Name: Cyprus (Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros;Turkish: Kıbrıs), officially the Republic of Cyprus
’Cyprus’ has an uncertain etymology. Some suggest it comes from Cupressus sempervirens - Greek for the Mediterranean cypress tree. Others feel it stems from aes Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum.
The island of Cyprus is situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey, west of the Levant, north of Egypt and east of Greece. It is the third-largest Mediterranean island (after Sicily and Sardinia) and a popular tourist destination. Every year almost 2,5 million tourists spend their holiday on Cyprus.
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Cyprus measures 240 kilometres latitudinal and 100 km longitudinally.
The central plain called Mesaoria, is bordered by the Kyrenia and Pentadactylos mountains to the north and the Troödos mountain range to the south and west. The island’s highest point is at the summit of Mount Olympus. It is 1,952 meters above the sea level, in the heart of the Troödos range.
Geopolitically, the island is subdivided into four main segments. The Republic of Cyprus occupies the southern two-thirds of the island. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupies the northern third of the island. The United Nations-controlled Green Line is a buffer zone that separates the two. Lastly, two bases under British sovereignty are located on the island: Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
The total area of Cyprus is 9,251 km².
The capital city and also the largest city is Nicosia - Lefkosia, Lefkosa (186 000 of population). Other main cities are Limassol (143 000), Larnaka (64,000), Paphos (40,000), Famagusta and Kyrenia.
Cyprus counts 788,457 inhabitants.
Since January 2008, the official currency is the Euro.
Greek and Turkish are the official languages.