The name Cyprus has a somewhat uncertain etymology. Suggestion is that it comes from the Greek word for the Mediterranean cypress tree (Cupressus sempervirens), κυπάρισσος (kypárissos) or even from the Greek name of the henna plant (Lawsonia alba), κύπρος (kýpros). Another school suggests that it stems from the Eteocypriot word for copper. Dossin, for example, suggests that it has roots to the Sumerian word for copper (zubar) or even the word for bronze (kubar), due to the large deposits of copper ore found on the island. Through overseas trade, the island has already given its name to the Classical Latin word for the metal, which appears in the phrase aes Cyprium, “metal of Cyprus”, later shortened to Cuprum.[2]Cyprus is also called “the island of Aphrodite”, because according to Greek mythology the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus), was born in Cyprus.

Cyprus (Greek: Κύπρος, Kýpros; Turkish: Kıbrıs), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, Kypriakí Dhimokratía) is a Eurasian island country in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey (Anatolia). It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, attracting over 2.4 million tourists per year.[1] A former British colony, it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960 and became a Commonwealth republic in 1961. The Republic of Cyprus is a developed country, and has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004.

In 1974, following a period of violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and an attempted Greek-sponsored coup, Turkey invaded and occupied one third of the island; this led to the displacement of thousands of Cypriots and the establishment of a separate Turkish Cypriot regime to govern the invaded area in the north. This ongoing dispute has contributed to the island’s de facto partitioning into four main parts:

* the Republic of Cyprus, the internationally recognized island country with de facto dominion over the south of the island;
* the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognized only by Turkey), in the north;
* the United Nations-controlled Green Line, separating the two; and
* two Sovereign Base Areas, over which the UK retained jurisdiction after Cypriot independence.