Country Map and Facts

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FACTS & FIGURES

• The total population of Cyprus currently stands at 704,301.
• The population is growing at a rate of 0.54% per year.
• The net migration rate is 0.43 migrants per 1,000 people.
• The biggest city in Cyprus is Nicosia.
• Cyprus gained independence from the UK in 1960.
• Cyprus is divided into two states: the essentially Greek, internationally-recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south, and the largely Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, established in 1983, which covers 37 per cent of the island and is only recognised as a valid state by Turkey.
• Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 - although the Turkish portion of the island is effectively suspended from membership.
• Approximately 77 per cent of Cyprus's population is Greek, 18 per cent Turkish, and five per cent other ethnicities.

• Cyprus is third largest island in the Mediterranean, following Sicily and Sardinia.
• Cyprus covers 3,572 square miles.
• The island is divided into six districts: Paphos, Limassol, Nicosia and Larnaca in the south; Kyrenia and Farnagusta in the north. Portions of the Nicosia, Farnagusta and Larnaca districts are both 'Greek' and 'Turkish', with the United Nations 'buffer zone' running through them. In addition, there are two UK base areas, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, covering approximately 99 square miles.
• The 'Greek' and 'Turkish' portions of the island are still divided by a UN buffer zone, established in 1974, following Turkey's invasion of the north.
• Cyprus's central plain, the Mesaoria, is surrounded by the Kyrenia and Pentadactylos mountains in the north and the Troodos range in the south and west.
• Countries near Cyprus, which is 47 miles south of Turkey, include Syria, the Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and, of course, Greece.
  

• Cyprus's climate is Mediterranean, with dry summers and occasionally rainy winters.
• The lowlands tend to be very hot during the summer and mild in the winter.
• Snow is plentiful in the Troodos mountains to allow seasonal skiing, and temperatures are warm at higher elevations during the summer months.

• Cyprus's currency is the Cyprus Pound (CYP)
• The unemployment rate is 3.2 per cent.
• The estimated GDP for 2007 is $19.69 billion, placing Cyprus 113th in the world.
• The estimated per capita GDP for 2007 is $23,481, placing Cypriots 30th in the international league table.
• Cyprus boasts and open, free-market, service-based economy, with both portions of the island boasting healthy GDP growth, and diverse markets, including oil, light manufacturing, agriculture, offshore banking and tourism among the largest sectors of business.