I’m going to start the story about Cyprus with Greek mythology, because we all know (unfortunately not personally) Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, the goddess of beauty and love, who emerged from the foam of the sea, was born just here.
I cannot resist the temptation to quote an old joke that is always relevant: How is Aphrodite different from some politicians? Well, Aphrodite emerged from the foam, and politicians from the scum!
Petra tou Romiou, or the rock of Aphrodite, ensures love and youth. It's worth swimming there!
We will do it another time, because now we are on the other end of the island.
Cyprus has a long and intricate history (which country has a short and simple history?). It is important what there is today. A short quote from Wikipedia:
“Cyprus is a presidential republic. The president is both head of state and head of government. Cyprus joined the EU as a de facto divided island, but the entire territory of the island belongs to the EU. Turkish Cypriots holding or eligible for EU travel documents are EU citizens. The application of EU law is suspended in areas over which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has no real control. There are two official languages in Cyprus: Greek and Turkish. Only Greek is an official language of the EU."
The island is divided into the northern part - the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a country not recognized internationally by most of the world's countries, and the southern part - the Republic of Cyprus. The map shows a countries’ border, the areas controlled by the British, and the demilitarized zone protected by the United Nations.
So, we already know that Cyprus does not belong to Greece. Is Cyprus Turkey? Neither! Cyprus is Cyprus. Where did this division come from?
“The division of the island into Greek and Turkish Cyprus was formed centuries ago, in ancient times, when it came under Greek, Roman and Byzantine influences. Many centuries later, the island was conquered by the Turks, who transferred their traditions and religion to it, completely changing the perception of Cyprus. These historical events have made Cyprus today a place where different cultures meet, which is evident at every step.”
Why do they drive on the left side of the road in Cyprus?
After World War I, Great Britain annexed Cyprus and the colonization lasted until 1960.
And the language?
“Greek appeared in Cyprus as early as the 12th or 11th century BC. The Cypriot variety of the language comes from the so-called Byzantine Greek. It now serves as the language of human communication across the country as it is also spoken by Turkish Cypriots. It is used by about 700,000 people.
Cypriot is very different from the language you hear in Athens.
The local community speaks both standard Greek and Cypriot, depending on the communication situation in which it finds itself; he also has the ability to seamlessly transition between them."
There are more than 1,200,000 permanent residents on the island, of whom 77% are Greek Cypriots and 18% are Turkish.
Tourism is a huge industry here, so English is common on the island, and we don't have to use 'body language' excessively.
