Cyprus

Airports

total: 14 usable: 14 with permanent-surface runways: 11 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 2

Highways

total: 10,780 km paved: 5,170 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 5,610 km

Merchant marine

1,399 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,743,484 GRT/39,874,985 DWT, bulk 469, cargo 496, chemical tanker 27, combination bulk 48, combination ore/oil 32, container 82, liquefied gas 3, multifunction large load carrier 4, oil tanker 122, passenger 4, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 67, roll-on/roll-off cargo 24, short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 3 note: a flag of convenience registry; Cuba owns 26 of these ships, Russia owns 61, Latvia owns 7, Croatia owns 2, and Romania owns 4

Ports

Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos

Telecommunications

excellent in both the area controlled by the Cypriot Government (Greek area), and in the Turkish-Cypriot administered area; 210,000 telephones; largely open-wire and microwave radio relay; broadcast stations - 11 AM, 8 FM, 1 (34 repeaters) TV in Greek sector and 2 AM, 6 FM and 1 TV in Turkish sector; international service by tropospheric scatter, 3 submarine cables, and satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and EUTELSAT earth stations

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $407 million, 6.5% of GDP (1993)

Greek area

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG; including air and naval elements), Greek Cypriot Police

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 186,807; fit for military service 128,444; reach military age (18) annually 5,233 (1994 est.)

Turkish area

Turkish Cypriot Security Force

Agriculture

contributes 7% to GDP and employs 26% of labor force in the south; major crops - potatoes, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, citrus fruits; vegetables and fruit provide 25% of export revenues

Budget

revenues: Greek area - $1.7 billion Turkish area - $273 million expenditures: Greek area - $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $350 million Turkish area - $360 million, including capital expenditures of $78 million (1994)

Currency

1 Cypriot pound (#C) = 100 cents; 1 Turkish lira (TL) = 100 kurus

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $292 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $250 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $62 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $24 million

Electricity

capacity: 620,000 kW production: 1.77 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,530 kWh (1991)

Exchange rates

Cypriot pounds per $US1 - 0.5148 (December 1993), 0.4970 (1993), 0.4502 (1992), 0.4615 (1991), 0.4572 (1990), 0.4933 (1989); Turkish liras (TL) per US$1 - 15,196.1 (January 1994), 10,983.3 (1993), 6,872.4 (1992), 4,171.8 (1991), 2,608.6 (1990), 2,121.7 (1989)

Exports

$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine, cement, clothing and shoes partners: UK 19%, Greece 8%, Lebanon 2%, Egypt 7%

External debt

$1.6 billion (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Greek area

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.7 billion (1992)

Greek area

8.2% (1992)

Greek area

$11,390 (1992)

Greek area

6.5% (1992)

Greek area

1.8% (1992)

Illicit drugs

transit point for heroin via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey

Imports

$3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, food and feed grains, machinery partners: UK 11%, Japan 11%, Italy 10%, Germany 9%, US 8%

Industrial production

growth rate 4% (1993 est.); accounts for 16.0% of GDP

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, wood products

Overview

The Greek Cypriot economy is small, diversified, and prosperous. Industry contributes 16% to GDP and employs 29% of the labor force, while the service sector contributes 60% to GDP and employs 57% of the labor force. An average 6.8% rise in real GDP between 1986 and 1990 was temporarily checked in 1991, because of the adverse effects of the Gulf War on tourism. Economic growth surged again in 1992, bolstered by strong foreign and domestic demand. As the economy gained momentum, however, it began to overheat; inflation reached 6.5%. The economy has likely recorded a sharp drop in growth in 1993, due to the recession in Western Europe, Cyprus' main trading partner, but probably will pick up again in 1994. The Turkish Cypriot economy has less than one-third the per capita GDP in the south. Because it is recognized only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture, which employs more than one-quarter of the workforce. Moreover, because the Turkish lira is legal tender, the Turkish Cypriot economy has suffered the same high inflation as mainland Turkey. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to nearly every sector; financial support has reached about one-third of Turkish Cypriot GDP.

Turkish area

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $550 million (1992)

Turkish area

7.3% (1992)

Turkish area

$3,130 (1992)

Turkish area

63.4% (1992)

Turkish area

1.2% (1992)

Area

total area: 9,250 sq km land area: 9,240 sq km comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Climate

temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters

Coastline

648 km

Environment

current issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, and most potable resources concentrated in the Turkish Cypriot area); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization natural hazards: moderate earthquake activity international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

International disputes

1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous areas, a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot Government (60% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (35% of the island), that are separated by a narrow UN buffer zone; in addition, there are two UK sovereign base areas (about 5% of the island's land area)

Irrigated land

350 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

Middle East, in the eastern Mediterreanean Sea, 97 km west of Syria and 64 km west of Turkey

Map references

Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

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

Terrain

central plain with mountains to north and south

Administrative divisions

6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos

Capital

Nicosia

Constitution

16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own Constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983; a new Constitution for the Turkish area passed by referendum in 5 May 1985

Digraph

CY

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Andreas JACOVIDES chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 462-5772 consulate(s) general: New York note: Representative of the Turkish area in the US is Namik KORMAN, office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington DC, telephone (202) 887-6198

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Glafkos CLERIDES (since 28 February 1993); election last held 14 February 1993 (next to be held February 1998); results - Glafkos CLERIDES 50.3%, George VASSILIOU 49.7% cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed jointly by the president and vice-president note: Rauf R. DENKTASH has been president of the Turkish area since 13 February 1975; Hakki ATUN has been prime minister of the Turkish area since 1 January 1994; there is a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the Turkish area

FAX

[357] (2) 465944

Flag

white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities note: the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and bottom with a red crescent and red star on a white field

Greek Cypriot

Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL, Communist Party), Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS; Democratic Rally (DISY), John MATSIS; Democratic Party (DIKO), Spyros KYPRIANOU; United Democratic Union of the Center (EDEK), Vassos LYSSARIDIS; Socialist Democratic Renewal Movement (ADISOK), Mikhalis PAPAPETROU; Liberal Party, Nikos ROLANDIS; Free Democrats, George VASSILIOU

House of Representatives (Vouli Antiprosopon)

elections last held 19 May 1991 (next to be held NA); results - DISY 35.8%, AKEL (Communist) 30.6%, DIKO 19.5%, EDEK 10.9%; others 3.2%; seats - (56 total) DISY 20, AKEL (Communist) 18, DIKO 11, EDEK 7

Independence

16 August 1960 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; note - there is also a Supreme Court in the Turkish area

Legal system

based on common law, with civil law modifications

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus conventional short form: Cyprus

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 October (15 November (1983) is celebrated as Independence Day in the Turkish area)

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, pro-West); Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions (Turk-Sen); Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions (Dev-Is)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Turkish Area

Assembly of the Republic (Cumhuriyet Meclisi): elections last held 12 December 1993 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (50 total) UBP (conservative) 17, DP 15, CTP 13, TKP 5

Turkish area

National Unity Party (UBP), Dervis EROGLU; Communal Liberation Party (TKP), Mustafa AKINCI; Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Ozker OZGUR; New Cyprus Party (YKP), Alpay DURDURAN; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ergun VEHBI; New Birth Party (YDP), Ali Ozkan ALTINISHIK; Free Democratic Party (HDP), Ismet KOTAK; National Struggle Party (MSP), Zorlu TORE; Unity and Sovereignty Party (USP), Arif Salih KIRDAG; Democratic Party (DP), Hakki ATUN; Fatherland Party (VP), Orhan UCOK note: CTP, TKP, and YDP joined in the coalition Democratic Struggle Party (DMP) for the 22 April 1990 legislative election; the CTP and TKP boycotted the by-election of 13 October 1991, in which 12 seats were at stake; the DMP was dissolved after the 1990 election

Type

republic note: 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" (TRNC), 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

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard BOUCHER embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, Nicosia mailing address: APO AE 09836 telephone: [357] (2) 476100

Birth rate

16.69 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

7.61 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Greek 78%, Turkish 18%, other 4%

Greek area

285,500 by occupation: services 57%, industry 29%, agriculture 14% (1992)

Infant mortality rate

9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Languages

Greek, Turkish, English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.22 years male: 73.97 years female: 78.58 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1987 est.) total population: 94% male: 98% female: 91%

Nationality

noun: Cypriot(s) adjective: Cypriot

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

730,084 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

0.91% (1994 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

2.32 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Turkish area

75,000 by occupation: services 52%, industry 22%, agriculture 26% (1992)