Cyprus is an Island state of the Eastern Mediterranean divided into two parts, one Greek, other Turkish, extends on 9 250 km2.
By its geographical position, the island always played a role privileged in the relations and the exchanges between the ages and the empires of the Eastern Mediterranean. Deeply marked by their multiple influences, Cyprus did not preserve of it less its individuality.
The ancient period
Inhabited as of the VI E thousand-year-old, the island saw appearing ceramics about the middle of the IV E thousand-year-old. The Neolithic sites were abandoned towards 3000 av. J. - C. the Bronze Age, which began towards 2300, was one boom thanks to the exploitation of the mines and with the development of the trade.
As of 1400 av. J. - C., the Achaens were established in the island, where the Mycenaean culture could remain until worms the end of the II E thousand-year-old. Touched by the Dorian invasions, Cyprus maintained the contact between Greece, Ionie, Rhodos, and Phénicie and Egypt.
In spite of a strong Phoenician colonization to the IX E century, the Greek establishment remained until the end of the Hellenistic time. Occupied in turn by the Assyrians, the Egyptians and Persians, the island was then annexed to the empire of Alexandre (333), before being a ground for dispute between Séleucides and Ptolémées, until the Roman conquest (58 av. J. - C.). Cyprus knew a brilliance rise at the end of Antiquity, as many lately released early Christian constructions testify some (Paphos, Soli).
2000 years of Mediterranean history
Incorporated in the Byzantine Empire, the island passed temporarily to the Arabs (IXe - Xe century), then was conquered by Richard the Lionheart (1191), which yielded it to GUI of Lusignan. This one founded there, in 1192, a Latin kingdom under French influence. Cyprus preserves franque occupation of many castles, abbeys and churches with Nicosie and Famagouste in particular.
Occupied by the Venetian ones, in 1489, after one long period of brilliant prosperity, Cyprus was conquered in 1571 by the Turks.
Towards the partition of the island
The shortly after the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, Cyprus passed under the supervision of Great Britain, which annexed it in 1914 and made a colony of the Crown of it, in 1925. In the absence of fastening in Greece (Enôsis), claimed since 1931 by the Cypriot Greeks, Mgr Makários and colonel Grivas obtained independence (1959) and the Republic of Cyprus was proclaimed in 1960.
Cyprus enjoys a statute bicommunautaire near to that to Lebanon. Greece and Turkey, powers guarantors, were to maintain on the island a military quota, while Great Britain preserved under its sovereignty two military bases (Dhekélia and Akrotíri). This independence defined by the agreements of Zurich and London was regarded as a makeshift by the Greek part which found exorbitant the concessions that it was to agree (right to veto with the Turkish vice-president, participation of the Turkish community in 30 % in the administration and 40 % in the army), but also by the Turkish part which feared a questioning of the status quo and a progressive marginalisation of the Turkish part because of the economic prosperity of the Greek part. Archbishop-president Makários tried indeed as of 1963 to call into question the status quo by proposing a constitutional revision. Turkey refused. The violence of the oppositions between the two communities, Greek and Turkish, caused bloody disorders, that the intervention of the troops of UNO (1964) could not alleviate.
In 1974, a confrontation between Greece and the government of Mgr Makários led to an unloading of the Turkish troops, which occupied the North-East of the island (38 % of the territory). Some 200 ' 000 Cypriot Greeks had to take refuge in the South. Since then, Cyprus is divided into two States, between which a quota of the forces of UNO endeavors to maintain peace.
In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot federate State was proclaimed Turkish République of Cyprus of North by its president Rauf Denktash. The negotiations organized in 1986 between this one and Spsros Kyprianoú, president of the Republic, were a failure. After the election with the presidency of the Republic of Gheórghios Vassilíou in 1988, the intercommunity talks began again, but the conflict is still not regulated. Glafcos Cléridès, president of the democratic Gathering (right-hand side), Greek Cypriot principal party, elected president of the Republic in February 1993, with 50.28 % of the voices, against 49.72 % with George Vassiliou, outgoing president supported by the Communist party, sees its mandate renewed in 1998.