Cyprus

 

Past and Present

Cyprus, though a small island, has always played an important role in the history of the Mediterranean, far exceeding its size. The first sings of undisputed human activity can be traced back to the 8th millennium BC when the first settlements an encountered Vestiges of such early communities are found all over the island, like at Khirokitia, Kalavassos-Tenta, Apostolos Antreas-Kastros, Phrenaros etc…

Neolithic Cypriots built circular houses with small undressed stone for the lower structures and sun-dried mud bricks and clay for the middle and superstructure.

The daily life of the people in those Neolithic villages was spent in farming, hunting, animal husbandry and the lithic industry, while women were engaged in spindling and weaving cloths, in addition to their probable participation in other works as well. The lithic industry was the most individual feature of this aceramic culture and innumerable stone vessels made of grey andesite have been discovered during excavations.

 

Land

Area: 9,251 sq km (3,572 sq mi).

Capital and largest city: Lefkosia (Greek name--changed from Nicosia February 1995; Lefkosha is Turkish version.) (1991 est. pop. 166,500).

 

People

Population (1993 est.): 723,371; density: 78.2 persons per sq km (202.5 per sq mi).

Distribution (1990): 62% urban, 38% rural.

Annual growth (1993): 0.9%.

Official languages: Greek, Turkish.

Major religions: Greek Orthodoxy, Islam.