Geography and Population

Cyprus situated in the north-eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea, at the cross-roads of Europe, Asia and Africa is known for its beauty, tourism, cultural history, high quality of life and also low cost of living. The economy of Cyprus has evolved immensely in the past 27 years and today Cyprus has an excellent tourism industry and high quality telecommunications, banking and financial services. All these advantages of Cyprus have carried the country to the European Union.

The strategic location of the island has played an important role in its continuing development into a financial and tourist centre. With an area of 9,251 sq. km., Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia.

The capital of the island is Nicosia, with a population of more than 200,000. It is situated roughly in the centre of the island and is the seat of government as well as the main business centre. Limassol situated in the south, has more than 200,000 inhabitants, is the main commercial port in Cyprus, and is a booming tourist resort. Larnaca, with over 120,000 inhabitants, and in the south-east of the island, is the island's second commercial port, and is also an important tourist resort, whilst Paphos, with over 70,000 inhabitants is a fast developing business, agricultural and tourist area. The total population for Cyprus is currently 784,000 approximately.

Cyprus enjoys perhaps the best type of Mediterranean climate with about 340 warm and sunny days a year. The light rainy season is usually confined to the period between November and March, with snow in the mountains occurring between December and April. During the six months of summer, the sun shines for an average of 11,5 hours a day, and around 5,5 hours during the cloudiest months of December and January.

Cyprus Mean Temperatures

January			July
Mean Temperatures			Mean Temperatures
Town	Max.	Min.	Max.	Min
Nicosia	15.3C	5.1C	36.7C	21.4C
Limassol	26.9C	7.6C	32.4C	21.1C
Larnaca	15.9C	6.9C	33.2C	21.7C
Paphos	16.7C	9.2C	30.1C	21.1C
Troodos	5.9C	0.3C	27.1C	17.5C

Arriving In Cyprus

Cyprus, being an island, can be reached only by sea or air. The island has two airports, one at Larnaca, and the other at Paphos. There are more than thirty airlines which operate from these airports and most European capitals can be reached by their direct flights. The two main sea ports, are located at Larnaca and Limassol. Within these two towns, there are also yachting marinas which cater for the yachting enthusiast/traveller.

Standards of Living

The economy of Cyprus is marked by rapid growth, and full employment, and therefore, it enjoys a fairly high, European standard of living, while it remains an inexpensive country. It has none of the diseases which require quarantine, and therefore no vaccination is required upon entering the island. Sea and air pollution is also negligible.

Cyprus has a twelve year span of education and in addition to the local Greek schools, there are both junior and secondary schools of a high standard catering for English, French and Armenian speaking pupils. It is basically a Christian Orthodox country, however, Anglican and Catholic services are held on a regular basis in all towns. The language is Greek, but over 80% of the island's population also speak English, making life for the non-Greek speaker much easier.

Currency

The currency of Cyprus is the Cyprus Pound, although within the next 2 years Cyprus will adopt the Euro. (1 Cyprus Pound is worth approximately £0.83p sterling.)

Land Measurements

Land is measured in metres, donums and skalas.
1 donum or 1 skala = 1338sq.m.

Cost of Living

Electricity	3 bedroom house approx. CY£35 per month.
Water	2/4 persons approx. CY£8-10 per month.
Gas	Available as 10kg canisters, (natural gas is not available in Cyprus), this is CY£6 and lasts above house/family approx. 2 months.

Recreation and Night Life

During the long summers you may enjoy any of the huge range of watersports offered on the island, which include water skiing, diving, snorkeling, sailing etc. Horse riding is also very popular as is walking, both on the lowlands and mountains. If more leisurely pastimes are more to your liking, Cyprus offers a variety of sandy beaches and rocky coves to laze away the days. Golf is now a popular pastime in Cyprus. New golf courses of Championship standard have sprung up on the island, with more planned for the future.

In winter, many of the hotels offer up their tennis courts and leisure facilities for a reasonable charge. Horse riding and walking remain popular, and Troodos even offers snow skiing for the more energetic during December to April. Horse racing takes place weekly in Nicosia and a number of other sporting clubs exist which encourage memberships.

Eating out has become a local habit and is part of entertainment in Cyprus. There is a wide variety of restaurants, catering for all tastes. Along with local tavernas which provide local dishes, there are restaurants which offer international cuisine (eg. French, Chinese, Italian, Indian). Prices vary, however, as a generalisation one may quote 50,00 CY£ for two people at a good restaurant for a three course meal, whereas this is reduced to 20-25,00 CY£ at a taverna.

After dining there is still plenty to do. Night clubs, both European and Cypriot, with good live music, discos and a variety of bars are readily found in all the main towns of the island, and most small towns and large villages have a number of bars.

There are six Cypriot/Greek T.V. stations available at the moment, as well as 2/3 local T.V. stations. Approximately 30% of the programmes are broadcast in English and all foreign films are broadcast in their original language, with Greek subtitles. Numerous options for satellite T.V. are also available. There are radio stations, which are mainly broadcast in Greek. In addition to these though, is a British Forces Radio which broadcasts on a 24 hour basis in English. The island offers two independent newspapers printed in English, however all international magazines, national papers and periodicals are available on the island, usually with a delay of only one day from their date of issue.

Festivals and fairs take place all the year round, and are often linked to the many religious days that the Greek Orthodox church celebrates. The month of May offers the International State Fair, and the Flower Festival, whilst the opportunity to sample many Cypriot wines and local dishes at the Limassol Wine Festival in September should not be missed. The Carnival in February, and Easter celebrations (usually in April and dependent on the Orthodox calendar) are also not to be missed.

There are several horse riding schools, shooting clubs, aeronautics', sailing, motorcar and motocross, tennis, and football clubs etc which encourage membership, as do the several international associations and cultural societies, which include the Lions and Rotary Clubs, Round Table, Toastmasters International, Armenian Centre, British Council, French Cultural Centre, and the Goethe Institute etc.

Government and International Relations, Taxation, Business and Commerce

Since 1960, Cyprus has been an independent sovereign republic, with a presidential democratic system of government. Human rights, political pluralism and private property are safeguarded by the constitution. The Cypriot legal system is also modelled on the British equivalent, and the Land Registry department is probably one of the most advanced and reliable systems in the world, once again being based on the British system. Purchasers of property in Cyprus, therefore, will be far more secure, with many more options of recourse available to them, especially with regards to their Title Deeds, than in many other countries.

The Cypriot banking system is modelled on the British banking system, and most local banks have many convenient branches. Most of the international banks also have branches throughout the island. These banks are efficient, modern and well-equipped with the latest technology, offering a wide range of services that cater for the needs of both businesses and individuals. Modern credit cards, such as those within the VISA and Mastercard networks, are also widely used and accepted in Cyprus. Transaction payments are simply made through an external deposit accounts, which can be opened by a foreign nationals without difficulty.