– Cyprus is strategically located at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa and only an overnight sailing away from the ports of Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and the nearest Greek island of Rhodes.
– The 35th latitudinal parallel traverses Cyprus which lies at latitude 34A 33’ – 35A’ North and longitude 32A 16’ – 34A 37’ East.
– Abundant copper in antiquity put small Cyprus on the map. In fact Cyprus (Kypros in greek) gave copper its Latin name, cuprum. It was in the late Bronze Age, 1600 – 1050 BC, that Mycenaean Greeks came to Cyprus, integrating with the indigenous population.
– Trade links were established with Egypt and the Aegean islands. The archaeological record bears witness to a profusion of cults and temples from this time, one of the biggest being that of Aphrodite. According to myth, the Ancient Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty was born on Cyprus at the shore [you can visit the site on the way to Pafos (Paphos), a seaside boulder called Petra tou Romiou].
– Cyprus with a population of 946.000 (End 2013) is a modern island nation that retains as essentially Mediterranean character.
– The island has a mild, typically Mediterranean climate, with abundant warm sunshine and little rain.
– The island’s 9.251 square kilometres (3.572 square miles) encompass citrus and olive groves, pine forested mountains reaching heights of 1.950 meters (6.400 feet) and some of Europe’s cleanest beaches.
– While Greek is an official language in the Republic of Cyprus, English is spoken by nearly everyone (Cyprus was under British dominion from 1878 until independence in 1960).
– The road network is modern and extensive. Road signs are usually in Greek and English, and driving is on the left.
– The currency of Cyprus is the Euro. Credit cards are widely accepted and there are ATMs in all major towns and many villages.
For more practical information on the island, click here.
