Cyprus is a great tourist destination that has been steadily increasing in popularity in recent years, though it’s certainly not a place that we’d be taught much about. As such, you might be lacking in some total basics about Cyprus, and don’t worry, it’s completely fine. We’ll go over the baseline today – is Cyprus an island or a country?
You may already be familiar that Cyprus is geographically in West Asia, though simultaneously it is a member of the European Union. Now, what is Cyprus? Well, it’s actually both. Both an island and a country, that is. The island of Cyprus is home to the Republic of Cyprus, Northern Cyprus and small territories belonging to the UK.
Cyprus is not a city, however. The largest cities of Cyprus, the country, are Nicosia (capital), Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Famagusta and Kyrenia. Many people may also think of Cyprus and think it’s Greece. That’s not so, and in fact Cyprus never was a part of Greece. The confusion here stems from the fact that Cypriots self-identify as ethnic Greeks and have been identical culturally to Greece for thousands of years, but the island never actually belonged to it. Then the Turks invaded and implemented their culture to the northern part of the island and Cyprus has been at a clash of ethnic Greeks and Turks ever since.
And yes, Cyprus is a part of the European Union, having joined on 1 May, 2004, just like our Poland.
See also:
