Cyprus Economy and Culture

By | November 12, 2021

Republic of Cyprus (Greek: ΚύπροςKýpros, Turkish: Kıbrıs), Eurasian country located on the island of Cyprus. According to educationvv, it is also one of the members of the European Union (EU). This republic is an internationally recognized state, but it only controls two-thirds of the island. The remaining third (the north of the island) was occupied by Turkey in 1974, establishing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The latter territory is only recognized by Turkey.

Economy

The Cyprus economy is clearly affected by the division of the island into two territories. It has a highly vulnerable economy, more stabilized after joining the European Union, with a strong dependence on the services sector, and also problems of isolation with respect to Europe.

In the last 25 years, Cyprus has ceased to depend on agriculture (where only citrus production is of relative commercial importance). It began to have a structure more in line with the context of the European Union, with a significant presence of the industrial sector, which supports most of the exports and employs 25% of the population.

About 70% depends on the service sector, and specifically, tourism. The geographical location near the Middle East, causes great oscillations from year to year when it comes to becoming a tourist destination.

The fleet of ships with Cypriot registration is the fourth largest in the world, and it reports large revenues.

Demography

In 2007, Cyprus had a population of 1,103,790 residents. Life expectancy is 77.9 years. 97.6% of the population is literate. The average number of children per woman is 1.80. Greek Cypriots (Greek Cypriots) and Turks share many customs, but in turn maintain their ethnicity based on religion, language, and other strong ties to their respective homelands.

After 1974, Greek is predominantly spoken in the center and south, while Turkish predominates in the north. This delimitation of the languages only corresponds to the present period, due to the division of the island after 1974, which implied an expulsion of the Greek Cypriots from the north and a similar movement of the Turkish Cypriots from the south. However, historically Greek (in its Cypriot dialect) was spoken by approximately 82% of the population, which was regularly distributed throughout the entire area of Cyprus, both in the north and in the south. Similarly, Turkish speakers were evenly distributed. English is widely understood.

Culture

Cypriot culture can be roughly divided into two groups. On the one hand, the Greek influence, from which the island inherited the majority language and the ethnic group of 80% of Cypriots. On the other hand, Turkish culture defines the way of life of Turkish Cypriots.

The ancient historical suspicion between Greece and Turkey is known worldwide, due to the endless struggles to dominate the many islands of the Aegean Sea, including Cyprus. The great power of the Ottoman Empire managed to subdue the Hellenes, so the quarrels became even more acute. The end of this empire, and the birth of Greece and Turkey as modern nations, has officially established peace, although there have been explicit situations of enmity, such as the strong Greek opposition to Turkey’s entry into the European Union.

Returning to Cyprus, having encountered the antagonistic Greek and Turkish cultures, the situation became chaotic due to ethnic rivalries between both groups. In the almost imminent Cypriot civil war, the UN intervened in a timely manner, clearly delimiting.

Arts

In Cyprus, the history of modern art begins with the painters Vassilis Vryonides (1883 – 1958), who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. For some, the two founding fathers of modern Cypriot art are Adamantios Diamantis (1900 – 1994, who studied at the Royal College of Art in London) and Christopheros Savva (1924 – 1968, who also studied in London, at the San Martín School of the Arts). In many ways, these two artists laid the foundations for later Cypriot art, and their artistic style and patterns are still around today. Most of the country’s artists still study in the UK, although Greek art schools are also very popular, plus there are several local art institutions such as the Cyprus Art College, the University of Nicosia, and the Frederick Institute of Technology.

Government and politics

The government of Cyprus is organized according to the 1960 Constitution, which divided power between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. In 1974, Turkey gained control of a third of the territory, in the north of the country.

In 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union. However, the application of the acquis communautaire is limited to the southern part of the island, until reunification takes place. Currently the Progressive Workers Party of Cyprus (name of the Communist Party from 1941, known as AKEL) governs the parliament. He continues to be in favor of reunification, and of being in Europe.

Cyprus Culture