Independence Day in Cyprus

People all across CYPRUS recently celebrated their country's Independence Day on Thursday, October 1st. Cyprus achieved independence from The United Kingdom in 1960. Happy belated Independence Day!

Cyprus Exports

The following items are major exports of CYPRUS: barley, cement and related construction materials, citrus fruit, clothing and textiles, dairy products, grapes, gypsum, marble, olives, pharmaceuticals, pyrites ("fool's gold"), salt, and various vegetables (especially potatoes). According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United Kingdom (top importer), Greece, Libya, the United States, Israel, Panama, Germany, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Sweden, Jordan, Bulgaria, Russia, Lebanon, Slovakia, Italy, and Switzerland.

Bays of Cyprus

Photo by Thulborn-Chapman Photography (Flickr) | CC License

The island country CYPRUS (Κύπρος) sits near the Mediterranean Sea's eastern edge and south of Turkey. Cyprus' coastline is relatively rugged and provides plenty of opportunities for bay areas. Crysochu Bay lies north of a small town, Polis, and west of Kokkina in northwestern Cyprus. Morfou Bay is found east of Crysochu Bay, north of Karavostasi, and west of Morphou (Güzelyurt). Morfou Bay is also about 32 kilometers and 20 miles west of Nicosia (Lefkosia or Lefkoşa), the capital of Cyprus.

The island's easternmost water body is Famagusta Bay, west of multiple cities including Agios Sergios, Deryneia, Famagusta (Ammochostos or Gazimagusa), Paralimni, and Trikomo (Iskele). From east to west along the southern coastline are Larnaca Bay, Akrotiri Bay, and Episkopi Bay. Larnaca Bay is south of Larnaca, Xylofagou, and the United Kingdom's Dhekelia military base area. The UK's Akrotiri base area juts southward from Cyprus' mainland, separating the Episkopi and Akrotiri bays from each other. Akrotiri Bay is south of communities such as Agios Tychon, Limassol, and Mesa Geitonia while Episkopi Bay is south of Episkopi, Paramali, and Pissouri.

Cyprus Endangered Species

As of May 17th, 2015, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for CYPRUS in the Mediterranean Sea lists 13 critically endangered species and 20 endangered species. Fortunately, Cyprus does not have any extinct species on the IUCN Red List. Cyprus' endangered species are the Akamas Centaury thistle plant, Angel Shark, Casey's Larkspur delphinium, European Eel, Kythrean Sage, Mediterranean Monk Seal, Pallid Squill plant, Slender-billed Curlew bird, Sociable Lapwing bird, Troodos Rockcress plant, Erysimum kykkoticum plant, Glaphyra bassettii longhorn beetle, and Propomacrus cypriacus beetle. The longhorn beetle is found only in a maximum 100 square kilometer (~39 sq. mile) range in western Cyprus, while the Propomacrus beetle is only found in a 10 sq. kilometer (3.9 sq. mile) area. Even more limited in geographic distribution is the Erysimum kykkoticum plant, which lives in a 3-hectare (0.03 sq. kilometer or ~0.0116 sq. mile) area.

Cyprus post (links opens in new tab/window)

Karpass Peninsula

Peninsula Week Post #2

Located at the northeast end of the island country CYPRUS is the Karpass Peninsula. It juts out into the Mediterranean Sea in a northeasterly direction. Cape Apostolos Andreas is at the northeastern tip of the peninsula. Communities on the peninsula include Rizokarpasso and Yalousa. Cyprus received independence in 1960, but Turkey now claims northern areas of Cyprus.

Only Two Countries with Maps on Flags

The only two countries that feature country maps on their flags are CYPRUS and KOSOVO. By the way, the capital of Cyprus is Nicosia, while the Kosovo's capital is Priština. Cyprus' flag is the left one below, while Kosovo's is the right one. Of course, my added effects are not part of the actual flags!

     

Cyprus

The Republic of CYPRUS (Κύπρος) is geographically located in western Asia but also serves as a European Union member. The island country is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and south of Turkey. The total population is about 1.15 million. The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia or Lefkoşa. Cyprus experienced turmoil when Greece conducted a coup d'état against President Makarios III, then Turkey invaded the island afterwards in attempts to restore order. Officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Northern Cyprus is a self-declared state only recognized by Turkey. The United Kingdom operates military base areas at Akrotiri and Dhekelia along Cyprus' southern coast. Greek and Turkish are the official languages, and Christianity is the majority religion followed by Islam. The currency of Cyprus was the Cypriot Pound, and its ISO 4217 currency code was CYP. Cyprus switched to the Euro currency in 2008.