Cyprus travel guide — Cyprus tourism and travel information

Cyprus

Cyprus (in Greek Kypros Κυπρος; and in Turkish Kıbrıs) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, 113 kilometres (70 miles) south of Turkey.

Politically, Cyprus has been an independent state, the Republic of Cyprus, since 1960, apart from two enclaves retained by the United Kingdom as "sovereign bases." Since 1974 the northern third of the island has been under military occupation by Turkey. The Turkish Cypriot minority, under Turkish sponsorship, have declared a state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This state is not recognised by the United Nations or any country other than Turkey. Under international law, the Republic of Cyprus retains sovereignty over all its pre-1974 territory.

Cyprus geography

The central plain (Mesaoria) with the Kyrenia and Pentadactylos mountains to the north and the Troodos mountain range to the south and west. There are also scattered but significant plains along the southern coast.

The climate is temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, variably rainy winters.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cyprus".