Flag | |
Quick Facts | |
Capital | Nicosia |
Government | Presidential Republic |
Currency | euro (€1 = 100 cents) |
Area | 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish Cypriot area) |
Population | 784,301 (July 2006 est.) |
Language | Greek (official), Turkish (official) |
Religion | Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4% |
Electricity | 240V/50Hz (UK plug) |
Calling Code | +357 |
Internet TLD | .cy |
Time Zone | UTC +2 |
Cyprus (Greek Κυπρος, Turkish Kıbrıs, ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey. After Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Although the island is geographically in Asia it is politically a European country and is a member of the European Union.
As the two regions are nearly completely separate from a traveller's point of view, this article will concentrate on the southern territory governed by the Republic of Cyprus. This is not a political endorsement of claims by either side in the dispute. For travel information regarding the remainder of the island, visit the Northern Cyprus article. |