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Tourist Information
- Cyprus is known as 'the playground of the gods', and for good reason too! Aphrodite is said to have risen out of the water near Paphos.
- Archaeological evidence suggests that people first lived on the island of Cyprus 10,000 years ago.
- Cyprus was once the wealthiest nation in the known world. It was during the Copper and Bronze Ages when the island's rich natural copper resources were exported to other countries.
- The English crusader king - King Richard the Lionheart - wed Queen Joanna at Limassol Castle on May 12, 1191. To this day it is the only foreign venue at which an English Royal Wedding has been hosted.
- Famagusta was once the richest city in the known world during the reign of the Franks and the Venetians.
- There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cyprus - Paphos, the Painted Churches in the Troodos Region and Choirokoitia.
- The Neolithic settlement of Choirkoitia is one of the most important Neolithic sites in Europe.
- Cyprus is a divided country. A UN buffer zone (known as the Green Line) separates the self-declared Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek controlled South.
- There are two British military zones in Cyprus. Known as Sovereign Base Areas, the two zones are a legacy of the British occupation of Cyprus which ended in 1960.
- Cyprus Independence Day is celebrated on 1st October.
- The Byzantine Museum in Nicosia holds the largest collection of Byzantine Art in Cyprus.
- Stavrouvouni Monastery in the Troodos Mountains is the oldest monastic site in Cyprus. It was founded in the 4th century by St Helena.
- The Sanctuary of Apollo Ylatis near Kourion, which was built in the 5th Century BC, is the largest & one of the most important historic religious sites in Cyprus.
- Cyprus became a province of the Roman Empire in 45AD, and was the first country to be governed by a Christian. GEOGRAPHY / GEOLOGY / NATURE
- Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is now the only capital in the world to be divided between two nations - North Cyprus & South Cyprus.
- Cyprus is one of Europe's most southerly ski resorts.
- 371 species of bird can be seen on the island of Cyprus. Most are migratory birds and are seen during spring and autumn.
- In geological term Cyprus is an ophiolite. It rose out of the sea around 20 million years ago.
- Cyprus is home to 20 rare species of orchid.
- There are more than 1950 species of flowering plant in Cyprus, 140 of which are found nowhere else in the world.
- 260 species of fish circle the warm Mediterranean waters around Cyprus.
- Cyprus is one of only a few places in the world where Green Turtles & Loggerhead Turtles nest.
- Cyprus is the easternmost island in the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Cyprus Mufflon is a wild sheep that is found in the Troodos & Paphos mountains. It exists nowhere else in the world.
- More than 45 beaches on Cyprus have been awarded the EU Blue Flag for cleanliness & safety.
- The highest peak in the Troodos Mountain Range is Mount Olympus, which reaches up to 6402ft above sea level.
- Around 10,000 Greater Flamingos temporarily stop over to feed at the salt lakes near Larnaca Airport every autumn during their migration south to warmer climes. ECONOMY
- Southern Cyprus joined the European Union on May 1st 2004.
- The major industries that contribute to the Cypriot economy are tourism, fruit & vegetables, wine, cement, clothing and shoes
- The population of Cyprus is around 807,000. This includes around 141,000 Turkish Cypriots in the North.
- The standard rate of VAT in Cyprus is 8% PEOPLE / CULTURE & FOOD
- Lefkara Lace is produced in Cyprus.
- Kolokasi is a speciality root vegetable grown on Cyprus. It is a type of sweet potato.
- Commandaria is a sweet red wine produced in Cyprus. It is reputed to be the oldest wine in the world.
- During August every year the villages in Cyprus host the August Village Festivals. At least 20 villages take part.
- George Michael (musician/pop singer), Fatima Whitbread (Olympic athlete) and Muzzy Izzet (English premiership soccer player) were all born in Cyprus. SPORTS/ART & ENTERTAINMENT
- Marcos Baghdatis, one of the most talented junior tennis players in the world, comes from Cyprus. See Tennis in Cyprus.
- The first sporting contact between Turkey and Cyprus since the 1974 Turkish invasion was a Champions League 2nd round qualifying match between Famagusta Anothosis and Trabzonspor on July 26th 2005. Famagusta won 3-1.
- There are only 4 golf courses in Cyprus.
- A round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) has taken place in Cyprus every year since 2000.
- The largest freshwater fish caught in Cyprus was a 31lb 4oz Mirror Carp. It was caught in the Dhypotamos reservoir between Larnaka and Limassol.
- Ayia Napa in Eastern Cyprus is one of the most popular nightclub districts in Europe.
- The Cyprus International Opera Festival is held every July. It takes place in a number of venues across the island.
- The only horse racetrack in Cyprus can be found in Nicosia. Approximately 60 race meets are held here throughout the year. OTHER FACTS
- One of the world's most famous shipwrecks lies off the Cypriot coast near Limassol Harbour. The Zenobia, with its cargo of vehicles, sunk in 1980.
- Traffic in Cyprus drives on the left-side of the road.
- For international calls, the telephone dialling code for Cyprus is 357.
- Cyprus has two international airports - one at Larnaca and the other at Paphos.
- Life expectancy of men in Cyprus is 76; life expectancy of women in Cyprus is 80.
- Crime rate is very low in Cyprus, making it one of the safest places in the world to live.
