| Cyprus |
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| Background: A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under direct government control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states. Nicosia continues to oppose EU efforts to establish direct trade and economic links to north Cyprus as a way of encouraging the Turkish Cypriot community to continue to support reunification. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Nicosia (Lefkosia)
geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Area Total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus) |
| Area Land: 9,240 sq km |
| Area Water: 10 sq km |
| Area Comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut |
| Coastline: 648 km |
| Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
| Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m |
| Natural Resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment |
| Land Use Arable Land: 10.81% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 4.32% |
| Land Use Other: 84.87% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: 400 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: moderate earthquake activity; droughts |
| Environment Current Issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization |
| Geography Note: the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia) |
| Population |
| Population: 788,457 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 19.9% (male 80,273/female 76,826) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 68.3% (male 272,924/female 265,738) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 11.8% (male 40,458/female 52,238) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 35.1 years |
| Median Age Male: 34.1 years |
| Median Age Female: 36.2 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 0.527% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 12.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 7.72 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.05 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.045 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.027 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.774 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.997 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 8.54 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 5.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 77.98 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 75.6 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 80.49 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.1% (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: less than 1,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: NA |
| Religions: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4% |
| Languages: Greek, Turkish, English |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 97.6% |
| Literacy Male: 98.9% |
| Literacy Female: 96.3% (2003 est.) |
| Administrative Divisions: 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Lefkosia (Nicosia) and Larnaca |
| Legal System: based on common law, with civil law modifications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Economy |
| Overview: The area of the Republic of Cyprus under government control has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for 76% of GDP. Tourism and financial services are the most important sectors; erratic growth rates over the past decade reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the economy in the area under government control grew a healthy 3.7% to 3.8% per year in 2004, 2005, and 2006, well above the EU average. Cyprus joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2) in May 2005. The government has initiated an aggressive austerity program, which has cut the budget deficit to well below 3%, and the EU is expected to invite Cyprus to adopt the euro as its national currency on 1 January 2008. As in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few desalination plants are now on line. After 10 years of drought, the country received substantial rainfall from 2001-04 alleviating immediate concerns. Rainfall in 2005 and 2006, however, was well below average making water rationing likely in 2007. The Turkish Cypriot economy has roughly 45% of the per capita GDP of the south, and economic growth tends to be volatile, given the north's relative isolation, bloated public sector, reliance on the Turkish lira, and small market size. The Turkish Cypriot economy grew around 10.6% in 2006, fueled by growth in the construction and education sectors, as well as increased employment of Turkish Cypriots in the area under government control. The Turkish Cypriots are heavily dependent on transfers from the Turkish Government. Ankara directly finances around one-third of the "TRNC's" budget. Aid from Turkey has reached over $400 million annually in recent years. Agriculture and services, together, employ more than half of the work force. |
GDP Purchasing Power Parity: area under government control: $17.79 billion
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: $4.54 billion (2006 est.) |
GDP Real Growth Rate: area under government control: 3.7%
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 10.6% (2006 est.) |
Labor Force: area under government control: 380,000
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 95,025 (2006 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: area under government control: agriculture 7.4%, industry 38.2%, services 54.4% (2004 est.)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: agriculture 14.5%, industry 29%, services 56.5% (2004 est.) |
Unemployment Rate: area under government control: 5.5% (2005 est.)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 5.6% (2004 est.) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: area under government control: 2.8% (2005 est.)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 9.1% (2004 est.) |
| Industries: tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone, and clay products |
Industrial Production Growth Rate: area under government control: 2.4% (2005 est.)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: -0.3% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
Electricity Production: area under government control: 3.926 billion kWh
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 998.9 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 100% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
Electricity Consumption: area under government control: 3.651 billion kWh (2004)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 797.9 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: area under government control: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: area under government control: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: area under government control: 300 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: area under government control: 53,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Exports: area under government control: $1.34 billion f.o.b.
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: $68.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
Exports Commodities: area under government control: citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, clothing and cigarettes
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: citrus, dairy, potatoes, textiles |
| Exports Partners: France 17.7%, UK 17%, Greece 12.2%, Germany 5.7% (2005) |
Imports: area under government control: $5.8 billion f.o.b.
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: $1.2 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
Imports Commodities: area under government control: consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, intermediate goods, machinery, transport equipment
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: vehicles, fuel, cigarettes, food, minerals, chemicals, machinery |
| Imports Partners: Greece 17.3%, Italy 10.3%, UK 9%, Germany 8.4%, Israel 7.1% (2005) |
Debt External: area under government control: $12.63 billion
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: $NA (2006 est.) |
Economic Aid Recipient: area under government control: $NA
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: under a July 2006 agreement, Turkey plans to provide the area administered by Turkish Cypriots 1.875 billion YTL ($1.3 billion) over three years (600 million YTL in 2006, 625 million YTL in 2007 and 650 million YTL in 2008); Turkey has forgiven most past aid |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: area under government control: 420,000 (2005); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 86,228 (2002) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: area under government control: 718,800 (2005); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 143,178 (2002) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: excellent in both area under government control and area administered by Turkish Cypriots |
| Telephone System Domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay |
| Telephone System International: country code - 357 (area administered by Turkish Cypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat |
Radio Broadcast Stations: area under government control: AM 5, FM 76, shortwave 0
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2004) |
| Radios: Greek Cypriot area: 310,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 56,450 (1994) |
Television Broadcast Stations: area under government control: 8
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 2 (plus 4 relay) (2004) |
| Televisions: Greek Cypriot area: 248,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 52,300 (1994) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 6 (2000) |
| Internet Users: 298,000 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Airports: 16 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 3.8% (2005 est.) |
| Disputes International: hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis communitaire) suspended in the north |
| Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons: IDPs: 210,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced for over 30 years) (2006) |
| IllicitDrugs: minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector remains weak |