Cyprus is a Eurasian island country in the middle of the Mediterranean, south of Turkey. Its official name is the Republic of Cyprus, and is mostly occupied by Cypriots; however it is one of the top relocation spots in the world as well. New property developments are planned every year, and an increasing number of British and Western-European citizens decide to relocate to the sunny and friendly island.
Being the third biggest island of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is extremely popular among tourists and people looking to start a new life in the Sun. There are over 2.5 million tourists visiting the island every year. Cyprus used to be a British colony, and gained independence in 1960. It has been a Commonwealth republic since 1961. The island gained a lot from its independence: new developments were started, the infrastructure did start improving, and holidaymakers worldwide started to discover the island. It has been the member of the EU since 2004.
Turkey invaded and occupied one third of the island in 1974, and the situation has not changed a lot since then. The minority Turkish Cypriot population is living at the Turkish part of the island. There is still an on-going dispute regarding to the states and political entities within the island, but this does not affect tourist sites at all. Negotiations about the island and ownership have been going on for decades between the Turkish and Greek, but they could still not agree on the authority.
The World recognizes Cyprus as The Republic of Cyprus, as a state. The island is still divided to four different parts by government:
– The South under the control of the Republic of Cyprus
– The North under the unrecognized government and authority of the so called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”
– Green Line set up by the United Nations, separating the two parts to avoid conflict
– Sovereign Base Areas (Akrotiri and Dhekelia) still under the authority of Britain