History
It was invaded by the United Kingdom in 1914 during the First World War and became a Crown Colony after the Ottoman Empire dissolved.
It gained independence in 1960.
Food/ culture
The country’s culture is influenced by Islam in Turkish Cyprus and Greek Orthodox in Greek Cyprus.
The crops grown in the country include wheat, barley, grapefruit, apples, lemons, melons, olives, peaches, legumes and almonds.
Cypriot main dishes include grilled meat kebabs, grilled sausages, fried halloumi cheese and kolokasi.
Wildlife
The most common wildlife animals include Cypriotic mouflon and mouse, monk seal, mouflon, European Tarantula and Cyprus widow.
The best time to visit the country is from May to June.
Annual events/ celebrations/ festivals
The most popular festivals are wine festival, the festival of roses in Agros, International Chamber Music Festival, Medieval Festival of Ayia Napa and Strawberry festival in Derinya.
Things to see
Cyprus Museum has archaeological remains of the Neolithic and Byzantine era like the statue of Aphrodite of Soloi.
Cyprus Medieval Museum preserves a collection of pottery and tombstones.
Other major tourist attraction sites are Petra Tou Romiou, tombs of the kings, Cape Greco and Akamas National Park.
Interesting facts
The country’s official languages are Greek and Turkish.
Majority of the population adhere to Greek Orthodox.
The education system comprises pre-primary education for children between the age 3 and 6, primary education for children between age 6 and 12 and secondary education for children between age 12 and 18. Higher education is for people above 18 years.
Borders
It is situated south of Turkey, west of Lebanon and Syria, north of Egypt, Israel and Palestinian region, and southeast of Greece.
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