Cyprus

• water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north);
• water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes;
• coastal degradation;
• loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

0-14 years:

21.9% (male 86,446; female 82,769)

15-64 years:

67% (male 261,404; female 255,409)

65 years and over:

11.1% (male 37,345; female 48,284) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Cypriot(s)

adjective:

Cypriot

conventional long form:

Republic of Cyprus

conventional short form:

Cyprus

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

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

• 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 Cypriot area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

unicameral - Greek Cypriot area:

• House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms);
• Turkish Cypriot area: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

election results:

• Greek Cypriot area: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - AKEL 34.71%, DISY 34%, DIKO 14.84%, KISOS 6.51%, others 9.94%;
• seats by party - AKEL (Communist) 20, DISY 19, DIKO 9, KISOS 4, others 4;
• Turkish Cypriot area: Assembly of the Republic - percent of vote by party - UBP 40.3%, DP 22.6%, TKP 15.4%, CTP 13.4%, UDP 4.6%, YBH 2.5%, BP 1.2%;
• seats by party - UBP 24, DP 13, TKP 7, CTP 6

elections:

Greek Cypriot area: last held 27 May 2001 (next to be held NA May 2006); Turkish Cypriot area: last held 6 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2003)

Greek Cypriot area:

• Democratic Party or DIKO [Tassos PAPADOPOULOS];
• Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADHIS];
• Fighting Democratic Movement or ADIK [Dinos MIKHAILIDIS];
• Green Party of Cyprus [George PERDIKIS];
• New Horizons [Nikolaus KOUTSOU];
• Restorative Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS];
• Social Democrats Movement or KISOS (formerly United Democratic Union of Cyprus or EDEK) [Yiannakis OMIROU];
• United Democrats Movement or EDE [George VASSILIOU];
• Turkish Cypriot area: Communal Liberation Party or TKP [Mustafa AKINCI];
• Democratic Party or DP [Serder DENKTASH];
• National Birth Party or UDP [Enver EMIN];
• National Unity Party or UBP [Dervis EROGLU];
• Our Party or BP [Okyay SADIKOGLU];
• Patriotic Unity Movement or YBH [Izzet IZCAN];
• Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Mehmet ALI TALAT]

• Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West);
• Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is;
• Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen;
• Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation or PEO (Communist controlled)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Euripides L. EVRIVIADES

chancery:

2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

FAX:

[1] (202) 483-6710

note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot area in the US is Osman ERTUG; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1] (202) 887-6198

consulate(s):

New York

consulate(s) general:

New York

telephone:

[1] (202) 462-5772

chief of mission:

Ambassador Michael KLOSSON

embassy:

corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, Engomi, 2407 Nicosia

mailing address:

P. O. Box 24536, 1385 Nikosia

telephone:

[357] (22) 776400

FAX:

[357] (22) 780944

• 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

Greek Cypriot area:

• agriculture 4.6%;
• industry 19.9%;
• services 19.9%

Turkish Cypriot area:

• agriculture 75.5%;
• industry 20.7%;
• services 71% (2001)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

revenues:

Greek Cypriot area - $4.4 billion, Turkish Cypriot area - $231.3 million (2002 est.)

expenditures:

$3.7 billion, Greek Cypriot area - $539 million, including capital expenditures of $539 million, Turkish Cypriot area - $432.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

general assessment:

excellent in both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot 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

total:

13,491 km

note: Greek Cypriot area: 11,141 km; Turkish Cypriot area: 2,350 km

unpaved:

Greek Cypriot area: 4,713 km; Turkish Cypriot area: 980 km (2000/1996)

paved:

Greek Cypriot area: 6,428 km; Turkish Cypriot area: 1,370 km

Greek Cypriot area:

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

Turkish Cypriot area:

Turkish Cypriot Security Force (GKK)

• hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas, a Greek Cypriot area controlled by the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot area, separated by a UN buffer zone;
• UN deadline on sides accepting a federation plan for reunification have expired, diminishing chances of Turkish-Cypriot participation in EU membership in 2004

• minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey;
• some cocaine transits as well;
• anti-money-laundering laws strengthened but few convictions