Republic of Cyprus
Southern Europe
Sunlit · Ancient · Divided
Cyprus (officially Republic of Cyprus) is a country located in Southern Europe. Its capital city is Nicosia, with other major cities including Limassol and Larnaca. With a population of approximately 1.2M, the main languages spoken are Greek, Turkish. The country covers an area of 9,251 km². The official currency is the euro (€). Traffic drives on the left side.
Nicosia is the world's last divided capital city — a UN-patrolled buffer zone called the Green Line has split it between the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus since 1974.
Nicosia serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Cyprus, positioned in Southern Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Nicosia is the world's last divided capital city — split since the Turkish invasion of 1974 by the Green Line, a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the Republic of Cyprus in the south from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus recognised only by Turkey, with a checkpoint at Ledra Street allowing passage since 2003 in a reunion that still stops at the divided city's central identity.
With a population of approximately 1.2M, Cyprus is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Greek, Turkish, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Cyprus is reached via the dialling code +357. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities share a 240-kilometre island whose division in 1974 created parallel societies — the Greek Cypriot south joining the EU in 2004 while the north's economic isolation has been maintained by international sanctions, producing the world's most studied example of how partition affects the cultural memory, demography, and economic development of divided peoples.
Cyprus spans 9,251 km², in the Southern Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 35.0°N, 33.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.
The official currency is the euro (€), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Cyprus's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+02:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football holds a special place in the heart of Cyprus's national identity. Football is Cyprus's primary spectator sport, but the division between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot football federations (each affiliated with different international bodies) means that the two communities' national teams cannot meet in official competition — a sporting absurdity that mirrors the political reality and makes football occasionally useful as a proxy for the larger conversation about reunification.
The highest point in Cyprus is Mount Olympus, rising to 1,952 metres above sea level. Troodos Mountains in Cyprus's centre rise to 1,952 metres at Mount Olympus (a different Olympus from Greece's), sheltering monasteries containing Byzantine frescoes that UNESCO lists as among the finest surviving examples of medieval Christian art — a mountain landscape of pine forests and ski pistes that surprises visitors who arrived expecting only Mediterranean beach landscape.