Cyprus
If you are looking for a warm climate to visit during the summer months then Cyprus is the place to go. Cyprus is bursting with fantastic landmarks to visit, great food to eat, and if you are a sports junkie then they also have some exciting sports to try. Cyprus is not known just for its tourist attractions. Cyprus also has a long history that has been marked in textbooks for many years.
History of Cyprus
Cyprus is located on the far eastern side of the Mediterranean. If you paid attention in mythology then you would also know that Cyprus is the historical birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. However, Cyprus has not always been such a romantic place. Before the 19th century, Cyprus was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. This form of government infuriated the Greeks, and despite their efforts to get the Ottoman Empire out, they never succeeded.
In the late 19th century, the British Government took over Cyprus and the island was made into a British colony in 1924. Cyprus was divided into communities: the Greek speakers and Turkish speakers. Throughout British rule, each community became even more separated due to their specific beliefs. Neither side had any motivation to speak the other’s national tongue. This battle came to an end when Cyprus was declared independent in 1960 due to an agreement between the Greeks and the Turks. This new agreement gave Britain complete control over both military stations. The peace between sides came to an end when the Greeks proposed a control sharing change arrangement. Violence broke out between the communities and the Turks withdrew their side of the control sharing.
After Greece sent over 20,000 troops to the country, Turkey responded by dividing Cyprus from the North and the South. After the division, the Turkish Cypriots fled North and the Greek Cypriots fled South. In February 1975, the Northern half of Cyprus became the Turkish Republic. In 2003, the Turkish Republic lifted the restrictions on the dividing line, also known as the “Green Line”. This allowed both sides to cross. Almost 20,000 people made the trip over the dividing line, which had not happened in over 30 years. Since then, there has been efforts to turn the North and the South into two states with a very loose central government. However, as of 2004 it was rejected, mostly by the Greek Cypriots. Cyprus is still divided and is said to be into the coming years.
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