Beautiful island of Cyprus

Located somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, below the Republic of Turkey is located the beautiful island of Cyprus. Geographically, it is located within Asian territory but is politically a member of the European Union (EU). It is the third largest Mediterranean island and the 81st largest in the world. Cyprus shares borders with Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Greece. Cyprus is one of the continent’s hottest holiday destinations.

The Republic of Cyprus has a rather interesting, and lately, turbulent history. Starting from records which point to a very strong link with the ancient Greek empire, and later on, Egyptian rule, the island was at various times occupied by different empires. By 58 BC, it was finally under the Roman rule. Following decades of neglect and poor leadership, the locals opted for a union with Greece. Today, various portions of Cyprus are under the control of the Greeks, Turks, British and the United Nations.

Expectedly, the weather here is moves from Mediterranean in most parts to semi-arid in the remainder portions of the island. Summers are dry and very hot and the winters are cool. As at 2007, the average Cypriot earned above his companions on the continent. Cyprus has a very high positive ranking for the various indices used to measure standard of living. With the recent discovery of oil off the coast, the economy just cannot wait to expand. For now, tourism seems to be the cash cow and the ripple effect has spilled over the property sector which is also expanding rapidly.