Cuprys blog

51 Interesting Facts About Cyprus
By Editorial Staff
Last updated on October 6th, 2022

Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean. It has an area of 9,251 square km. Nicosia is its capital and largest city. Greek and Turkish are its official languages. Its official currency is Euro (EUR). It has no land bordering countries. The natives or inhabitants of this region are called Cypriot. With these 51 interesting facts about Cyprus, let’s try to learn more about it!

1. Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

2. Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean.

3. Some of the world’s oldest water wells can be found in Cyprus. The stone-age wells that were discovered in Kissonerga, Paphos have been studied and it is purported that they have been around for about 10,500 years. They represent the sophistication of Neolithic period setlers.

4. The largest bank in Cyprus is owned by the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The church also plays a significant role in the social and political life of the island’s people.

5. Alexander the Great seized the island from the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians in 333 BC.

6. Cyprus became independent from the British in 1960, on August 16th. However, they celebrate their independence day on the 1st of October every year.

7. Legend has it that the Greek goddess of love–Aphrodite–was born in Cyprus. The country is also known as the playground of the Gods. Aphrodite is said to have emerged from a rock at Latchi (now called Aphrodite’s beach) in Poli Crysochous. As the ocean waves crush over this rock, they form pillars of foam that resemble the goddess of love.

Cyprus imports all the petroleum needed to power vehicles as well as to generate electricity, which is produced by thermal power stations. The country also continues to be one of the world’s major producers of solar energy. Although there are several dams, an adequate water supply remains a constant problem.

As exploration for natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean took off in the 21st century, large deposits of natural gas were first discovered off Cyprus in 2011. The reserves remained largely untapped over the next several years, however, due to ongoing disputes between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot governments.

Cyprus was for many centuries a noted producer of copper; in Greek the name of the island and the name of the metal are identical. As early as 2500 BC its mines were being exploited. After other mineral sources were discovered, the mines remained neglected for centuries until they were reopened shortly before World War I. They were subsequently exploited from 1925 until they were closed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Production resumed after World War II, and copper and other minerals—iron pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, chrome ore—have contributed somewhat to external trade; bentonite (a form of clay), umber, and ocher are also exported. The island’s most important copper mines are located in the area of Skouriotissa in the Turkish-occupied zone, but copper ore reserves have declined substantially. Extensive quarries for stone and other building materials are for local use.

1. Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

2. Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean.

3. Some of the world’s oldest water wells can be found in Cyprus. The stone-age wells that were discovered in Kissonerga, Paphos have been studied and it is purported that they have been around for about 10,500 years. They represent the sophistication of Neolithic period setlers.

4. The largest bank in Cyprus is owned by the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The church also plays a significant role in the social and political life of the island’s people.

5. Alexander the Great seized the island from the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians in 333 BC.

The Troodos Mountains in the south and southwest are of great interest to geologists, who have concluded that the range, made up of igneous rock, was formed from molten rock beneath the deep ocean (Tethys) that once separated the continents of Eurasia and Afro-Arabia. The range stretches eastward about 50 miles (80 km) from near the island’s west coast to the 2,260-foot (689-metre) Stavrovouni peak, about 12 miles (19 km) from the southeastern coast. The range’s summit, Mount Olympus (also called Mount Troodos), reaches an elevation of 6,401 feet (1,951 metres) and is the island’s highest point.

A “golden-green leaf thrown into the Sea” and a land of “wild weather and volcanoes,” in the words of the Greek Cypriot poet Leonidas Malenis, Cyprus comprises tall mountains, fertile valleys, and wide beaches. Settled for more than 10 millennia, Cyprus stands at a cultural, linguistic, and historic crossroads between Europe and Asia. Its chief cities—the capital of Nicosia, Limassol, Famagusta, and Paphos—have absorbed the influences of generations of conquerors, pilgrims, and travelers and have an air that is both cosmopolitan and provincial. Today Cyprus is a popular tourist destination for visitors from Europe, favoured by honeymooners (as befits the legendary home of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love), bird-watchers drawn by the island’s diversity of migratory species, and other vacationers.