1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; has been divided de facto into two autonomous areas since 1974 hostilities—one controlled by the Cyprus Government or Greek area (60%) and the other administered by Turkish Cypriots (85%); those areas are separated by a UN buffer zone and two UK sovereign base areas (5%)

Climate

temperate; hot, dry summers; cool, rainy winters

Coastline

648 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

moderate earthquake activity; water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments and seasonal disparity in rainfall)

Land use

40% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 10% meadows and pastures; 18% forest and woodland; 25% other; includes 10% irrigated

Rizokarpas

Famagusta Area controled by Cyprus Government {Greek area} Larnaca Vasilikos Limassol Mediterranean Sea

Special notes

occupies important location in eastern Mediterranean, gateway to the Middle East

Terrain

central plain with mountains to north and south

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

50 km Mediterranean Sea

9,250 km?; land area: 9,240 km?

Ethnic divisions

78% Greek; 18% Turkish; 4% Armenian, Maronite, and other

Greek Sector labor force

251,406; 42% services, 33% industry, 22% agriculture; 3.4% unemployed (1986)

Infant mortality rate

17/1,000 (1984)

Language

Greek, Turkish, English

Life expectancy

men 72.8, women 76.0 (1981)

Literacy

about 99%

Nationality

noun—Cypriot(s); adjective— Cypriot

Population

683,651 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 1.26%

Religion

78% Greek Orthodox; 18% Muslim; 4% Maronite, Armenian, Apostolic, and other

Administrative divisions

6 administrative districts

Branches

currently the Government of Cyprus has effective authority over only the Greek Cypriot community; headed by President of the Republic and comprising Council of Ministers, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court; Turkish Cypriots declared their own constitution and governing bodies within the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus in 1975; state renamed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983; new constitution for the Turkish sector passed by referendum in May 1985

Capital

Nicosia

Communists

about 12,000 Cyprus (continued)

Elections

officially every five years (last presidential election held in February 1988); parliamentary elections held in December 1985; Turkish sector presidential elections last held in June 1985; assembly elections held in June 1985 Political parties and leaders: Greek Cypriot—Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL; Communist Party), Ezekias Papaioannou; Democratic Rally (DESY), Glafkos Clerides; Democratic Party (DEKO), Spyros Kyprianou; United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEK), Vassos Lyssarides; Turkish sector—National Unity Party (NUP), Dervis Eroglu; Communal Liberation Party (CLP), Ismail Bozkurt; Republican Turkish Party (RTP), Ozker Ozgur; New Birth Party (NBP), Aytac Besheshler

Government leaders

Spyros KYPRIANOU, President (since 1977); Turkish Sector—Rauf DENKTASH, President (since 1975)

Legal system

based on common law, with civil law modifications; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently

Member of

Commonwealth, Council of Europe, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO; Turkish Federated State of Cyprus OIC (observer)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October

Official name

Republic of Cyprus

Other political or pressure groups

United Democratic Youth Organization (EDON; Communist controlled); Union of Cyprus Farmers (EKA; Communist controlled); Cyprus Farmers Union (PEK; pro-West); Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation (PEO; Communist controlled); Confederation of Cypriot Workers (SEK; proWest); Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions (Turk-Sen); Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions (Dev-Is)

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

republic; a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began after the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified following the Turkish invasion of the island in July 1974, which gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktash declared independence and the formation of a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which has been recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly call for the resolution of intercommunal differences and creation of a new federal system of government

Voting strength

in the 1983 presidential election, incumbent Spyros Kyprianou retained his position by winning 56% of the vote; in the 1985 parliamentary election, the pro-Western Democratic Rally received 19 of the 56 seats; Kyprianou’s center-right Democratic Party won 16 seats; Communist AKEL secured 15 seats; and socialist EDEK won 6 seats; in 1985 presidential elections in the Turkish Cypriot sector, Ranf Denktash won with 70 percent of the vote; in the 1985 assembly elections the conservative National Unity Party won 24 of 50 seats; the Communist Republican Turkish Party received 12 seats; center-right Communal Liberation Party secured 10 seats; and the rightwing New Birth Party received 4 seats

Agriculture

potatoes and other vegetables, grapes, citrus, wheat, carob beans, olives

Budget

revenues, $663.2 million; expenditures, $804.9 million; deficit, $141.7 million (1984); Turkish sector—revenues, $46.3 million; expenditures, $110.9 million; deficit, $64.6 million (1986)

Electric power

620,000 kW capacity; 1,520 million kWh produced, 2,260 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$561.2 million (f.0.b., 1985); principal items—food and beverages, including citrus, raisins, potatoes, wine; also cement and clothing; Turkish sector— $48.8 million (f.o.b., 1984); principal items—citrus, potatoes, metal pipes, pyrites

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$2.4 billion (1984), $3,609 per capita; real growth rate 1.3% (1984 est.): Turkish sector—$205.9 million, $1,344 per capita (1983)

Imports

$1,469.7 million (c.i.f., 1985); principal items manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, food; Turkish sector—$170 million (c.i.f., 1984); principal items—foodstuffs, raw materials, fuels, machinery

Major industries

mining (iron pyrites, gypsum, asbestos), manufactures principally for local consumption—beverages, footwear, clothing, cement

Major trade partners

imports (1984)— 12.1% UK, 12% Japan, 10.5% Italy, 8.3% FRG, 5.2% lraq; exports (1984)—17% UK, 14.1% Lebanon, 11.4% Libya, 7.5% Saudi Arabia, 3.4% USSR; Turkish sector— imports (1984)—46% Turkey, 36% EC, 17% Arab countries; exports (1984)—61% EC, 22% Turkey, 16% Arab countries

Monetary conversion rate

.52 Cyprus pound=US$1 (January 1987); Turkish sector—755 Turkish liras=US$1 (January 1987)

Natural resources

copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, lumber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Airfields

15 total, 14 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,4389 m

Civil air

8 major transport aircraft

Highways

10,780 km total; 5,170 km bituminous surface treated; 5,610 km gravel, crushed stone, and earth

Ports

8 major (Famagusta, Larnaca, Limassol), 2 secondary (Vasilikos, Kyrenia), 11 minor; Famagusta and Kyrenia under Turkish-Cypriot control

Railroads

none

Telecommunications

moderately good telecommunication systems in both Greek and Turkish sectors; 185,000 telephones (25 per 100 popl.); 10 AM, 14 FM, 29 TV stations; tropospheric scatter circuits to Greece and Turkey; 3 submarine coaxial cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite antenna and 1 Indian Ocean antenna

Branches

Cyprus National Guard; Turkish sector—Turkish Cypriot Security Force

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1984, $60 million; 11.6% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 176,000; 122,000 fit for military service; about 5,000 reach military age (18) annually