Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, and a member state of the European Union Cyprus is the largest island in the eastern Mediterranean and is situated south of Turkey. The two main mountain ranges are the Penta dactylos in the north and the Troodos in central and south-western part of the island. Between them is the fertile plain of Messaoria.
Cyprus has long been a crossing point between Europe, Asia and Africa and still has many traces of successive civilizations – Roman theaters and villas, Byzantine churches and monasteries, Crusader castles, Ottoman mosques and pre-historic habitats.
The island’s main economic activities are tourism, clothing and craft exports and merchant shipping. Traditional crafts include embroidery, pottery and copperwork.
Traditional local dishes include the meze – a selection of appetizers served as a main dish, halloumi/hellim cheese and the zivania schnapps. The Republic of Cyprus gained its independence from Britain in 1960. Cyprus is well known as the island of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, who, according to legend, was born here.
