Additional information about Cyprus 

For close to one hundred years the British ruled Cyprus, and there are actually two British bases still in operation on the island.  The Green Line demarcation between north and south Cyprus is manned by members of the United Nations.  If you were to take into consideration each section of the island individually, you may find it interesting to note that two main populations or Greek and Turkish are actually evenly split. 

As is to be expected, the main languages on the island are Greek and Turkish.  However, in most non-English speaking countries, English is taught as a second language, so it brings up a close second to the two native and main tongues found.  Religion on the island is also split with Greek Orthodox and Muslim being the main two that are found.  There are some Anglicans and Catholic Maronites living on Cyprus, as well as a handful of practitioners of Baha’is. 
Regardless of where you go, the people of Cyprus are warm and welcoming.  You will find traditional shops and restaurants on both sides of the demarcation line, and the feel of the entire nation is one of old-world charm.  

Economy 

Once again the economy of the country is influenced by the political turmoil on the island.  The Greek Cypriot side of economic things is very susceptible to external factors and swings in the tourist trade, yet it is highly prosperous with industry and service sectors.    The Turkish Cypriot side of the economy is about 1/3 of the Greek, and relies mainly on agriculture and the government for its resident’s employment.  With the Lira as the recognized legal tender in the northern section of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriots have had to rely on aid from Turkey to help accommodate their vulnerable economy.  Recently the Turkish Cypriots signed an accord with Turkey to help boost their tourism education and industry sectors. 
Agriculture, which has been flourishing under the control of the Turkish Cypriots, includes grains, olives, potatoes, cotton, fruits, and grapes for wine.  All of the items and their associated products, such as wine, are produced and exported from the north. 

Geography 

The entire island of Cyprus is a wonderful blend of geographical variety.  It has everything from flower filled plains to mountain ranges to beautiful white sand beaches that stretch for miles around the bays and along coastline.  The Kyrenia mountain range is the island’s main set of peaks and they have been formed of jagged limestone that runs the northern coastline.  There are a few rivers on the island that primarily run down off the two mountainous regions.  For the most part they are dry except after the heavy winter rains.  The Messoria Plains is the centre of the island’s lowlands and in the spring and summer, they are alive in a riot of wildflower colour. 

The climate of this island is such that the landscape is a bright green paradise through the winter months and a dry, arid landscape during the summer months.  Rainfall is seen between December and January, with the coastlines being of more temperate climate in the winter.  Storms and short westerly winds are a good sign that spring has arrived and the summer months allow for eleven hours of daylight.  The island is prone to catch some of the sirocco winds from Africa depending on the weather at the time. Even though the temperatures can fall in the winter, the occurrence of snowfall is rare, although frost has been seen in the mountain ranges.