Cyprus at a Glance_EN

CHRONOLOGY The history of Cyprus dates to the 10th millennium BC 2nd and 1st millennium BC Mycenean and Achaean Greeks settle in Cyprus bringing Greek culture to the island. 30BC - 330AD Cyprus a province of the Roman Empire. 330AD - 1191 Cyprus a province of the Byzantine Empire. 1191 - 1571 Cyprus under the rule of the Crusaders, the Order of the Knights Templar, the French Lusignans (1192−1489) and the Venetians (1489−1571). 1571 - 1878 Cyprus under Ottoman rule. 1878 Cyprus leased by the Ottoman Empire to Britain. 1914 Cyprus annexed by Britain following Turkey’s alignment with Germany in WWI. 1923 Under the Treaty of Lausanne Turkey relinquishes all rights to Cyprus. 1925 Cyprus declared a British crown colony. 1931 First Greek Cypriot uprising against British rule. 1954 Greece brings the issue of self-determination for Cyprus to the UN General Assembly. 1955 - 1959 Anti-colonial liberation struggle against British rule. 1959 Under agreements negotiated in Zurich and London by Greece, Turkey and Great Britain, Cyprus is granted independence. 37