35 facts about Cyprus
“A golden-green leaf thrown into the sea” and the land of “wild weather and volcanoes” - this is what the poet Leonidas Malenis wrote about Cyprus. Inhabited by people over 10 millennia ago, Cyprus is located at the cultural, linguistic and historical crossroads between Europe and Asia. Today it is a popular destination for tourists from all over Europe - especially newly-weds and bird watchers.
And here are 35 more interesting facts about this island state:
1. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean (the first two are Sicily and Sardinia), but at the same time it is in ninth place among the smallest European countries (the first place in this list went, of course, to the Vatican).
2. Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain on August 16, 1960, but the Independence Day in this country is celebrated every year on October 1.
3. According to legends, the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite appeared in Cyprus: they say that she came out of a rock in Latchi (now there is Aphrodite's Beach) in Poly Chrysochus. When the ocean waves crash against this rock, they form columns of foam, with their outlines reminiscent of the silhouette of the goddess of love.
4. The island of Cyprus is divided into two parts: the northern part is called the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", and only Turkey has recognized its independence, and the southern part is called the "Independent Republic of Cyprus", or "Greek Cyprus".
5. There are several cafes in Cyprus, which can only be entered by men.
6. Cyprus is the only place outside the UK to host a royal wedding. This was the marriage of King Richard and Queen John on May 12, 1191.
7. On the island of Cyprus, a whole city is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List! The name of this city is Paphos. And besides him, there are two more UNESCO cultural heritage sites in the country.
8. The capital of Cyprus - Nicosia - is divided by the "green line". Here is the UN buffer zone, and it is the only capital in the world divided between the two countries. The historic city, which is full of attractions, has a border zone. The wall is a symbol of the crisis separating the two peoples.
9. The country has a very low crime rate, so Cyprus is one of the most peaceful places on Earth.
10. Cyprus is a multinational, multilingual and multicultural country. The inhabitants of the island speak a mixture of Greek, Turkish and English.
11. Cyprus won its first Olympic medal only in 2012, at the London Olympics.
12. On the island you can see 20 rare species of orchids and 371 species of migratory birds.
13. Sirtos is the most popular folk dance on the island of Cyprus.
14. Of the 1950 species of flowering plants growing all over the world, 140 are found only in Cyprus.
15. A rare species of sheep - the Cypriot mouflon - can be seen only in this country and nowhere else in the world. They are said to have descended from the wild Asian sheep introduced by the prehistoric Cypriots around 9000-8000 BC.
16. Cyprus has its own Olympus. Mount Olympos (not to be confused with Olympus, located in Greece) is the highest peak of the island, located at an altitude of 1952 meters above sea level.
17. On average, Cyprus has only 40 rainy days a year and the sun shines 320 days a year. For comparison, in Moscow there are about 90 sunny days a year, and cloudy or rainy - about 200.
18. Cyprus is one of the four EU countries with left-hand traffic. The other three are Great Britain, Ireland and Malta.
19. One of the fantastically delicious national dishes that you can taste in Cyprus is halloumi cheese. It is usually served pan-fried or grilled. The peculiarity of this cheese is that it does not melt when heated, so it can be easily fried until golden brown. Halloumi is made from cottage cheese made from goat and sheep milk, which is then heated before being placed in brine. The recipe for this cheese was first mentioned in a 14th century Egyptian cookbook.
20. The Cyprus village of Lefkara is famous for its lace. In 1481, Leonardo da Vinci visited this place to buy lace and the village is now inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
21. Cyprus off the coast of Larnaca has one of the most popular diving spots in the world. This is Zenobia, and here you can swim among the ruins of a ship that sank in 1980.
22. About 10,000 flamingos flying south stop temporarily every fall to feed at Larnaca Salt Lake.
23. The oldest perfume in the world was found in Cyprus. In 2007, they were discovered in Pyrgos by Italian archaeologists. Created over 4,000 years ago, this perfume was scented with extracts of lavender, laurel, rosemary, pine and coriander and kept in tiny translucent bottles. Archaeologists have also found evidence of a large perfume factory built over 4,000 years ago.
24. Cyprus is an island of cats. They say that there are more of them than people. Legend has it that due to a serious problem with snakes, a whole ship of cats from Saint Helena was sent to the island. The plan was to get this feline squad to eat all the venomous snakes. But, apparently, they liked Cyprus so much that they did not want to leave. And snakes can also be found on the island.
25. On the western shore of the Larnaca Salt Lake in Cyprus is the Hala Sultan Tekke Mosque, the fourth most important mosque for Muslims after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
26. Cyprus can be traveled in a couple of hours: the length of the island from east to west is only 240 km, and the maximum width from north to south is 100 km.
27. Cyprus has a flag that can be seen from Space. In the northern part of the island, the Turkish Cypriots drew a giant flag in the mountains, which can be seen on Google maps when zoomed in. Exact coordinates: 35.282902, 33.376891.
28. In Cyprus, it is forbidden to eat or drink while driving. Do not even think about taking a sip of water or taking a bite of a croissant - for this you can get a fine if you catch the eye of the traffic inspector at the time of the "crime".
29. Cyprus is the first country in the world to put its map on the national flag. But there are some who have followed the example of Cyprus. Do you want to know what kind of country it is? This is Kosovo.
30. Nicosia is the only city in Cyprus that has been constantly inhabited by someone since the Bronze Age.
31. Cyprus was once the richest country in the world. It was during the Copper and Bronze Ages when copper from the island was exported to other countries.
32. The oldest domestic cat was found in Cyprus. In 2004, archaeologists discovered the remains of a man buried with a cat on the island. This find is about 9,500 years old.
33. The largest bank on the island belongs to the Orthodox Church.
34. Despite the fact that Cyprus is an island state, fishing is not popular here. And the basis of all national dishes is meat.
35. Rivers in Cyprus originate in the Troodos mountains and are filled with water only due to the melting of mountain snow. In summer, all rivers dry up completely.
36. Cyprus was once famous for its vast forests, but since the 7th century BC, most of them were destroyed due to the demand for timber for shipbuilding, which was led by endless conquerors. Now forests are found mainly in the mountainous areas and in the Paphos region.
37. Several days a year, Cyprus looks like the Sahara Desert. The fact is that a strong wind brings dust to the island from this not so distant desert, and the inhabitants of the island try to leave their homes less often on such days. All major cities on the island have stations that measure the amount of dust in the air. Most often, dust storms in Cyprus are observed in spring.
38. Of the 40 schools in Cyprus, 28 teach in English. Children at the age of 5 go to kindergarten, and this is a mandatory requirement for all preschoolers.
39. Cyprus has a mini-version of the American Grand Canyon - the Avakas Gorge. A special marked trail was made there for tourists.
40. There is not a single natural freshwater lake on the island, but there are plenty of reservoirs - as many as 108. Locals call them lakes.
Children's language camps in Cyprus
With us you can easily choose and book an online program for schoolchildren in Cyprus. Official school prices and special discounts from Travel Class.