Cyprus – country information

Country name	Cyprus
Official name	Republic of Cyprus
Capital	Nicosia
Continent	Asia
Area	9,251 km2
Population	865,878 (2012)
Foundation of a state	8/16/1960
The highest mountains	Olympus 1953 m
State system	pluralist republic with unicameral parliament (Greek part)
The biggest cities	Greek part – Lefkosia (Nicosia) (capital) 170,000; Turkish part – Lefkosa 45,000
Official language	Greek, Turkish
Ethnicity/National Composition	Greek part – Greek Cypriots 95%, others 5%; Turkish part – Turks 99.5%, others 0.5%
Currency	1 Cypriot pound (Sw F) = 100 miles
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$26,794 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	77.82 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 6%, mining and industry 16%, construction 10%, services 68%

Cyprus – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Population
Great Britain	London	242,900 km2	63,705,000

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, lies less than 100 km south of the shores of Turkey and is divided by a long-running conflict into a larger Greek and a smaller Turkish part along the northern coast.

Country data

Location: Middle East

Time zone: CET + 2 (during summer time CET + 1)

Total area: 9,251 km²

Land area: 9,241 km²

Water area: 10 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 648 km

Capital: Nicosia

Districts: 6
Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos

Electric current: 240 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 357 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m

Population

Population: approx. 1.2 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.5% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 130

Life expectancy: 76 (male), 81 (female)

Official language: Greek, Turkish

Religions:

• 78% Greek Orthodox
• 18% Muslim
• 4% other

Climate

Due to its location in the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus is pleasantly warm all year round.

The sun shines about 85% of the days of the year. Rain falls almost exclusively in the winter months from November to February.

In the summer months from the end of June to the end of August, daytime temperatures rise to up to 35 ° C. Even in winter, the temperature rarely falls below 0 ° C.

In the higher mountains there is snowfall in winter.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Euro (EUR)

Classification: 1 euro = 100 cents

ATMs: Plenty of them available in the larger cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted in larger hotels and shops.

Regulations: Currencies can be imported in unlimited amounts. The export is permitted in the amount of the declared import.

When entering Cyprus, a declaration of the foreign currency carried is necessary if these exceed the equivalent of 10,000 euros.

In the Turkish administered north of the island, the Turkish currency (TRY) is legal tender.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

The export of antiques is prohibited.

Travel advice

As Cyprus is split in two, special care should be taken when approaching the buffer zone (along the demarcation line).

The area is a restricted military area, where strict controls take place.

Some sections of the restricted area consist of minefields.

Behavioral advice

The trafficking and possession of drugs (even in very small quantities) is severely punished.

Photographing military people and facilities is prohibited.

Economy

The south of Cyprus is economically more advanced and better developed than its northern counterpart.

The economy in the north of the country is very closely linked to that of Turkey.

The main agricultural products are barley, potatoes and grapes. The main livestock are sheep, pigs and goats.

Tourism brings more and more foreign currency into the country, as it has become an increasingly large part of the economy in recent years.

Much income was previously obtained from the export of food and textiles.

Cyprus is also known for the fact that many shipping companies operate their ships under the Cypriot flag.

Industries: chemistry, wood processing, food production, metal processing, textiles, tourism

Natural resources: asbestos, gibs, wood, copper, marble, salt, clay

Land use:

• Usable land: 12%
• Grain cultivation: 5%
• Pasture area: 0%
• Forests: 13%
• other: 70%

Plants

As there is very little rain all year round, the flora is very limited.

Various grasses, shrubs, bushes and parched trees shape the landscape. In winter and spring, larger fields bloom after rainfall.

The few available pastures are used for livestock farming.

Animals

Due to the sometimes poorly developed flora, the biodiversity of the animal world has also been greatly decimated.

The remaining areas are also heavily exploited through animal husbandry in agriculture.

Commonly seen are turtles, butterflies and many species of migratory birds that fly over Cyprus every year.

Most annoying for Europeans are the mosquitoes, which are native in particularly large numbers near the salt lakes.

There are also few fish in the Cypriot region of the Mediterranean.