death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
======================================================================
@Cyprus
Introduction Cyprus
Background:
A former British colony, Cyprus received independence 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-sponsored attempt
to seize the government 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," but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest
two-year round of UN-brokered direct 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. Although only the internationally recognized Greek
Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus joined the EU on 1 May 2004,
every Cypriot carrying a Cyprus passport will have the status of a
European citizen. EU laws, however, will not apply to north Cyprus.
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 Cyprus
Location:
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)
land: 9,240 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: NA; note - boundary with Dhekelia is being resurveyed
border countries: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia NA
Coastline:
648 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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
highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m
Natural resources:
copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth
pigment
Land use: arable land: 7.79% permanent crops: 4.44% other: 87.77% (2001)
Irrigated land:
382 sq km (2001 est.)
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and
Sardinia)
People Cyprus
Population:
780,133 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 20.9% (male 83,256/female 79,701)
15–64 years: 67.7% (male 267,446/female 260,846)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 38,766/female 50,118) (2005 est.)
Median age:
total: 34.68 years
male: 33.64 years
female: 35.7 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.54% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
12.57 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
7.64 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.18 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.65 years
male: 75.29 years
female: 80.13 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.83 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: