Cyprus

When i went to get my car inspected last year, I was in the waiting room with a guy from Cyprus. He was impressed that I even had heard of the country! Basically all I knew, though, was that its flag is the only one in the world with a picture of the country on it, and that it was an island in the Mediterranean. I asked him what language they spoke there and he was like "good question!' He explained that most people spoke Greek, but it is a slightly different dialect than that spoken in Greece.

Cyprus is an island nation in the Mediterranean, which has inhabited since at least 10,000 BCE. It has an area of 3,572 square miles (slightly bigger than Lake Titicaca) and a population of about 1,141,166 people. The capital is Nicosia.

Due to Cyprus's strategic location in the Middle East, it has been occupied by many empires throughout its history, including the Greek, Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Byzantine, Arab Caliphates, Ottoman, and in the 20th Century, British. Cyprus became independent from Britain in 1960, and has been in dispute by Greek Cypriots who want to be part of Greece, and the Turkish Cypriots who wish to be part of Turkey. The island is partitioned, with the Turkish area under its own control. Turkey is the only nation to recognize this region as independent. The international community considers this region as part of Cyprus under Turkish occupation.

The main industries in Cyprus are tourism, shipping, and the financial sector. The main languages are Greek and Turkish.

Aphrodite's Rock in Cyprus. Photo Credit

FUN FACT: in Greek mythology, the goddess Aphrodite is said to have sprung from the sea near Cyprus after the titan Cronus cut off the god Uranus's 'nads and threw them into the ocean.