are found on Cyprus.\n \nCyprus is geographically in
Southwest Asia, but Cypriots assert that they are a part of
Europe mainly due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of its inhabitants are of European extraction and as such are both culturally and politically closer to Europe than Asia.
Cyprus gained independence from the
United Kingdom in
1960, with the UK,
Greece and
Turkey retaining limited rights to intervene in internal affairs.
The
Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognized government of the island, but controls only the southern two-thirds of that territory.
Turkey does not accept its rule over the whole island and calls it
Greek Authority of Southern Cyprus. The northern third was occupied by Turkey in a
1974 invasion following a coup sponsored by the military regime of Greece. The area occupied by the Turkish Army proclaimed its independence in
1975, and the so called
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established in
1983, recognized as is only by Turkey and as "Turkish Cypriot State" by the members of
Organization of the Islamic Conference. In the time since the invasion, the northern third has become almost exclusively Turkish, and the southern two-thirds almost exclusively Greek, so the territories are now sometimes referred to as the "Greek part" and the "Turkish part" of Cyprus. It should be noted that the so called
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a self-proclaimed state, recognized only by
Turkey. All other governments and the
United Nations recognise the sovereignty of the
Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus.
\nThe other power with territory on Cyprus is the
United Kingdom. Under the independence agreement, the UK retained title to two small areas on the southern coast of the island, around Dhekelia and Akrotiri, known collectively as the
UK sovereign base areas. They are used to host military bases.
Negotiations have been ongoing for years to reunify the island, but have not as yet seen substantial success. A
United Nations plan, announced on
31 March 2004 following talks in
Switzerland, was put to both sides in separate referenda on
24 April 2004. It was favoured by the Turkish side by a majority of 2 to 1, but was rejected by the Greek side by a 3 to 1 margin. As a result, while officially the whole of Cyprus entered the European Union on
1 May 2004, the de facto EU border runs along the Green Line, dividing the country between the Greek and Turkish parts. EU law is currently not applied in the Turkish controlled north. See:
Annan Plan,
2004 referendum.
EU member states and the
United Nations were disappointed by the Greek Cypriot rejection of the agreement. The
European Union has promised aid and to work towards lifting the trade sanctions imposed by the European Court, although they have ruled out diplomatic recognition of Northern Cyprus.
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See also
\n*Cyprus dispute\n*
Turkish Cyprus barrier
External links
\n*Republic of Cyprus
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Category:EU countries\nCategory:Anatolia\nCategory:Mediterranean
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