Cyprus, officially Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία (Greek), (Kypriakḗ Dēmokratía, Transliteration), Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (Turkish); (The Republic of Cyprus) is an Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean south of Turkey. The country is a Presidential republic with Nicosia (Lefkosia, Lefkosa) being the capital (and largest city). Greek and Turkish are the official languages. Cyprus has an ancient history, with human settlement beginning around 10 000 BEC and the Mycenaean Greeks arriving around 1600 BCE. Another wave of Greek settlement is believed to have taken place in the period 1100–1050 BCE, with the island's predominantly Greek character dating from this period. The island was brought under permanent Greek rule by Alexander the Great and the Ptolemies of Egypt following his death. Full Hellenization took place during the Ptolemaic period, which ended when Cyprus was annexed by Roman Republic in 58 BC. In 395 AD it became part of the Byzantine Empire, hich lost it temporarily to the Arabs in 643 AD before reclaiming it in 966 AD. In 1191, during the Third Crusade, Richard I of England captured the Island A year later Guy of Lusignan purchased the island from the Templars to compensate the loss of his kingdom. The Republic of Venice seized control of the island in 1489. Throughout Venetian rule, the Ottoman Empire frequently raided Cyprus. Then, in 1570, a full scale conquest under Piyale Pasha with 60,000 troops brought the island under Ottoman control, despite stiff resistance by the inhabitants of Nicosia and Famagusta. Administration (but not sovereignty) of the island was ceded to the British Empire in 1878, in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). The island would serve Britain as a key military base in its its colonial routes. Following World War 1 and the Ottoman alliance with the Central powers, the United Kingdom annexed the island. In 1923, under the Treaty of Lausanne, the nascent Turkish republic relinquished any claim to Cyprus, and in 1925 it was declared a British Crown Colony. Cyprus attained independence in 1960 after an agreement in Zürich and London between the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey. Britain retained two Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia. In 1974 the US-backed Greek junta - in power since 1967 - attempted a coup on July 13 to replace him with Nikos Sampson and declare union with Greece. Seven days later, Turkey launched an invasion of Cyprus to reinstate the constitution. This resulted in bloody conflict and partition of the island. The overwhelming Turkish land, naval and air superiority against the island's weak defences led to 37% of the land being brought under Turkish control. 170,000 Greek Cypriots were evicted from their homes in the north with 50,000 Turks following the opposite path. In 1983 Turkish Cypriots unilaterally proclaimed independence, which was only recognized by Turkey. Since de facto but not de jure partition of the Republic, the north and south have followed separate paths. The Republic of Cyprus is a constitutional democracy that has reached great levels of prosperity, with a booming economy and good infrastructure. It is part of the UN, the European Union and several other organisations by whom it is recognized as the sole legitimate government of the whole island. The area of the Republic of Cyprus not under its effective control, the north, is over-dependent on help from Turkey. Howver, in March 2008, the Republic of Cyprus demolished a wall that for decades had stood at the boundary between the Greek Cypriot controlled side and the UN buffer zone.

Cyprus joined the European Union on May 1st 2004 and is a Commonwealth republic. The third largest of the Mediterranean islands, Cyprus is a major tourist destination and tourism remains a maninstay of the island's economy.

Cypriot cuisine is quite distinctive, being in the main a fusion of Greek and Turkish influences, though there are also elements of French, Italian and British cuisines (representing the Island's history). Seafood and lamb are mainstays of the diet and are often served with potatoes and fresh salads. Auberines and okra are common vegetables and the use of olive oil and tomatoes is ubiquitous. Preserved pork is also very popular and before refrigeration brine-cured pork used to be one of the Island's main meat bases. Halloumi cheese, made from a mix of goat's and sheep's milk is a Cypriot speciality and it's often grilled, served on grilled bread or in salads as a starter.