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Cyprus. Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pens,Cartridges, Fountain Pens.
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England Description Cyprus
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A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot-occupied area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC"), but it is recognized only by Turkey. The election of a new Cypriot president in 2008 served as the impetus for the UN to encourage both the Turkish and Cypriot Governments to reopen unification negotiations. In September 2008, the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities started negotiations under UN auspices aimed at reuniting the divided island. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot Government, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states.
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Location
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Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
WebCam
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Geographic Coordinates
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35 00 N, 33 00 E
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Area - comparative
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about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
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Coast line
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648 km
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Climate
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temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
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Terrain Cyprus
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central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast
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Natural Resources Cyprus
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copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
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Irrigated land
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400 sq km (2003)
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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0.4 cu km (2005)
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Natural Hazards
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moderate earthquake activity; droughts
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Environment Currentissues
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water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
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Geography Note
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the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia)
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Population Cyprus
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1,102,677 (July 2010 est.)
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Population growth rate
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1.663% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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11.38 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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6.42 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Total Fertility Rate
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1.45 children born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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0.1% (2003 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)
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Religions
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Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4%
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Languages
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Greek, Turkish, English
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Education Expenditures
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6.3% of GDP (2004)
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Government Type
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republic
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Administrative Divisions
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6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Nicosia (Lefkosia)
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Independence
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16 August 1960 (from the UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are only recognized by Turkey
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National Holiday
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Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as Independence Day
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Constitution
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16-Aug-60
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Legal System
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based on English common law with civil law modifications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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Suffrage
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18 years of age; universal
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Legislative Branch
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unicameral - area under government control: House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president and vice president)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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International Organization Participation
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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
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Flag Description
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The area of the Republic of Cyprus under government control has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for nearly four-fifths of GDP. Tourism, financial services, and real estate are the most important sectors. Erratic growth rates over the past decade reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the economy in the area under government control has grown at a rate well above the EU average since 2000. Cyprus joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2) in May 2005 and adopted the euro as its national currency on 1 January 2008. An aggressive austerity program in the preceding years, aimed at paving the way for the euro, helped turn a soaring fiscal deficit (6.3% in 2003) into a surplus of 1.2% in 2008, and reduced inflation to 4.7%. This prosperity came under pressure in 2009, as construction and tourism slowed in the face of reduced foreign demand triggered by the ongoing global financial crisis. Although Cyprus lagged its EU peers in showing signs of stress from the global crisis, the economy tipped into recession in mid 2009 and GDP contracted by 0.8% in 2009. In addition, the budget deficit is on the rise and reached 4.4% of GDP, a violation of the EU's budget deficit criteria of no more than 3% of GDP. In response to the country's deteriorating finances, Nicosia is promising to implement measures to cut the cost of the state payroll, curb tax evasion, and revamp social benefits. As in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few desalination plants have been added to existing plants over the last year and are now on line. After 10 years of drought, the country received substantial rainfall from 2001-04. Since then, rainfall has been well below average, making water rationing a necessity.
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Economy Overview
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$22.97 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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$23.49 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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-0.8% (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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$21,200 (2009 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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400,000 (2009 est.)
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Labor Force
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4.8% (2009 est.)
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Unemployment Rate
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NA%
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Population Below Poverty Line
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29 (2005)
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Distribution Of Family Income
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22.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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52.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Inflation Rrate
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0.9% (2009 est.)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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3% (31 December 2008)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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7.19% (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Money
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$NA (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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$NA (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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$80.68 billion (31 December 2008)
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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$NA (31 December 2008)
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Agriculture - Products
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citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables; poultry, pork, lamb; dairy, cheese
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Industries
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tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone, and clay products
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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-3.5% (2009 est.)
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Electricity Production
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4.502 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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4.277 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil Production
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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59,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Exports
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Imports
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58,930 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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0 bbl
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Natural Gas Production
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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-$1.639 billion (2009 est.)
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Exports
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$1.135 billion (2009 est.)
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Exports Commodities
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citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, clothing
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Exports Partners
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Greece 20%, UK 10.8%, Germany 6% (2008)
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Imports
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$6.676 billion (2009 est.)
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Imports Commodities
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consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, intermediate goods, machinery, transport equipment
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Imports Partners
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Greece 16.9%, Italy 10.7%, UK 8.7%, Germany 8.3%, Israel 8.2%, China 5.3%, Netherlands 4.1%, France 4.1% (2008)
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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$NA (31 December 2009 est.)
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Debt - External
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$NA (31 December 2009 est.)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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$7.908 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.734 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), Cypriot pounds (CYP) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.4586 (2006), 0.4641 (2005)
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Internet Country Code
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area under government control: 413,300 (2008); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 86,228 (2002)
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Airports
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185,451 (2009)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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Republic of Cyprus: Greek Cypriot National Guard (Ethniki Forea, EF; includes naval and air elements); northern Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot Security Force (GKK) (2009)
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