Conventional Long Form Name: Republic of Cyprus
Capital City: Nicosia (Lefkosia/Lefkosa)
Type of Government: republic
Date of Independence: 16 August 1960 (from the UK)
National Holidays: Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as "Republic Day"
Chief of State and Head of Government: President Nicos ANASTASIADIES (since 28 February 2013)
Picture of Chief of State and Head of Government:
Capital City: Nicosia (Lefkosia/Lefkosa)
Type of Government: republic
Date of Independence: 16 August 1960 (from the UK)
National Holidays: Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as "Republic Day"
Chief of State and Head of Government: President Nicos ANASTASIADIES (since 28 February 2013)
Picture of Chief of State and Head of Government:
Description of Executive Branch/Powers: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term; election last held on 17 and 24 February 2013 (next to be held in February 2018); Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - under the 1960 constitution, 3 of the ministerial posts reserved for Turkish Cypriots, appointed by the vice president; positions currently filled by Greek Cypriots
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: area under government control: unicameral House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots, but only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members directly elected by both proportional representation and preferential vote; members serve 5-year terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: Supreme Court of Cyprus (consists of 13 judges including the court president); note - the highest court in the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)" is the "Supreme Court" (consists of 8 "judges" including the "court president"); Republic of Cyprus Supreme Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the Supreme Court judges; judges tenure is until the age of 68; "TRNC Supreme Court" judges appointed by the "Supreme Council of Judicature", a 12-member body of "judges", the "attorney general", "appointees" - 1 each by the "president" of the "TRNC" and by the "Legislative Assembly" and 1 member elected by the Bar Association; "judge" tenure NA; Republic of Cyprus district courts; Assize Courts; specialized courts for issues relating to family, industrial disputes, military, and rent control; "TRNC Assize Courts"; "district and family courts"
Suffrage (who is allowed to vote): 18 years of age; universal
Name of THEIR Ambassador to the U.S: Ambassador Georgiose CHACALLI (since 30 May 2013)
Location of THEIR embassy(Chancery) in the U.S.: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location(s) of THEIR consulate(s) in the U.S.: New York
Name of U.S. Ambassador to THEM: Ambassador Kathleen Ann DOHERTY (since 7 October 2015)
Location of U.S. embassy THERE: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, 2407 Engomi, Nicosia
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) THERE: none
Name of THEIR representative to UN: Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou
Picture of the flag:
Description of Legislative Branch/Powers: area under government control: unicameral House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots, but only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members directly elected by both proportional representation and preferential vote; members serve 5-year terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: Supreme Court of Cyprus (consists of 13 judges including the court president); note - the highest court in the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)" is the "Supreme Court" (consists of 8 "judges" including the "court president"); Republic of Cyprus Supreme Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon the recommendation of the Supreme Court judges; judges tenure is until the age of 68; "TRNC Supreme Court" judges appointed by the "Supreme Council of Judicature", a 12-member body of "judges", the "attorney general", "appointees" - 1 each by the "president" of the "TRNC" and by the "Legislative Assembly" and 1 member elected by the Bar Association; "judge" tenure NA; Republic of Cyprus district courts; Assize Courts; specialized courts for issues relating to family, industrial disputes, military, and rent control; "TRNC Assize Courts"; "district and family courts"
Suffrage (who is allowed to vote): 18 years of age; universal
Name of THEIR Ambassador to the U.S: Ambassador Georgiose CHACALLI (since 30 May 2013)
Location of THEIR embassy(Chancery) in the U.S.: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location(s) of THEIR consulate(s) in the U.S.: New York
Name of U.S. Ambassador to THEM: Ambassador Kathleen Ann DOHERTY (since 7 October 2015)
Location of U.S. embassy THERE: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, 2407 Engomi, Nicosia
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) THERE: none
Name of THEIR representative to UN: Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou
Picture of the flag:
Description of Flag: white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the island has long been famous for its copper deposits) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities
National Anthem:
National Anthem:
National Symbols: Cypriot mouflon (wild sheep), white dove; national colors: blue, white
Description of International Disputes: hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis communitaire) suspended in the north; Turkey protests Cypriot Government creating hydrocarbon blocks and maritime boundary with Lebanon in March 2007
Quantity of refugees inside country AND country(ies) of origin of refugees: 5,763 (mostly from Syria)(2015)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: 212,400 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced since 1974) (2015)
Quantity of Stateless Persons: 0
Description of current human trafficking issues related to Cyprus: Cyprus is a source and destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. In previous years, victims of trafficking identified in Cyprus were primarily from Cyprus, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Georgia, India, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Ukraine. Women, primarily from Eastern Europe, Vietnam, India, and sub-Saharan Africa, are subjected to sex trafficking. Sex trafficking occurs in private apartments and hotels, and within commercial sex trade outlets in Cyprus, including bars, pubs, coffee shops, and cabarets. Some victims of sex trafficking were recruited with promises of marriage or employment as barmaids and hostesses in cafeterias. Victims are often subjected to debt bondage, withholding of pay and documents, and threats against their families. Foreign migrant workers—primarily Indian and Romanian nationals—are subjected to forced labor in agriculture. Migrant workers subjected to labor trafficking are recruited by employment agencies and enter the country on short-term work permits, after which they are often subjected to debt bondage, threats, and withholding of pay and documents once the work permit expires.
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector remains weak (2008)
Description of International Disputes: hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis communitaire) suspended in the north; Turkey protests Cypriot Government creating hydrocarbon blocks and maritime boundary with Lebanon in March 2007
Quantity of refugees inside country AND country(ies) of origin of refugees: 5,763 (mostly from Syria)(2015)
Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: 212,400 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced since 1974) (2015)
Quantity of Stateless Persons: 0
Description of current human trafficking issues related to Cyprus: Cyprus is a source and destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. In previous years, victims of trafficking identified in Cyprus were primarily from Cyprus, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Georgia, India, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Ukraine. Women, primarily from Eastern Europe, Vietnam, India, and sub-Saharan Africa, are subjected to sex trafficking. Sex trafficking occurs in private apartments and hotels, and within commercial sex trade outlets in Cyprus, including bars, pubs, coffee shops, and cabarets. Some victims of sex trafficking were recruited with promises of marriage or employment as barmaids and hostesses in cafeterias. Victims are often subjected to debt bondage, withholding of pay and documents, and threats against their families. Foreign migrant workers—primarily Indian and Romanian nationals—are subjected to forced labor in agriculture. Migrant workers subjected to labor trafficking are recruited by employment agencies and enter the country on short-term work permits, after which they are often subjected to debt bondage, threats, and withholding of pay and documents once the work permit expires.
Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector remains weak (2008)