Cyprus At A Glance
It is called the Island of Venus, birthplace of the goddess
of love Aphrodite, and home of warm hospitality and friendliness.
With a history of over 9,000 years, Cyprus combines the old and
the new. It is on the doorstep of Europe an still maintains its
distinct uniqueness.The island is situated in the middle of three continents and with an area of 9,250 square kilometers (3,570 sq. miles) (of which 3,355 sq km (1,295 sq. m) are in north Cyprus) and a costline of 648 kilometers (402 miles), it is the third larges island following Sicily and Sardinia. It's higest point is the summit of mount Olympus (Chionistra), which its height is 1951 meters (6594 ft.). With a population of about 800.000 - 77% of them Greek Cypriots - Cyprus has six main towns: Lefkosia, Lemesos, Larnaka, Pafos, Ammochostos and Kyrenia. The last two are now occupied by the Turks since 1974. The main language spokien in Cyprus is Greek. English is also spoken almost everywhere on the island. French and German are spoken, however not at the extent the English language is.
Cyprus is an independent sovereign Republic and it has a presidential system of government. The Parliament has a single chamber, the House of Representatives an the President is elected in a separate election directly by the people.
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It enjoys a long dry summer, which begins from mid-May until
mid-October. During this time there is no rain due to the fact
that the rainfall takes place in the winter months which are
mild. These begin from December up to February. On average,
the sun shines 330 days each year.