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Culture of Cyprus

Republic of Cyprus
Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία  (Greek)
Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti  (Turkish)
Anthem: Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν(Greek Cypriot)
"Hymn to Liberty"
Location of Cyprus (pictured lower right), showing the Republic of Cyprus in darker green and the self-declared republic of Northern Cyprus in brighter green, with the rest of the European Union shown in faded green
Location of Cyprus (pictured lower right), showing the Republic of Cyprus in darker green and the self-declared republic of Northern Cyprus in brighter green, with the rest of the European Union shown in faded green
Capital
and largest city
Nicosia  
35°10′N 33°22′E / 35.167°N 33.367°E / 35.167; 33.367
Official languages
Minority languages
Vernaculars
Ethnic groups
Demonym Cypriot
Government Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President
Nicos Anastasiades
Vacant
Demetris Syllouris
Legislature House of Representatives
Independence from the United Kingdom
19 February 1959
• Independence proclaimed
16 August 1960
1 October 1960
1 May 2004
Area
• Total
9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) (168th)
• Water (%)
9
Population
• 2013 estimate
1,141,166 (158th)
• 2011 census
838,897
• Density
123.4/km2 (319.6/sq mi) (82nd)
GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate
• Total
$29.666 billion (126th)
• Per capita
$34,970 (35th)
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
• Total
$19.810 billion (114th)
• Per capita
$23,352 (33rd)
Gini (2015) Positive decrease 33.6
medium
HDI (2015) Increase 0.856
very high · 33rd
Currency Euro (EUR)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)
EEST (UTC+3)
Drives on the left
Calling code +357
ISO 3166 code CY
Internet TLD .cy
Largest groups of foreign residents
Nationality Population (2011)
 Greece 29,321
 United Kingdom 24,046
 Romania 23,706
 Bulgaria 18,536
 Philippines 9,413
 Russia 8,164
 Sri Lanka 7,269
 Vietnam 7,028
 Syria 3,054
 India 2,933

Cyprus (/ˈsprəs/; Greek: Κύπρος, translit. Kýpros IPA: [ˈcipros]; Turkish: Kıbrıs IPA: [ˈkɯbɾɯs]), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, translit. Kypriakí Demokratía; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti), is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel, north of Egypt, and southeast of Greece.

The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC. As a strategic location in the Middle East, it was subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire, Arab caliphates for a short period, the French Lusignan dynasty and the Venetians, was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and 1878 (de jure until 1914).


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