Cyprus
Mediterranean island nation in Europe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cyprus (officially the Republic of Cyprus) is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is in Asia, but the country is often associated with Europe because of the culture and history of the people being very similar to Greece. Cyprus is also a member of the European Union.
Republic of Cyprus | |
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Anthem: "Hymn to Liberty" | |
Capital and largest city | Nicosia (Λευκωσία, Lefkoşa) |
Official languages | |
Recognised regional languages |
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Common languages | English |
Vernacular languages |
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Ethnic groups (2001) | 77% Greeks 18% Turks 5% Roma people[1] |
Demonym(s) | Cypriot |
Government | Presidential republic |
Nikos Christodoulides | |
Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• Zürich and London Agreement | 19 February 1959 |
• Proclaimed | 16 August 1960 |
Area | |
• Total | 9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) (167th) |
• Water (%) | negligible |
Population | |
• 2010 estimate | 803,147[2] (Does not include North) 1,088,503 (whole island) |
• Density | 117/km2 (303.0/sq mi) (115th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate |
• Total | $23.190 billion[3] |
• Per capita | $28,256[3] |
GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate |
• Total | $23.174 billion[3] |
• Per capita | $28,237[3] |
Gini (2005) | 29 low · 19th |
HDI (2011) | 0.840 very high · 31st |
Currency | Euro2 (EUR) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
UTC+3 (EEST) | |
Driving side | left |
Calling code | 357 |
ISO 3166 code | CY |
Internet TLD | .cy3 |
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It is also closer to Africa than to Europe. The capital is Nicosia. The country of Cyprus does not include the whole island. There are two small British territories on the island named Akrotiri and Dhekelia. An unrecognized country called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupies the north of the island. However, most countries do not accept Northern Cyprus as a legitimate country. The official languages are Greek and Turkish.
In 2019, 4 million tourists visited the country. It is estimated, that Cyprus earned 2.7 billion euros in that year.[4] Tourism is very important to the country, as tourism made up 23% of its economy in 2020;).[5]