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History

Cyprus is a small island with a long history and a rich culture that spans 10.000 years, making it one of the oldest civilizations in the Mediterranean – as evidenced by the many fascinating cultural sights, museums, monuments and galleries.

Situated at the crossroads of three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa – the island’s unique geographic position has played an important part in its turbulent past since antiquity.

Its Prehistoric Age inhabitants were joined 3,500 years ago by the Mycenaean Greeks, who introduced and established their civilization, thus permanently instilling the island’s Greek roots.

Many other cultures followed thereafter, including Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Romans, Franks, Venetians, Ottomans and British, who all left behind visible remnants of their passage, and have thus created a mosaic of different cultures and periods.

Geography and Demographics

Location: Cyprus, with an area of 9,251 km² and coordinates at 35°N and 33°E. It measures 224 kilometers long from end to end and 96 kilometers wide at its widest point, which makes the island’s perimeter greater than that of Crete and Corsica. Cyprus is located in the Mediterranean Sea and lies at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia at the crux of the busy shipping and air routes linking the three continents.

Population: The population of Cyprus is about 847,000 (2016). The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia (Lefkosia), situated at the heart of the island with a population of approximately 336,000. The second largest city is Limassol (Lemesos) on the south coast with a population of approximately 241,000 and the island’s major port. Larnaca and Paphos are the third and fourth largest cities, each with a new airport, situated on the south east and south west coasts respectively.

Climate: Cyprus has a pleasant Mediterranean climate with year-round sunshine. Stunning coastlines, golden sandy beaches and clear blue waters, coexist in harmony with glorious mountains of wild natural beauty and peaceful, picturesque villages. Cyprus’ famous beaches have been awarded with 57 Blue Flags in 2015, ranking the island first in the EU for the tenth consecutive year, including three records:

Most Blue Flags per capital in the world
Most dense concentration of Blue Flag Beaches
Most Blue Flag beaches per coastline

Education

Cyprus is a world-class educational and research Centre of excellence with high quality academic institutions. As part of the British Empire for over 80 years, the island has a very high proportion of English speakers, with 80% using English as their second – and fluent – language.

The standard of English language schools is also very high with students from all over the world choosing Cyprus for their studies, and many Cypriot educational institutions have a British university affiliation.

Cyprus offers a large variety of advanced and fully accredited undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, at affordable costs.

With a booming industry comprising 3 public and 5 private universities and more than 40 public and private higher education institutions enjoying international academic and scientific recognition, the island attracts thousands of international students every year.

Research is widely promoted within academic institutions, with Cyprus holding the highest absorption rate of EU research grants.

Myths

The island of Cyprus is well known for its history and for being steeped in myths and legends. There are often several different versions of a tale claiming to be the real story but the one thing they all have in common is that they are all fascinating to hear about!

Hands That Made the Five Finger Mountains
One legend has it that a particular hero of North Cyprus, Dhiyenis Akritas, leapt right across the sea from Anatolia to save the island from invading Saracens and when he landed his handprint was forever embedded in the soil and the Five Finger mountains formed from this hand print.

Aphrodite’s Rock

Goddess Aphrodite is the powerful goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. While one story suggests Aphrodite came about in a fairly normal manner, as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, the second is much more appealing.

It’s said that Aphrodite was born of the sea, rising from the foam as a fully-grown woman.

Happily, this fantastical myth has earthly backdrops, and the setting for this particular story is Petra tou Romiou, an amazing rock formation on the beautiful southwest coast of Paphos.

When the waves crash against the rock, the resulting foam is said to look like the hint of a human figure, almost as though we can see Aphrodite’s birth being re-enacted again and again.

Legend has it that if you too fancy a little of what Aphrodite had, beauty, good luck, fertility and a knack for finding true love, you need only swim around the rock three times in order to be blessed

These rock formations and coastline are truly magical to behold so if you’re in Cyprus, we strongly suggest a visit.

Energy

The discovery of hydrocarbons in Cyprus’ EEZ has created new exciting prospects for the island to become an energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Developments have attracted worldwide interest and significant investment from leading energy giants as well as renowned international providers operating in the oil and gas auxiliary services sector.

Cyprus is also fast developing into a regional fuel hub, operating a sophisticated oil storage terminal in Vasilikos, the first terminal of its kind in the Eastern Mediterranean, connecting Europe and the Black Sea with markets in the Middle East and Asia.

Healthcare

Healthcare in Cyprus is of a high standard, which is recognized by the World Health Organization to be on a par with developed countries. To illustrate this, foreign nationals entering Cyprus are not required to undergo any vaccinations because incidents of infectious diseases and epidemics throughout the country are low in number. Food and water safety are also strictly monitored by the Medical and Public Health Services Department.

Government hospitals are located in all the major cities. Smaller government-run hospitals and clinics are present in other areas of the country. There are also a number of private hospitals throughout the country.

The federal government of Cyprus through the Ministry of Health (MOH) is responsible for centralized health care policy and administration. This covers all aspects of health policy development and planning, health promotion and disease prevention strategies.

The MOH is also responsible for inspecting, regulating and licensing public and private hospitals and polyclinics. Cyprus is almost fully in line with corresponding EU healthcare regulatory directives, which have been incorporated into national legislation. This includes regulation of providers, personnel, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

The healthcare system in Cyprus was changed with the introduction of GESY or the GHS (General Health Service). From 1st June 2019 the new system came into force.

The General Healthcare System (GHS) is a people-centred, comprehensive and financially sustainable healthcare system aiming at meeting the expectations of Cypriot citizens for equal access to treatment and provision of high quality healthcare by using, in the best possible way, all available resources.

Environment

The EU has some of the world’s highest environmental standards, developed over decades.

Environment policy helps the EU economy become more environmentally friendly, protects Europe’s natural resources, and safeguards the health and wellbeing of people living in the EU.

EU environmental policies and legislation protect natural habitats, keep air and water clean, ensure proper waste disposal, improve knowledge about toxic chemicals and help businesses move toward a sustainable economy.

On climate change, the EU formulates and implements climate policies and strategies, taking a leading role in international negotiations on climate.

Charming Food and Wine

In Cyprus, there are 320-340 sunny days in a year with sufficient sunshine. Fruits and vegetables can be harvested all year round.

In addition, it is an island country with rich marine products. Over 3000 years of foreign rule and merchants from all over the world brought different cooking techniques. After absorbing the flavor of Greece, Turkey, Albania, Italy, France, Britain and other places, the Cypriots created their own unique food culture.

The famous food in Cyprus – set meal is available in almost every restaurant and restaurant. The set meal is generally composed of 15-20 dishes.

Cyprus has a history of 7000 years of wine making. Every September, Cyprus holds a grand Wine Festival. Tourists and residents come to the vineyard together to enjoy the new wine, while singing and dancing to celebrate the grape harvest.

Climate

The climate of Cyprus ranks among the top three in the world. It has blue sky, countless blue flag beaches and clean air, attracting people from all over the world to live and vacation here.