North Cyprus, Turkish Republic Of
(1998 est. pop. 188,000). The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) is a self-proclaimed political entity located in the northern part of the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. The republic, with an area of 3,355 square kilometers, has not been recognized by any nation except Turkey. The official language is Turkish, and the capital is Lefkosia, also known as Nicosia; the population includes Turkish settlers, a military contingent, and a small number of Greek natives. Although there is no official religion, more than 98 percent of the population identify themselves as Muslims, with Maronites (Syriac Christians) and Orthodox Greeks making up less than 2 percent.
The island of Cyprus has an exceptionally rich history; its first agricultural settlements were as early as 2700 BCE. Cyprus was then dominated in succession by the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks (the name "Cyprus" is derived from the Greek word for copper), Romans, and Byzantines. The island frequently changed hands in the Middle Ages, boasting such temporary masters as Richard the Lionhearted of England. Venice controlled it for more than a hundred years, losing it to the Ottomans in 1570. Britain began to encroach on Cyprus in the nineteenth century and annexed it outright when the Ottoman empire entered World War I as a German ally.
Cyprus achieved independence from Britain in 1960. Ethnic tensions began to escalate in 1963 as the Greek Cypriot majority clashed with the Turkish minority. Following a Greek nationalist coup attempt in 1974, Turkey launched a military intervention, occupying the northern part of the island. In 1975 self-rule was proclaimed in the north, but only on 15 November 1983 was independence officially proclaimed and the TRNC created. The Greek Cypriots continue to control most of the island and are the only internationally recognized government. Turkey still maintains about 30,000 ground troops in the TRNC, backed by Turkish artillery and local military units. Although a number of attempts have been made by the international community at reconciliation and reunification of the island, little progress has been achieved to date.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a semipresidential democracy, with a president as head of state and a council of ministers composed of a prime minister and ten cabinet members. The current president is Rauf R. Denktash. The legislative power is vested in a unicameral legislative assembly of fifty deputies, elected for a period of five years through universal suffrage. The judiciary is set up as a separate branch.
During the first decade of independence, the TRNC suffered from economic underdevelopment. In the 1970s and 1980s the economy managed a modest recovery, with the gross domestic product growing by 20 percent between 1977 and 1984, although it remains far behind Greek Cyprus. Significant efforts were made to develop manufacturing and tourism, but agriculture remains the dominant sector of the economy and the main export. Turkey and the United Kingdom are the TRNC's most important trading partners, and the republic continues to run a trading deficit. The Turkish lira is legal tender.
Further Reading
Necatigil, Zaim M. (2001) The Cyprus Question and the Turkish Position in International Law. 2d ed. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
Stefanidis, Ioannis D. (1999) Isle of Discord: Nationalism, Imperialism and the Making of the Cyprus Problem. New York: New York University Press.
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