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Independence from the UK was approved in 1960 with constitutional guarantees by the Greek Cypriot majority to the Turkish Cypriot minority.
Geography
Location: East Europe island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Geographic Coordinates: 35 00 N, 33 00 E
Map References: Europe
Area: total 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in the Turkish Cypriot area),water 10 sq km, land 9,240 sq km
Area - Comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut
Land Boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 648 km
Maritime Claims: continental shelf 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation, territorial sea 12 NM
Climate: temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast
Elevation Extremes: lowest point Mediterranean Sea 0 m, highest point Olympus 1,951 m
Natural Resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment
Land Use: arable land 10%, permanent crops 5%, other 85% (1998 est.)
Irrigated Land: 400 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural Hazards: moderate earthquake activity; droughts
Environment - Current Issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization
Environment - International Agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - Note: the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia)
People
Middl: 767,314 (July 2002 est.)
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 87,981; female 84,168), 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 258,414; female 252,778), 65 years and over: 11% (male 36,607; female 47,366) (2002 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.57% (2002 est.)
Birth Rate: 12.91 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death Rate: 7.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net Migration Rate: 0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female, under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female, 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female, 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female, total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate: 7.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 77.08 years, female: 79.5 years (2002 est.), male: 74.77 years
Total Fertility Rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Cypriot(s), adjective: Cypriot
Ethnic Groups: Greek 85.2%, Turkish 11.6%, other 3.2% (2000)
Religions: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4%
Languages: Greek, Turkish, English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write, total population: 97%, male: 98.7%, female: 95% (1999)
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