Orion Hub - Cyprus - About Cyprus
Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Republic of Cyprus is a developed country and has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean. Cyprus is the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, of beauty and love, also known as Kypris or the Cyprian.
The island is de facto partitioned into four main parts: the area under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus in the south of the island; the Turkish occupied area in the north; the United Nations-controlled Green Line, separating the two; and two Sovereign Base Areas (Akrotiri and Dhekelia), over which the United Kingdom retained jurisdiction after Cypriot independence.
The Cypriot economy is prosperous. Its per-capita GDP (adjusted for purchasing power) is slightly higher than the European Union average. Cyprus has been sought as a base for several offshore businesses, due to its highly developed infrastructure. Oil has recently been discovered in the seabed between Cyprus and Egypt, and talks are underway between Lebanon and Egypt to reach an agreement regarding the exploration of these resources. The seabed separating Lebanon and Cyprus is believed to hold significant quantities of crude oil and natural gas.
Historically and culturally Cyprus is closely aligned with Europe – the Greek Cypriots with Greece and the Turkish Cypriots with Turkey. Cyprus has been at the crossroads between Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa, with lengthy periods of mainly Greek and occasional Anatolian, Levantine, and British influences.
The Cyprus climate is temperate and typically Mediterranean with dry summers and rainy winters. Summer temperatures range from warm to hot in the lowlands. Winter temperatures are mild at lower elevations, where snow rarely occurs, but are significantly colder in the mountains, where there is sufficient snow for a seasonal ski facility. Dust storms are frequent throughout the year.