| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus conventional short form: Cyprus local long form: Kypriaki Dimokratia/Kibris Cumhuriyeti local short form: Kypros/Kibris etymology: the derivation of the name "Cyprus" is unknown, but the extensive mining of copper metal on the island in antiquity gave rise to the Latin word "cuprum" for copper note: the Turkish Cypriot community, which administers the northern part of the island, refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" or "TRNC" ("Kuzey Kibris Turk Cumhuriyeti" or "KKTC") |
| Government type | Republic of Cyprus - presidential republic; "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (self-declared) - parliamentary republic with enhanced presidency note: a separation of the two main ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified when a Greek military-junta-supported coup attempt prompted the Turkish military intervention in July 1974 that gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government on the island; on 15 November 1983, then Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTAS declared independence and the formation of the "TRNC,” which is recognized only by Turkey |
| Capital | name: Nicosia (Lefkosia/Lefkosa) geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: a mispronunciation of the city's Greek name Lefkosia and its Turkish name Lefkosa, both of which mean "White City"; the Greek name may derive from the Greek phrase "leuke ousia" ("white estate") |
| Administrative divisions | 6 districts; Ammochostos (Famagusta); (all but a small part located in the Turkish Cypriot community), Keryneia (Kyrenia; the only district located entirely in the Turkish Cypriot community), Larnaka (Larnaca; with a small part located in the Turkish Cypriot community), Lefkosia (Nicosia; a small part administered by Turkish Cypriots), Lemesos (Limassol), Pafos (Paphos); note - the 5 "districts" of the "TRNC" are Gazimagusa (Famagusta), Girne (Kyrenia), Guzelyurt (Morphou), Iskele (Trikomo), Lefkosa (Nicosia) |
| Independence | 16 August 1960 (from the UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are recognized only by Turkey |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as "Republic Day" |
| Constitution | history: ratified 16 August 1960; note - in 1963, the constitution was partly suspended as Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government; Turkish-held territory in 1983 was declared the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC"); in 1985, the "TRNC" approved its own constitution amendments: constitution of the Republic of Cyprus - proposed by the House of Representatives; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership of the "Greek Community" and the "Turkish Community"; however, all seats of Turkish Cypriot members have remained vacant since 1964; amended many times, last in 2020; constitution of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” - proposed by at least 10 members of the "Assembly of the Republic"; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total Assembly membership and approval by referendum; amended 2014 |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law and civil law with European law supremacy |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICC jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cyprus dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Nikos ANASTASIADIS (since 28 February 2013); the president is both chief of state and head of government; note - vice presidency reserved for a Turkish Cypriot, but vacant since 1974 because Turkish Cypriots do not participate in the Republic of Cyprus Government head of government: President Nikos ANASTASIADIS (since 28 February 2013) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - under the 1960 constitution, 3 of the ministerial posts reserved for Turkish Cypriots, appointed by the vice president; positions currently filled by Greek Cypriots elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term; election last held on 28 January 2018 with a runoff on 4 February 2018 (next to be held in February 2023) election results: Nikos ANASTASIADIS reelected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Nikos ANASTASIADIS (DISY) 35.5%, Stavros MALAS (AKEL) 30.2%, Nicolas PAPADOPOULOS (DIKO) 25.7%, other 8.6%; percent of vote in second round - Nikos ANASTASIADIS 56%, Savros MALAS 44% note: the first round of the TRNC presidential election, originally scheduled for 26 April 2020, was postponed to 11 October 202 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; results - Ersin TATAR (UBP) 32.4%, Mustafa AKINCI (independent) 29.8%, Tufan ERHURMAN (RTP) 21.7%, Kudret OZERSAY (independent) 5.7%, Erhan ARIKLI (YDP) 5.4%, Serdar DENKTAS (independent) 4.2%, other 0.8%; the second round to be held on 18 October |
| Legislative branch | description: area under government control: unicameral House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots, but only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members directly elected by both proportional representation and preferential vote; members serve 5-year terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: unicameral "Assembly of the Republic" or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members directly elected to 5-year terms by proportional representation system using a hybrid d'Hondt method with voter preferences for individual candidates elections: area under government control: last held on 30 May 2021 (next to be held in 2026); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: last held on 7 January 2018 (next to be held in 2023, unless early election called) election results: area under government control: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - DISY 27.8%, AKEL 22.3%, DIKO 11.3%, ELAM 6.8%, EDEK-SP 6.7%, DiPa 6.1%, Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Cooperation 4.4%, other 14.6%; percent of vote by party/coalition - DISY 17, AKEL 15, DIKO 9, ELAM 4, EDEK-SP 4, DiPa 4, Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Cooperation 3; area administered by Turkish Cypriots: "Assembly of the Republic" - percent of vote by party - UBP 35.6%, CTP 20.9%, HP 17.1%, TDP 8.6%, DP 7.8%, YDP 7%, 3%; seats by party - UBP 21, CTP 12, HP 9, DP 3, TDP 3, YDP 2 |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court of Cyprus (consists of 13 judges, including the court president); note - the highest court in the "TRNC" is the "Supreme Court" (consists of 8 "judges," including the "court president") judge selection and term of office: Republic of Cyprus Supreme Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the Supreme Court judges; judges can serve until age 68; "TRNC Supreme Court" judges appointed by the "Supreme Council of Judicature," a 12-member body of judges, the attorney general, appointees by the president of the "TRNC," and by the "Legislative Assembly," and members elected by the bar association; judge tenure NA subordinate courts: Republic of Cyprus district courts; Assize Courts; Administrative Court; specialized courts for issues relating to family, industrial disputes, the military, and rent control; "TRNC Assize Courts"; "district and family courts" |
| Political parties and leaders | area under government control: Citizens' Alliance or SP [Giorgos LILLIKAS] Democratic Front or DiPa [Marios GAROYIAN] Democratic Party or DIKO [Nicolas PAPADOPOULOS] Democratic Rally or DISY [Averof NEOPHYTOU] Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Alliance [Theopemptou CHARALAMBOS] Movement of Social Democrats EDEK [Marinos SIZOPOULOS] National Popular Front or ELAM [Christos CHRISTOU] Progressive Party of the Working People or AKEL (Communist party) [Andros KYPRIANOU] area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Communal Democracy Party or TDP [Cemal OZYIGIT] Communal Liberation Party-New Forces or TKP-YG [Mehmet CAKICI] Cyprus Socialist Party or KSP [Mehmet BIRINCI] Democratic Party or DP [Serdar DENKTAS] National Democratic Party or NDP [Buray BUSKUVUTCU] National Unity Party or UBP [Ersin TATAR] New Cyprus Party or YKP [Murat KANATLI] People's Party or HP [Kudret OZERSAY] Rebirth Party or YDP [Erhan ARIKLI] Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Tufan ERHURMAN] United Cyprus Party or BKP [Izzet IZCAN] |
| International organization participation | Australia Group, C, CD, CE, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Marios LYSIOTIS (since 17 September 2018) chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-5772 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710 email address and website: info@cyprusembassy.net https://www.cyprusembassy.net/ consulate(s) general: New York honorary consulate(s): Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Kirkland (WA), Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the US is Mustafa LAKADAMYALI; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1] (202) 887-6198 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Judith Gail GARBER (since 18 March 2019) embassy: Metochiou and Ploutarchou Street, 2407, Engomi, Nicosia mailing address: 5450 Nicosia Place, Washington DC 20521-5450 telephone: [357] (22) 393939 FAX: [357] (22) 780944 email address and website: ACSNicosia@state.gov https://cy.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | centered on a white field is a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the island has long been famous for its copper deposits) above two olive-green-colored, crossed olive branches; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities note: one of only two national flags that uses a map as a design element; the flag of Kosovo is the other note: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag retains the white field of the Cyprus national flag but displays narrow horizontal red stripes positioned a small distance from the top and bottom edges between which are centered a red crescent and a red five-pointed star; the banner is modeled after the Turkish national flag but with the colors reversed |
| National symbol(s) | Cypriot mouflon (wild sheep), white dove; national colors: blue, white |
| National anthem | name: "Ymnos eis tin Eleftherian" (Hymn to Liberty) lyrics/music: Dionysios SOLOMOS/Nikolaos MANTZAROS note: adopted 1960; Cyprus adopted the Greek national anthem as its own; the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus uses the anthem of Turkey |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
