Cyprus

Republic of Cyprus

A Greek island of the eastern Mediterranean, divided since 1974, Cyprus is the oldest point of contact between Europe and the Levant.

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Heritage

Paul of Tarsus and Barnabas preached there on the first missionary journey recounted in the Acts of the Apostles: Cyprus is thus the first land governed by a converted Roman. The Church of Cyprus has been autocephalous since 431, one of the oldest in the Christian world.

History

Colonised by the Mycenaeans, contested between Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, Cyprus became Roman in 58 BC and then Byzantine for eight centuries. Richard the Lionheart conquered it in 1191; a Frankish Lusignan kingdom followed, then Venice, then the Ottoman Empire from 1571.

Administered by the British from 1878, the island gained independence in 1960 with a constitution shared between Greek and Turkish communities. The 1974 coup and the Turkish military intervention that followed divided the island in two.

Cyprus joined the Union in 2004, with the acquis suspended in the north. It adopted the euro in 2008 and went through a major banking crisis in 2013. Reunification remains the subject of UN-sponsored negotiations.

Milestones

45 Christianisation

Paul and Barnabas in Cyprus

The first Christian mission outside Judaea recounted in Acts; the Roman proconsul converts.

431 Christianisation

Autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus

The Council of Ephesus recognises the Cypriot Church’s independence, maintained for fifteen centuries.

1191 Middle Ages

Lusignan kingdom

After the crusade, a Frankish dynasty rules the island for three centuries.

1571 Renaissance and Reformations

Ottoman conquest of Cyprus

The fall of Famagusta shortly precedes Lepanto; a Turkish-speaking community settles.

1960 Contemporary period

Independence of Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus is born of a compromise between Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

1974 Contemporary period

Division of the island

The coup and Turkish intervention cut Cyprus in two; the Green Line crosses Nicosia.

2004 European construction

Accession of Cyprus to the Union

Cyprus joins the EU; the acquis remains suspended in the northern part of the island.

2004 European construction took part

The big bang enlargement

Ten states, eight of them formerly communist, join the Union: the continent’s division ends.

2010 European construction was affected

Sovereign debt crisis

The euro area urgently creates unprecedented financial solidarity mechanisms.

Political landscape

Results of the June 2024 European election and their translation into European Parliament groups.

DISY — Δημοκρατικός Συναγερμός 2
AKEL — Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού 2
Fidias — Φειδίας Παναγιώτου (ανεξάρτητος) 1
DIKO — Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα 1

Distribution of European seats

Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) 2
The Left group in the European Parliament — GUE/NGL 2
Non-attached Members 1
Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament 1

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The state in numbers

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Public debt, % of GDP 54.6 % 0.4 % GDP per head (EU = 100) 98.2 0.2 Government spending, % of GDP 38.3 % 2.3 % Total tax burden, % of GDP 37.6 % 0.1 % Prisoners per 100,000 people 99.9 1.2