Cyprus
A divided island at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean
Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, set in its far eastern corner near the coasts of Turkey, Syria, and the Levant, and assigned to Asia by geography even as its culture leans toward Europe. Birthplace of Aphrodite in myth and a crossroads of Greek, Ottoman, and British influence, it is a sun-drenched land of pine-clad mountains, vineyards, and ancient harbors. Since 1974 it has been split between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish-occupied north, a division that still defines the island.
Two mountain ranges shape the island: the Troodos massif in the southwest, rising to Mount Olympus and rich in copper, and the long limestone Kyrenia range along the north coast. Between them lies the fertile Mesaoria plain. The Mediterranean climate brings hot dry summers and mild winters. Tourism, financial services, shipping, and agriculture such as citrus, wine, and halloumi anchor the economy of the internationally recognized republic.
Settled for over ten thousand years and prized for its copper since antiquity, Cyprus passed through Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman hands before British rule. Independence in 1960 was followed by intercommunal conflict and the 1974 Turkish invasion that partitioned the island. The Republic of Cyprus, a European Union member, controls the south, while the breakaway north is recognized only by Turkey. The capital, Nicosia, remains the last divided capital in Europe.