CYPRUS

Greek Kpros, Turkish Kibris island located in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea; it is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, covering an area of 3,572 square miles (9,251 square km). It is bounded by latitudes 3545 and 3430 N (extending about 60 miles north and south) and by longitudes 3215 and 3430 E (extending about 140 miles east and west). The island lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Turkey, 60 miles (97 km) west of Syria, and 250 miles (402 km) north of Egypt's Nile Delta. Its coastline is 486 miles (782 km) in length. Administratively, the island consists of the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Kipriak Dimokrata, Turkish: Kibris Cumhuriyeti) with a Greek-speaking majority and a Turkish-speaking minority; the capital is Nicosia. In 1974, however, aided by an invasion of troops from the Turkish mainland, the Turkish Cypriots established a separate state on the northern third of the island. Known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kibris Trk Cumhuriyeti) following a unilateral declaration of independence in 1983, it is not recognized internationally. Its capital is also Nicosia, in the part of the city (Lefkosa) that is within the Turkish sector. Pop. (1993) whole Island of Cyprus, 764,000. Greek Kpros, Turkish Kibris island located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Turkey, 60 miles (97 km) west of Syria, and 480 miles (772 km) southeast of mainland Greece. Its maximum length, from Cape Arnauti in the west to Cape Apostolos Andreas at the end of the northeastern peninsula, is 140 miles (225 km); the maximum north-south extent is 60 miles (97 km). With an area of 3,572 square miles (9,251 square km), it is the third largest Mediterranean island (after Sicily and Sardinia). Cyprus consists of two states, the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Kipriak Dimokrata; Turkish: Kibris Cumhuriyeti), which occupies the southern two-thirds of the country, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kibris Trk Cumhuriyeti), which since its declaration of independence in 1983 has been recognized only by Turkey. The capital for both states is at Nicosia (Greek: Levkosa; Turkish: Lefkosa). Additional reading General Works Eileen Davey, Northern Cyprus: A Traveller's Guide (1993), provides a rare glimpse into the Turkish sector of the island. Lawrence Durrell, Bitter Lemons (1957, reissued 1996), gives an excellent introduction to the island by providing an account of a year on Cyprus. David Hunt (ed.), Footprints in Cyprus: An Illustrated History, rev. ed. (1990), is a collection of illustrations of unfamiliar subjects. A useful reference is Stavros Panteli, Historical Dictionary of Cyprus (1994). H.D. Purcell, Cyprus (1969), includes an outstanding survey of the island's history. Bernard McDonagh and Ian Robertson, Cyprus, 4th ed. (1998), is from the Blue Guide series and serves as a solid introduction to many aspects of the island. Eric Solsten (ed.), Cyprus: A Country Study, 4th ed. (1993), although somewhat dated, gives a complete overview of the country. Colin Thubron, Journey into Cyprus, new ed. (1992), is an English traveler's account that, although also dated, conveys a sense of the island. Geography Specialized topics on the natural environment are covered in David A. Bannerman and W. Mary Bannerman, Birds of Cyprus (1958); Bertel Bruun, The Hamlyn Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe (1970); Esther F. Cyprus Chapman, Cyprus Trees and Shrubs (1949); G. Elliott and R. Dutton, Know Your Rocks: An Introduction to the Geology of Cyprus (1963); Jens Holmboe, Studies on the Vegetation of Cyprus (1914); B.F. Osorio-Tafall and George M. Seraphim, List of the Vascular Plants of Cyprus (1973); and Oleg Polunin and Anthony Huxley, Flowers of the Mediterranean, 3rd ed. (1987, reprinted 1990).Works that explore some of the pervasive social and economic issues between the Greek and Turkish communities include Vangelis Calotychos, Cyprus and Its People: Nation, Identity, and Experience in an Unimaginable Community, 19551997 (1998) ; William J. House, Dora Kyriakides, and Olympia Stylianou, The Changing Status of Female Workers in Cyprus (1987); Peter Loizos, The Heart Grown Bitter: A Chronicle of Cypriot War Refugees (1981) ; Halil Ibrahim Salih, Cyprus: The Impact of Diverse Nationalism on a State (1978); L.W. St. John-Jones, The Population of Cyprus: Demographic Trends and Socioeconomic Influences (1983); and J.V. Thirgood, Cyprus: A Chronicle of Its Forests, Land, and People (1987). Antonios Andronikou, Development of Tourism in Cyprus: Harmonization of Tourism with the Environment (1987), gives some perspective on a major problem in the late 20th century. Diamond Jenness, The Economics of Cyprus: A Survey to 1914 (1962), is a specialized historical study of the country's economy.Among the useful discussions of cultural aspects are J. Paul Getty Museum, Cyprus Before the Bronze Age: Art of the Chalcolithic Period (1990); Nancy Sevcenko and Christopher Moss (eds.), Medieval Cyprus: Studies in Art, Architecture, and History in Memory of Doula Moriki (1999); Athanasios Papageorgiou, Icons of Cyprus (1992; originally published in Greek); D. Talbot Rice, The Icons of Cyprus (1937, reissued 1964); Nicos S. Spanos, Cypriot Prose-Writers, from Antiquity to 1950 (1983); Tony Spiteris, The Art of Cyprus (1971; originally published in French, 1970); and Andrea Stylianou and Judith A. Stylianou, The Painted Churches of Cyprus: Treasures of Byzantine Art, rev. ed. (1997). History For the earliest and ancient periods, some of the more accessible works for the nonspecialist include Jane C. Biers and David Soren (eds.), Studies in Cypriote Archaeology (1981); Nicholas Coureas, The Latin Church in Cyprus, 11951312 (1997); Louis Palma Di Cesnola, Cyprus: Its Ancient Cities, Tombs, and Temples (1877, reprinted 1991); Vassos Karageorghis, The Civilization of Prehistoric Cyprus, trans. from Greek (1976, reissued 1983), View from the Bronze Age: Mycenaean and Phoenician Discoveries at Kition (1976) , and Cyprus: From the Stone Age to the Romans (1982); Edgar Peltenburg (ed.), Early Society in Cyprus (1989); A.T. Reyes, Archaic Cyprus: A Study of the Textual and Archaeological Evidence (1994); and Noel Robertson (ed.), The Archaeology of Cyprus: Recent Developments (1975).Accounts of the medieval and early modern periods include Peter W. Edbury, The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 11911374 (1991, reissued 1994); Benedict Englezakis, Studies on the History of the Church of Cyprus, 4th20th Centuries (1995); George A. Hill, History of Cyprus, 4 vol. (194052, reprinted 1972); and Ronald C. Jennings, Christians and Muslims in Ottoman Cyprus and the Mediterranean World, 15711640 (1993).Clement H. Dodd (ed.), Cyprus: The Need for New Perspectives (1999); George Horton Kelling, Countdown to Rebellion: British Policy in Cyprus, 19391955 (1990); Stanley Mayes, Makarios: A Biography (1981); Zaim M. Necatigil, The Cyprus Question and the Turkish Position in International Law, rev. 2nd ed. with corrections (1998); Pierre Oberling, The Road to Bellapais: The Turkish Cypriot Exodus to Northern Cyprus (1982); John Reddaway, Burdened with Cyprus: The British Connection (1986); Norma Salem (ed.), Cyprus: A Regional Conflict and Its Resolution (1992); Ioannis Stefanidis, Isle of Discord: Nationalism, Imperialism, and the Making of the Cyprus Problem (1999); and Tom Streissguth, Cyprus: Divided Island (1998), include detailed discussions on modern Cyprus, including the conflict between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. John S. Bowman