All About Cyprus

Name of State

Kypriaki Demokratia (Greek), Kibris Cumhuriyeti (Turkish) (Republic of Cyprus)

The Cyprus Flag

The Cyprus flag was defined in 1960 after independence.

Colours of the Flag

The ground is white. The map of the Island of Cyprus, in the middle, has the colour of copper (144–C). The crest under the island and the olive–tree leaves, have the colour of olive–green (336–C)

The International code numbers of the colours of the flag of the Republic of Cyprus (PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (PMS) are:

Colour of copper 144–C
Colour of olive–green 336–C

Size: – in ratio 3:5

Location and Size

Cyprus is a small island of 9,251 sq kms (3,752 sq miles), extending 240 kms (149 miles) from east to west and 100 kms (62 miles) from north to south. It is strategically situated in the far eastern corner of the Mediterranean (33O E, 35O N), at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia, and in close proximity to the busy trade routes linking Europe with the Middle East, Russia, Central Asia and the Far East.
Its capital is Nicosia (Lefkosia).

Government

Presidential system of government. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a five–year term. Executive power is exercised through an 11–member Council of Ministers appointed by the President.

Legislative Power

Multi–party unicameral House of Representatives.
Voting system: Simple proportional representation.
House members are elected by universal suffrage for a five–year term.

Judicial Power

Justice is administered by the Supreme Court and by the Assize and District Courts.

Independent Officers and Bodies

A number of officers and bodies are independent and do not come under the jurisdiction of any Ministry. The independent officers of the Republic under the Constitution are the Attorney–General and the Auditor–General, who head the Law Office and the Audit Office respectively, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus. The Ombudsman is also an independent officer of the Republic whose position, however, was created much later, in 1991. The bodies with independent functions include the Public Service Commission, the Educational Service Commission and the Planning Bureau.

The Central Bank was established in 1963. It is responsible for formulating and implementing monetary and credit policy. It also administers the foreign exchange reserves of the Republic, supervises banks and acts as banker and financial agent of the Government.

Local Authorities

Local government is the responsibility of the Municipal and Community Councils. The former is concerned with the provision of local government services and administration of the towns and large rural areas, while the latter with the management of village affairs. These councils are independent bodies whose members are elected by universal suffrage.

Cyprus is a member of many international organizations including:

• The United Nations (UN) (1960) and its specialized agencies
• Council of Europe (CoE) (1961)
• The Commonwealth (1961)
• Organization for Security and Co–operation in Europe (OSCE) (1975)
• Non–Aligned Movement (NAM) (1960)
• World Trade Organization (WTO) (1955)

• Association Agreement (1972)
• Customs Union Protocol (1987)
• Application for EU membership (1990)
• Commencement of accession negotiations with the EU (1998)
• Decision by the European Council to admit Cyprus to the EU on 1 May 2004 (December 2002)
• EU Treaty of Accession signed on 16 April 2003
• Became a member of the European Union 1 May 2004

Climate

Flora and Fauna

Seventeen per cent of the island is covered by woodland. The natural vegetation includes forests of evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and flowers. The flora comprises about 1,800 indigenous species, sub–species and varieties. About 140 or 7% of these are endemics.

There are also 365 species of birds but only 115 bred on the island. Two species and five sub–species have been classed as endemic.

Among the animals, the moufflon is the most noteworthy since it is found only in Cyprus.

Greek and Turkish are official Languages.
English is widely spoken.

• Neolithic settlements
• Greek, Hellenistic and Roman monuments
• Byzantine and Latin churches and monasteries
• Lusignan and Venetian fortresses and castles (12th – 16th century)
• Mosques

A UN peace–keeping force, UNFICYP, consisting of 1,228 military personnel, has been on the island since 1964. It arrived after the outbreak of intercommunal clashes in December 1963 and Turkish threats to invade. Its chief task is to supervise the buffer zone and maintain the ceasefire, given that 35,000 Turkish troops are occupying the north of the island.

British Sovereign Base Areas

The island acquired its Greek character after it was colonized by the Mycenaean and Achaean Greeks between the 13th and 11th century BC. It subsequently came under Assyrian, Egyptian and Persian domination (8th – 4th century BC). It became part of the Roman Empire between 30 BC and 330 AD.

However, it retained its Greek identity and, as part of the Hellenistic state of the Ptolemies (310–30 BC) and of the Greek–speaking world of Byzantium (330 AD–1191), its ethnic heritage was reinforced. The Greek language and culture also prevailed throughout the centuries that followed even though Cyprus came under the rule of successive colonial powers, including the Franks (Lusignans) (1192–1489), the Venetians (1489–1571), the Ottomans (1571–1878) and the British (1878–1960).

The Greek Cypriots mounted a liberation struggle against British rule from 1955 to 1959 and in 1960 Cyprus gained its independence. Greece, Turkey and Britain were to stand as guarantors of the country's independence under the Zurich–London agreements and Britain would have two sovereign base areas.

According to the 1960 Constitution, power would be shared between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots on a 7:3 ratio, while the Turkish Cypriots, who comprised 18% of the population of the island, were also granted veto rights.

Relations between the two communities had for centuries been peaceful and amicable. But a conflict of aims after independence led to brief intercommunal clashes in 1963, 1964 and 1967 and the withdrawal in December 1963 of the Turkish Cypriots from the administration and legislature.

On 15 July 1974 the ruling military junta of Greece staged a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Government of Cyprus.

On 20 July, in violation of the international codes of conduct established under treaties to which it is a signatory, Turkey invaded Cyprus, purportedly to restore constitutional order. Instead it seized 35% of the territory of Cyprus in the north – an act universally condemned as a gross infringement of international law and UN Charter.

The invasion and occupation had disastrous consequences. About 142.000 Greek Cypriots living in the north – nearly a quarter (23%) of the population – were driven from their homes and became refugees. A further 20,000 Greek Cypriots enclaved in the occupied area were gradually forced through intimidation and denial of their fundamental human rights, to abandon their homes and find refuge in the Government-controlled area. Today there are fewer than 600 enclaved people. Seventy per cent (70%) of the productive potential of the island was lost and 30% of the population became unemployed.

Some 1,500 Greek Cypriot civilians and soldiers disappeared during and after the invasion. Many were in Turkish custody and some seen in prisons in Turkey and the occupied area before their disappearance. The fate of all but a handful is still not known as Turkey is unwilling to investigate their whereabouts.

In a landmark judgment on 10 May 2001, the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe found Turkey guilty of 14 violations of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the refugees, the enclaved persons and the missing.

Since the invasion at least 115,000 Turks from the mainland have been illegally settled in the occupied area. The large influx of settlers has had a dire effect on the living conditions of the Turkish Cypriots. Poverty and unemployment has forced over 55,000 to emigrate, with the result that they now make up only 11% of the native population.

On 15 November 1983 the Turkish–occupied area was unilaterally declared an "independent state". The UN Security Council, in Resolution 541[83], considered the declaration legally invalid and called for its withdrawal. To this day no country in the world except Turkey has recognized this illegal entity.

Cyprus has developed into an international banking and business center with 26 foreign banks, two administered banking units, and over 1,000 fully fledged overseas companies operating on the island. It has also become an important shipping center and currently ranks sixth in the world as a maritime nation.

The important geographical location of the island, its British–modeled legal and administrative system, the availability of wide ranging professional services, the excellent infrastructure, the advanced telecommunications network and the widespread knowledge of English, are some of the factors that have helped create an ideal business environment for foreign firms.

High Technology Industry

The Government is currently promoting the establishment of high technology industry through the creation of business incubators and a research and technological development center.

Services

Tourism (hotels and restaurants) in particular plays an important role in the economy. In 2002 it contributed about 9.4% to GDP and 10.5% of the workforce is engaged in the industry.

In 2002 over 2.4 million tourists visited Cyprus, mainly from the UK (51.1%), the Scandinavian countries (10.1%), former Soviet Union countries (9.9%), Germany (7.9%), Greece (3.3%) and Switzerland (2.8%).

Cyprus' role as a regional services centre is being enhanced, and plans are currently underway to promote the island as an international information center.

Manufacturing

Imports

Exports

Transhipment

Agriculture

Principal crops are potatoes, other vegetables, cereals, citrus, grapes and olives. Livestock farming is mainly in cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. Fish production is derived from inshore and trawl fishing and marine aquaculture.

Natural Resources

The island's natural resources are copper, gypsum, timber, marble, bentonite and earth pigment, but none exist in significant quantities.

Water is a scarce resource in Cyprus. The problem has been met by the construction of dams and desalination plants.

Environment

Free medical care in government hospitals and health centers is available for low–income families, civil servants and refugees. There are also private clinics and a large number of practices offering a wide range of medical services. The ratio of persons per doctor was 381:1 in 2001.

A comprehensive social insurance scheme covers every working person and their dependants. Benefits and pensions from the scheme cover unemployment, illness, maternity, widows, injury at work, old age and death.

There is also a broad range of welfare services provided by the Government, including children's day care centres, old people's homes, facilities for the disabled, free housing for refugees, rent subsidies for low income families and financial assistance to community organizations.

Education

Cyprus ranks high in terms of third level education with 63% of secondary school leavers in 2001 continuing their studies. More than half the students study abroad, mainly in Greece (55%), the UK (22%) and the USA (13%). In 2000/01 55% of students studying abroad and 58% enrolled on third level education courses in Cyprus were women.

Culture

There are also several museums and art galleries.

Currently there are:

• 7 dailies and a large number of weeklies and periodicals in circulation
• 7 island–wide and 6 local TV channels
• 10 island–wide and 38 local radio stations
• 1 news agency (Cyprus News Agency – CNA)

                                                                                                               up