The People and History of Cyprus

A Brief History of Cyprus

* c. 8,500 - 8,000 B.C Hunter Gatherers

* 7,000 - 5,300 B.C. The first settlers: the Khirokitians.

* 4,000 - 2,500 B.C. Chalcolitic (Copper) Age: stone crucifix pendants are carved.

* 2,700-1,600 B.C. Cypriot Bronze Ages, Early and Middle: cattle, horses, and bronze making are introduced as well as highly indi- vidual pottery style.

* 1,600-1,050 B.C. The Late Bronze Age: period of sophisticated literate city states such as Enkomi-Alasia and Kition.

* 1500 - 1450 BC: Hittite rule in Cyprus

* 1450 BC - 1000 BC: Beginning of the Egyptian domination of the island.

* 1200 BC - 1000: Establishment of the city states of Salamis (capital at the time), Soli, Marion, Paphos, Kurium, and Kyrenia; arrival of Greek colonies.

* 1,000 - 850 B.C. The coming of Iron, the Dorians and a Dark Age also known as Cypro-Geometric I and II.

* 850 - 750 B.C The Phonecian-led Renaissance

* 750 BC - 612 BC: Assyrian rule of Cyprus.

* 568 BC - 525 BC: Egyptian rule.

* 525 BC - 333 BC: Persian occupation and the rule of the island.

* 333 BC - 58 BC: Hellenistic rule: the heirs of the Alexander the Great rule the island.

* 58 BC - 395 AD: Roman Empire ruling Cyprus: 350 years of quiet provincial prosperity.

* 395 AD - 1191 AD: Island becomes a part of the Byzantine Empire.

* 1191 AD - 1192: Rule of the island by Richard the Lionheart, of England.

* 1192 AD - 1489 AD: Rule of the island by the Frankish Lusignan dynasty.

* 1489 - 1570: Venetian domination of the island.

* 1571 - 1878: Conquest of the island by the Ottoman Empire.

* 1878 - 1925: In accordance with a defence-alliance between Britain and the Ottoman Empire, the administration of Cyprus passes to Britain.

* 1925 - 1960: Cyprus is annexed by Britain when Ottoman Empire enters into the World War I on the side of Germany; subsequently the island becomes a British Crown colony and under the British rule.

* 1960: Foundation of the Republic of Cyprus (by the Turkish and Greel Cypriot communities).

* 1963: Inter-communal strife in Cyprus and the subsequent collapse of the constitutional rule.

* 1974: Coup d'etat by the Greek army officers stationed on the island to overthrow the President (Makarios) with the aim of uniting the island with Greece; subsequent Turkish Military intervention (under the provisions of the Treaty of Guarantee of the Republic of Cyprus).

* 1974: Division of the island into Turkish-Cypriot North and Greek-Cypriot South; Declaration of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus, to pave way for a federal settlement on the island.

* November 15, 1983: Foundation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The People of Cyprus

A Cypriot Orange Seller

Population: 762,887 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.95% (male 89,532; female 85,518)

15-64 years: 66.26% (male 255,368; female 250,140)

65 years and over: 10.79% (male 35,864; female 46,465) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.59% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 13.08 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.89 years

male: 74.6 years

female: 79.3 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.93 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Cypriot(s)

adjective: Cypriot
Ethnic groups: Greek 78% (99.5% of the Greeks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 0.5% of the Greeks live in the Turkish Cypriot area), Turkish 18% (1.3% of the Turks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 98.7% of the Turks live in the Turkish Cypriot area), other 4% (99.2% of the other ethnic groups live in the Greek Cypriot area; 0.8% of the other ethnic groups live in the Turkish Cypriot area)
Religions: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4%
Languages: Greek, Turkish, English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 94%

male: 98%

female: 91% (1987 est.)

An Old Gent in Nicosia