Cyprus at a Glance_EN

The Republic of Cyprus The State Official name of state: Kypriaki Democratia (Greek), Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti (Turkish), Republic of Cyprus (English). Independence Day: 1 October. Cyprus gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1960. In 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus and occupied 36,2% of its sovereign territory. A ceasefire line still runs across the island and cuts through the heart of the capital, Lefkosia (Nicosia), dividing the city and the country. Although its northern part is under foreign occupation, the Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognised as the sole legitimate state on the island with sovereignty over its entire territory, including the areas occupied by Turkey. The Flag The flag of the Republic of Cyprus was defined in 1960 when Cyprus became an independent sovereign state. The background is white with a copper-coloured (pantone 1385 C) silhouette of the map of Cyprus in the centre of the flag above two crossed olive-green- coloured (pantone 574 C) olive branches. The copper colour has a dual symbolism: first, the name of the island is said to derive from an ancient word for copper (Eteocypriot or Sumerian); and second, copper is closely associated with Cyprus since antiquity when the island became a major producer and supplier of this mineral resource. The olive branches are symbols of peace. The Emblem The Emblem of the Republic of Cyprus depicts a white dove carrying an olive branch in its beak and placed inside a shield in the colour of copper (pantone 1385 C), a metal directly related to Cyprus since ancient times; the year of the independence of Cyprus, “1960”, also in white, appears underneath the dove; the shield is braced by two olive-green-coloured (pantone 574 C) olive branches, which along with the white dove constitute symbols of peace. 2