Cyprus, officially called the Republic of Cyprus, is located south of Turkey. It is a presidential republic where the president is both heads of state and the government. Nicosia is the country’s capital and largest city. Cyprus has two official languages, Greek and Turkish, of which Greek is officially accepted as the EU language.
Cyprus was placed under the U.K.’s administration after the 1878 Cyprus Convention and was later annexed by the U.K. in 1914.
Cyprus is a divided island. The northern portion, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is under Turkish control. It is a de facto state that has been recognised only by Turkey. The southern portion is an independent republic called the Republic of Cyprus. Except for Turkey, all other states consider TRNC as part of the Republic of Cyprus. This division in outlook has led to what is known as the Cyprus conflict.
Cyprus joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Despite joining the EU as a de facto divided island, the whole of Cyprus is taken as a single EU territory and Turkish Cypriots are accepted as European Union citizens.
Cyprus holds 6 seats in the European Parliament. It also had the presidency of the Council of the EU once in 2012. Cyprus is not a member country of the Schengen Area.
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