Cyprus

Republic of Cyprus

republicIndependence 16 August 1960 (from UK)

Cyprus as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 113 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalNicosia
Position35 00 N, 33 00 E
Area9,250 sq km (note - 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish area)
LocationMiddle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of
1996

Every edition of Cyprus

Populationas each edition published it
744,609 people July 1996 est. · 707,776 in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.11% 1996 est. · 0.94% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 34.2 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
76.26 years 1996 est. · 75.98 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.19 children per woman 1996 est. · 2.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
8.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 10 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $11,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 6.5% in 1993

Geography

Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of | Turkey

14 fields

Land use

arable land 40%permanent crops 7%meadows and pastures 10%forest and woodland 18%other 25%irrigated 350 sq km (1989)
Area
9,250sq km
(note - 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish area)land area: 9,240 sq kmcomparative area: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Coastline
648km
land boundaries: 0 kmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 12 nm

Location

Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey

Geographic coordinates

35 00 N, 33 00 E

Map references

Middle East

International disputes

  • 1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas, a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot Government (59% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (37% of the island), that are separated by a UN buffer zone (4% of the island);
  • there are two UK sovereign base areas within the Greek Cypriot portion of the island

Climate

temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters

Terrain

central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast

lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Olympus 1,952 m

Natural resources

copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Environment

current issues:
  • water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, and most potable resources concentrated in the Turkish Cypriot area);
  • water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes;
  • coastal degradation;
  • loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
natural hazards:
moderate earthquake activity
international agreements:
  • party to - Air Pollution, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

People

15 fields
Population
744,609
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 1.11% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
15.39Death
7.66Net migration
3.38

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years76.26
74.11 · 78.52
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy94%
98% · 91%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1987 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:
25% (male 97,400; female 92,110)
15-64 years:
64% (male 240,716; female 238,039)
65 years and over:
11% (male 33,340; female 43,004) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female
all ages:
1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.19 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Cypriot(s)
adjective:
Cypriot

Ethnic divisions

total: Greek 78% (99.5% of the Greeks live in the Greek area; 0.5% of the Greeks live in the Turkish area), Turkish 18% (1.3% of the Turks live in the Greek area; 98.7% of the Turks live in the Turkish area), other 4% (99.2% of the other ethnic groups live in the Greek area; 0.8% of the other ethnic groups live in the Turkish area)

Religions

Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4%

Languages

Greek, Turkish, English

Government

Republic

23 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.3%
Glafcos CLERIDES 50.3%Yeoryios VASSILIOU 49.7%

Name of country

conventional long form:
Republic of Cyprus
conventional short form:
Cyprus

note: the Turkish area refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic" or the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)

Type of government

republic

note: a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began after the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified following the Turkish invasion of the island in July 1974, which gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north;

Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which has been recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly call for the resolution of intercommunal differences and creation of a new federal system of government

Capital

Nicosia note: the Turkish area's capital is Lefkosa (Nicosia)

Administrative divisions

  • 6 districts;
  • Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos;
  • note - Turkish area administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Nicosia and Larnaca

Independence

16 August 1960 (from UK) note: Turkish area proclaimed self-rule on NA February 1975 from Republic of Cyprus

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October note: Turkish area celebrates 15 November as Independence Day

Constitution

  • 16 August 1960;
  • negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently;
  • in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983;
  • a new constitution for the Turkish area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:
  • President Glafcos CLERIDES (since 28 February 1993) was elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage;
  • election last held 14 February 1993 (next to be held NA February 1998);
  • results - Glafcos CLERIDES 50.3%, Yeoryios VASSILIOU 49.7%
cabinet:
Council of Ministers was appointed jointly by the president and vice president

note: Rauf R. DENKTASH has been "president" of the Turkish area since 13 February 1975 (president is elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage);

Hakki ATUN has been "prime minister" of the Turkish area since 1 January 1994; there is a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the Turkish area; elections last held 15 and 22 April 1995 (next to be held NA April 2000); results - Rauf R. DENKTASH 62.5%, Dervis EROGLU 37.5%

Greek area

House of Representatives (Vouli Antiprosopon):
  • elections last held 19 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996);
  • results - DISY 35.8%, AKEL (Communist) 30.6%, DIKO 19.5%, EDEK 10.9%;
  • others 3.2%;
  • seats - (56 total) DISY 20, AKEL (Communist) 18, DIKO 11, EDEK 7

Turkish area

Assembly of the Republic (Cumhuriyet Meclisi):
  • elections last held 12 December 1993 (next to be held NA);
  • results - UBP 29.9%, DP 29.2%, CTP 24.2% TKP 13.3%, others 3.4%;
  • seats - (50 total) UBP (conservative) 15, DP 16, CTP 13, TKP 5, UDP 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Supreme Council of Judicature note: there is also a Supreme Court in the Turkish area

Greek area

  • Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL, Communist Party), Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS;
  • Democratic Rally (DISY), Ioannis MATSIS;
  • Democratic Party (DIKO), Spyros KYPRIANOU;
  • United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEK), Vassos LYSSARIDIS;
  • Socialist Democratic Renewal Movement (ADISOK), Mikhalis PAPAPETROU;
  • Liberal Party, Nikolaos ROLANDIS;
  • Free Democrats, Yeoryios VASSILIOU;
  • New Horizons, Nikolaos KOUTSOU, secretary general

Turkish area

  • National Unity Party (UBP), Dervis EROGLU;
  • Communal Liberation Party (TKP), Mustafa AKINCI;
  • Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Mehmet ALI TALAT;
  • New Cyprus Party (YKP), Alpay DURDURAN;
  • Free Democratic Party (HDP), Ismet KOTAK;
  • Nationalist Justice Party (MAP), Zorlu TORE;
  • Unity and Sovereignty Party (BEP), Arif Salih KIRDAG;
  • Democratic Party (DP), Serdar DENKTASH;
  • National Birth Party (UDP), Enver EMIN;
  • the HDP, MAP, and VP merged under the label National Struggle Unity Party (MMBP) to compete in the 12 December 1993 legislative election

Other political or pressure groups

  • United Democratic Youth Organization (EDON, Communist controlled);
  • Union of Cyprus Farmers (EKA, Communist controlled);
  • Cyprus Farmers Union (PEK, pro-West);
  • Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation (PEO, Communist controlled);
  • Confederation of Cypriot Workers (SEK, pro-West);
  • Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions (Turk-Sen);
  • Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions (Dev-Is)

International organization participation

C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Andreas J. JACOVIDES
chancery:
2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 462-5772
consulate(s) general:
New York

note: Representative of the Turkish area in the US is Namik KORMAN, office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC, telephone [1] (202) 887-6198

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard A. BOUCHER
embassy:
corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, Engomi, Nicosia
mailing address:
P. O. Box 4536, FPO AE 09836
telephone:
[357] (2) 476100

FAX

[357] (2) 465944

Flag

  • white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag;
  • the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities

note: the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a white field

Economy

The Greek Cypriot economy is small and | prosperous, but highly susceptible to external shocks.

36 fields

Installed generating capacity, 550,000 kW

Electricity production
2.3 billionElectricity consumption per capita
2,903 (1993)

Economic overview

The Greek Cypriot economy is small and prosperous, but highly susceptible to external shocks. Industry contributes 25% to GDP and employs 26% of the labor force, while the service sector contributes 70% to GDP and employs 62% of the labor force. After surging 9.7% in 1992, economic growth slowed to 1.6% in 1993 - its lowest level in two decades - because of the decline in tourist arrivals associated with the recession in Western Europe, Cyprus' main trading partner, and the loss in export competitiveness due to a sharp rise in unit labor costs. However, real GDP picked up in 1994 and 1995, as inflation fell from 4.7% to about 3%. Economic; prospects appear favorable for 1996: real GDP is likely to grow between 3% and 4%, and inflation is likely to rise slightly to 3.5%-4.5%. The Turkish Cypriot economy has less than one-third the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is recognized only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government service, which together employ about half of the work force. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender. Economic growth sharply dropped during 1994 because of the severe economic crisis affecting the mainland, and inflation soared to 215%. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to nearly every sector; financial support has risen and now equals in value about one-third of Turkish Cypriot GDP.

Greek area

purchasing power parity - $7.8 billion (1995 est.)

Turkish area

purchasing power parity - $520 million (1995 est.)

Greek area

5% (1995 est.)

Turkish area

0.5% (1995 est.)

Greek area

$13,000 (1995 est.)

Turkish area

$3,900 (1995 est.)

Greek area - agriculture

5.6%

Greek area - industry

24.9%

Greek area - services

69.5% (1994)

Turkish area - agriculture

11.4%

Turkish area - industry

22.9%

Turkish area - services

65.7% (1994)

Greek area

3% (1995 est.)

Turkish area

215% (1994)

Greek area

294,100; by occupation: services 61.5%, industry 26%, agriculture 12.5% (1994)

Turkish area

75,320; by occupation: services 52.9%, industry 23.6%, agriculture 23.5% (1994)

Greek area

2.7% (1994)

Turkish area

1.6% (1994)

Budget

revenues:
Greek area - $2.3 billion, Turkish area - $246 million
expenditures:
Greek area - $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million, Turkish area - $350 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (1996 est.)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, wood products

Greek area

3.7% (1994)

Turkish area

2.6% (1992)

Agriculture

potatoes, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, citrus, vegetables

Illicit drugs

transit point for heroin via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey, also some cocaine transits en route to Russia

Greek area

$968 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine, cement, clothing and shoes
partners:
UK 16%, Lebanon 9%, Greece 8%, Russia 12%

Turkish area

$59 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
citrus, potatoes, textiles
partners:
UK 48%, Turkey 22%

Greek area

$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, food and feed grains, machinery
partners:
UK 12%, Japan 9%, Italy 10%, Germany 9%, US 8%

Turkish area

$330 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:
food, minerals, chemicals, machinery
partners:
Turkey 48%, UK 19%

Greek area

$1.4 billion (1994)

Greek area - recipient

ODA, $NA

Turkish area

during 1977-93, received substantial grants and loans from Turkey

Currency

1 Cypriot pound (LC) = 100 cents; 1 Turkish lira (TL) = 100 kurus

Exchange rates

  • Cypriot pounds per US1$ - 0.4628 (January 1996), 0.4522 (1995), 0.4915 (1994), 0.4970 (1993), 0.4502 (1992), 0.4633 (1991);
  • Turkish liras (TL) per US$1 - 60,502.1 (January 1996), 45,845.1 (1995), 29,608.7 (1994), 10,984.6 (1993), 6,872.4 (1992), 4,171.8 (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

11 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 15 in all

8
2 438 to 3 047 m
3
914 to 1 523 m
1
3
under 914 m
PavedUnpaved

Greek area - total

10,448 km

Greek area - paved

5,694 km

Greek area - unpaved

4,754 km

Turkish area - total

6,116 km

Turkish area - paved

5,278 km

Turkish area - unpaved

838 km

Ports

Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Vasilikos Bay

Merchant marine

total:
1,524 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,949,242 GRT/40,236,638 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 490, cargo 562, chemical tanker 27, combination bulk 53, combination ore/oil 22, container 115, liquefied gas tanker 3, multifunction large-load carrier 4, oil tanker 129, passenger 6, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 62, roll-on/roll-off cargo 28, short-sea passenger 17, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 2

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 48 countries among which are Greece 706, Germany 171, Russia 44, Netherlands 31, Belgium 30, Japan 29, Cuba 21, UK 17, Spain 14, and Hong Kong 13 (1995 est.)

Heliports

4 (1995 est.)

Communications

14 fields
Fixed lines
331,000
(1995 est.)

Telephone system

excellent in both the Greek and Turkish areas

domestic:
open wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international:
  • tropospheric scatter;
  • 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables;
  • satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat

Greek area

AM 11, FM 8, shortwave 0

Turkish area

AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0

Greek area

270,000 (1993 est.)

Turkish area

42,170 (1985 est.)

Greek area

1 (repeaters 34)

Turkish area

1

Greek area

107,000 (1992 est.)

Turkish area

75,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Greek area

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG; includes air and naval elements), Greek Cypriot Police

Turkish area

Turkish Cypriot Security Force

Manpower availability

males age 15-49:
190,372
males fit for military service:
130,880
males reach military age (18) annually:
5,749 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $493 million, 5.6% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cyprus.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cyprus/1996.

How to cite ← 1995 edition 1997 edition →