Cyprus (Greek: Κύπρος, Kípros; Turkish: Kıbrıs) officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakí Dimokratía; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti) is an island nation in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea south of the Anatolian peninsula. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean. The northeastern area of the island, which proclaims itself the independent Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, has been occupied by Turkey since an invasion in 1974, in response to a military coup on the island [1] [2] [3] which was backed by the military dictatorship ruling Greece [4] at the time. However, the result of this invasion was subsequent occupation [5]. Turkey is the only country to officially recognize this entity and both the United Nations and European Union have declared it an illegal state. The UN-controlled Green Line separates the Turkish occupied areas from the rest of the government controled island; in addition there are two British military bases along the southern coast. The Republic of Cyprus, which almost all countries recognize as the legitimate government of the island, has been a member state of the European Union since May 1, 2004.
Source: www.wikipedia.org |
