CIA World Factbook 1994: Cyprus

ITEM ID     : CI WOFACT WO0064
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994

AGENCY      : CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
PROGRAM     : WORLD FACTBOOK
TITLE       : World Factbook: Cyprus

Source key      : CI
Program key     : CI WOFACT
Update sched.   : Annually
Data type       : TEXT
End year        : 1994
Date of record  : 19941020
Keywords 3      :
Keywords 3      : | Cyprus

Geography

Location: Middle East, in the eastern Mediterreanean Sea, 97 km west of Syria and 64 km west of Turkey

Map references: Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 9,250 sq km
land area: 9,240 sq km
comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 648 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation

territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes:

     1974 hostilities divided the island into two de facto autonomous
     areas, a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot Government (60% of the
     island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area (35% of the island),
     that are separated by a narrow UN buffer zone; in addition, there are
     two UK sovereign base areas (about 5% of the island's land area)
Climate:
     temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters
Terrain:
     central plain with mountains to north and south
Natural resources:
     copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth
     pigment

Land use:
arable land:
40%
permanent crops:
7%
meadows and pastures:
10%
forest and woodland:
18%
other:
25%
Irrigated land:
350 sq km (1989)

Environment:
current issues:

     water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal
     disparity in rainfall, and most potable resources concentrated in the
     Turkish Cypriot area); water pollution from sewage and industrial
     wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from
     urbanization
natural hazards:
     moderate earthquake activity
international agreements:
     party to - Air Pollution, Endangered Species, Environmental
     Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
     Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but
     not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

                                  People

Population:
730,084 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.91% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
16.69 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate:
7.61 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate:
9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.22 years
male:
73.97 years
female:
78.58 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.32 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality:
noun:
Cypriot(s)
adjective:
Cypriot
Ethnic divisions:
Greek 78%, Turkish 18%, other 4%
Religions:

     Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian, Apostolic, and
     other 4%
Languages:
     Greek, Turkish, English
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1987 est.)
total population:
     94%

male:
98%
female:
91%
Labor force:
Greek area:
285,500
by occupation:
services 57%, industry 29%, agriculture 14% (1992) Turkish area:
75,000
by occupation:
services 52%, industry 22%, agriculture 26% (1992)

Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Cyprus
conventional short form:
Digraph:
CY
Type:
republic
note:

     a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island
     began after the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation
     was further solidified following the Turkish invasion of the island in
     July 1974, which gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the
     north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized
     government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot President Rauf
     DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish
     Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which has been recognized only by
     Turkey; both sides publicly call for the resolution of intercommunal
     differences and creation of a new federal system of government
Capital:
     Nicosia
Administrative divisions:
     6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos
Independence:
     16 August 1960 (from UK)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 1 October (15 November (1983) is celebrated as
     Independence Day in the Turkish area)
Constitution:
     16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised
     constitution to govern the island and to better relations between
     Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently; in 1975
     Turkish Cypriots created their own Constitution and governing bodies
     within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the
     "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983; a new Constitution for
     the Turkish area passed by referendum in 5 May 1985
Legal system:
     based on common law, with civil law modifications

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:

     President Glafkos CLERIDES (since 28 February 1993); election last
     held 14 February 1993 (next to be held February 1998); results -
     Glafkos CLERIDES 50.3%, George VASSILIOU 49.7%
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed jointly by the president and
     vice-president
note:
     Rauf R. DENKTASH has been president of the Turkish area since 13
     February 1975; Hakki ATUN has been prime minister of the Turkish area
     since 1 January 1994; there is a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the
     Turkish area
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
House of Representatives (Vouli Antiprosopon):
     elections last held 19 May 1991 (next to be held NA); results - DISY
     35.8%, AKEL (Communist) 30.6%, DIKO 19.5%, EDEK 10.9%; others 3.2%;
     seats - (56 total) DISY 20, AKEL (Communist) 18, DIKO 11, EDEK 7
Turkish Area: Assembly of the Republic (Cumhuriyet Meclisi):
     elections last held 12 December 1993 (next to be held NA); results -
     percent of vote by party NA; seats - (50 total) UBP (conservative) 17,
     DP 15, CTP 13, TKP 5
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court; note - there is also a Supreme Court in the Turkish
     area

Political parties and leaders:
Greek Cypriot:

     Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL, Communist Party),
     Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS; Democratic Rally (DISY), John MATSIS;
     Democratic Party (DIKO), Spyros KYPRIANOU; United Democratic Union of
     the Center (EDEK), Vassos LYSSARIDIS; Socialist Democratic Renewal
     Movement (ADISOK), Mikhalis PAPAPETROU; Liberal Party, Nikos ROLANDIS;
     Free Democrats, George VASSILIOU
Turkish area:
     National Unity Party (UBP), Dervis EROGLU; Communal Liberation Party
     (TKP), Mustafa AKINCI; Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Ozker OZGUR;
     New Cyprus Party (YKP), Alpay DURDURAN; Social Democratic Party (SDP),
     Ergun VEHBI; New Birth Party (YDP), Ali Ozkan ALTINISHIK; Free
     Democratic Party (HDP), Ismet KOTAK; National Struggle Party (MSP),
     Zorlu TORE; Unity and Sovereignty Party (USP), Arif Salih KIRDAG;
     Democratic Party (DP), Hakki ATUN; Fatherland Party (VP), Orhan UCOK
note:
     CTP, TKP, and YDP joined in the coalition Democratic Struggle Party
     (DMP) for the 22 April 1990 legislative election; the CTP and TKP
     boycotted the by-election of 13 October 1991, in which 12 seats were
     at stake; the DMP was dissolved after the 1990 election

Other political or pressure groups:

     United Democratic Youth Organization (EDON, Communist controlled);
     Union of Cyprus Farmers (EKA, Communist controlled); Cyprus Farmers
     Union (PEK, pro-West); Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation (PEO, Communist
     controlled); Confederation of Cypriot Workers (SEK, pro-West);
     Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions (Turk-Sen); Confederation
     of Revolutionary Labor Unions (Dev-Is)
Member of:
     C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
     ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
     IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
     UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Andreas JACOVIDES
chancery:
2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone:
(202) 462-5772
consulate(s) general:
New York
note:

     Representative of the Turkish area in the US is Namik KORMAN, office
     at 1667 K Street NW, Washington DC, telephone (202) 887-6198

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard BOUCHER
embassy:
corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, Nicosia mailing address:
APO AE 09836
telephone:
[357] (2) 476100
FAX:
[357] (2) 465944
Flag:

     white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus
     is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed
     olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the
     hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish
     communities
note:
     the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and
     bottom with a red crescent and red star on a white field

                                  Economy

Overview:

     The Greek Cypriot economy is small, diversified, and prosperous.
     Industry contributes 16% to GDP and employs 29% of the labor force,
     while the service sector contributes 60% to GDP and employs 57% of the
     labor force. An average 6.8% rise in real GDP between 1986 and 1990
     was temporarily checked in 1991, because of the adverse effects of the
     Gulf War on tourism. Economic growth surged again in 1992, bolstered
     by strong foreign and domestic demand. As the economy gained momentum,
     however, it began to overheat; inflation reached 6.5%. The economy has
     likely recorded a sharp drop in growth in 1993, due to the recession
     in Western Europe, Cyprus' main trading partner, but probably will
     pick up again in 1994. The Turkish Cypriot economy has less than
     one-third the per capita GDP in the south. Because it is recognized
     only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign
     financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. The
     economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture, which employs more
     than one-quarter of the workforce. Moreover, because the Turkish lira
     is legal tender, the Turkish Cypriot economy has suffered the same
     high inflation as mainland Turkey. To compensate for the economy's
     weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to nearly every
     sector; financial support has reached about one-third of Turkish
     Cypriot GDP.

National product:
Greek area:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.7 billion (1992) Turkish area:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $550 million (1992) National product real growth rate:
Greek area:
8.2% (1992)
Turkish area:
7.3% (1992)
National product per capita:
Greek area:
$11,390 (1992)
Turkish area:
$3,130 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Greek area:
6.5% (1992)
Turkish area:
63.4% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
Greek area:
1.8% (1992)
Turkish area:
1.2% (1992)
Budget:
revenues:

     Greek area - $1.7 billion
     Turkish area -  $273 million
expenditures:
     Greek area - $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $350
     million

     Turkish area - $360 million, including capital expenditures of $78
     million (1994)
Exports:
     $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine, cement, clothing and shoes
partners:
     UK 19%, Greece 8%, Lebanon 2%, Egypt 7%
Imports:
     $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, food and feed grains,
     machinery
partners:
     UK 11%, Japan 11%, Italy 10%, Germany 9%, US 8%
External debt:
     $1.6 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 4% (1993 est.); accounts for 16.0% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity:
620,000 kW
production:
1.77 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
2,530 kWh (1991)
Industries:

     food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, wood
     products
Agriculture:
     contributes 7% to GDP and employs 26% of labor force in the south;
     major crops - potatoes, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, citrus
     fruits; vegetables and fruit provide 25% of export revenues
Illicit drugs:
     transit point for heroin via air routes and container traffic to
     Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey

Economic aid:
recipient:

     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $292 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $250
     million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $62 million; Communist
     countries (1970-89), $24 million
Currency:
     1 Cypriot pound (#C) = 100 cents; 1 Turkish lira (TL) = 100 kurus
Exchange rates:
     Cypriot pounds per $US1 - 0.5148 (December 1993), 0.4970 (1993),
     0.4502 (1992), 0.4615 (1991), 0.4572 (1990), 0.4933 (1989); Turkish
     liras (TL) per US$1 - 15,196.1 (January 1994), 10,983.3 (1993),
     6,872.4 (1992), 4,171.8 (1991), 2,608.6 (1990), 2,121.7 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year

                              Communications

Highways:
total:
10,780 km
paved:
5,170 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone, earth 5,610 km Ports:
Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos Merchant marine:

     1,399 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,743,484 GRT/39,874,985
     DWT, bulk 469, cargo 496, chemical tanker 27, combination bulk 48,
     combination ore/oil 32, container 82, liquefied gas 3, multifunction
     large load carrier 4, oil tanker 122, passenger 4, passenger-cargo 2,
     railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 67, roll-on/roll-off cargo 24,
     short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 3
note:
     a flag of convenience registry; Cuba owns 26 of these ships, Russia
     owns 61, Latvia owns 7, Croatia owns 2, and Romania owns 4

Airports:
total:
14
usable:
14
with permanent-surface runways:
11
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
7
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
2
Telecommunications:

     excellent in both the area controlled by the Cypriot Government (Greek
     area), and in the Turkish-Cypriot administered area; 210,000
     telephones; largely open-wire and microwave radio relay; broadcast
     stations - 11 AM, 8 FM, 1 (34 repeaters) TV in Greek sector and 2 AM,
     6 FM and 1 TV in Turkish sector; international service by tropospheric
     scatter, 3 submarine cables, and satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic
     Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and EUTELSAT earth stations

                              Defense Forces

Branches:
Greek area:

     Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG; including air and naval elements),
     Greek Cypriot Police
Turkish area:
     Turkish Cypriot Security Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 186,807; fit for military service 128,444; reach
     military age (18) annually 5,233 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $407 million, 6.5% of GDP (1993)