General Information About North Cyprus

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and Northern Cyprus lies directly 70km south of the Turkish mainland.

Because of the island’s location at the maritime crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean basin and its proximity to the Middle East, Cyprus has always been an island of strategic importance and throughout its 10,000 year known history the island has either profited or suffered depending on which external power bloc controlled it at the time.

Northern Cyprus enjoys the best of the unrivalled Mediterranean weather, it has long, unspoilt and beautiful coastlines, incredible mountains and is an island rich in natural resources - including the copper from which the name ‘Cyprus’ is derived. Residents on the island benefit from at least 300 sunny days every year and the thriving year round tourist trade sees visitors returning year after year to sample the delights that the island has to offer.

Recent History

Complied from independent information supplied by the CIA World Factbook

The entire island of Cyprus is a former British colony; after many years of resistance to the ongoing British rule the island gained its independence in 1960. A peaceful state did not remain for long because by December 1963 ongoing tension between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head. The trouble initially broke out in the capital city of Nicosia (Lefkosa) but quickly spread and led to the intervention of UN peacekeepers in 1964.

Unfortunately the trouble continued over the next ten years and forced many Turkish Cypriots to flee to enclaves. In 1974 you could say that final decisive action was taken when Greece sponsored a coup to overthrow the Cypriot government and this led to military intervention from Turkey.

Turkey secured roughly one third of the island for the Turkish Cypriots and in 1983 this Turkish controlled third of the island declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. To this day TRNC is not officially recognized by the rest of the world.

The UN have been hosting on-going discussions between the respective leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in an effort to reunite Cyprus. The latest round of talks ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan known as the Annan Plan. Only time will tell whether Cyprus can be reunited, whether it adopts a canton system similar to Switzerland, or whether it remains divided.

Geography

The 100 mile long Kyrenia or Girne mountain range which runs almost parallel to the Northern coastline in TRNC is actually the southernmost mountain range of the Alpine-Himalaya chain in the Eastern Mediterranean. The mountains are formed from great masses of limestone and they tower over Northern Cyprus and provide the most incredible backdrop to the rest of the island. They are also home to Northern Cyprus’ famous trio of castles, Kantara (the romantic one), St. Hilarion (the fairy tale one) and Buffavento (the best kept secret).

South of this mountain range, and across which you will drive if you travel from Ercan airport to Girne for example, is the Mesaoria plain. It actually stretches the whole length of the middle of TRNC from Guzelyurt to Famagusta with Nicosia (Lefkosa) sat slap bang in the middle! This is where much of the grain from the island is harvested. In the Winter and Spring it is rich with wild flowers and wild life, in the summer the areas which aren’t irrigated are desert like. Driving across the plain in summer you will most definitely need your air-conditioning as it gets incredibly hot!

There are a few sandy beaches along the main parts of the inhabited and visited coastline stretching from Lapta to Esentepe...but if you travel on up the panhandle towards the Karpas Peninsula you will be rewarded with some of the most stunning and wild unspoilt sandy beaches in the world.