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People
Editor's Note:
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern part of the island, following a short-lived coup d'etat by Greek-backed forces. Thus, the Republic of Cyprus remains generally the Greek Cypriot part of the country while the northern part controlled by Turkish Cypriots is referred to as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). This latter part is not internationally recognized. A United Nations boundary -- called the "Green Line" -- separates the Greek and Turkish Cypriot areas. Efforts to reunite the island under a federal structure continued for years under the auspices of the United Nations until 2004. At that time, such efforts ended without success and Cyprus entered the European Union without Northern Cyprus. Since that time, efforts to revitalize the pro-unification process have been ongoing.
Cultural Demography
The total population of Cyprus is approximately 1.1 million. Eighty five (85) percent of the total population of Cyprus is ethnic Greek; 12 percent of the population is ethnic Turks. Almost all ethnic Greeks reside in the southern two-thirds of the island, and Greek is the predominant language of that area. Similarly, almost all ethnic Turks reside in the northern one-third; primarily, Turkish is spoken there. English is also widely used in both areas.
In terms of religious affiliation, 78 percent of Cypriots are Greek Orthodox; 18 percent are Muslim. In keeping with the ethnic and linguistic segregation described above, the vast majority of Greek Orthodox citizens reside in the southern, Greek-Cypriot area; most Muslims reside in the northern, Turkish-Cypriot part of the island. There are also small Maronite and Armenian Apostolic groups. Most religious minorities are found in the Greek-Cypriot area.
Human Development
According to recent estimates, Cypriots have an average life expectancy at birth of 77 years of age (75 years for males, 80 years for females). The infant mortality rate is 7.71 deaths per 1,000 live births. An estimated 97 percent of the total population, age 15 and older, can read and write. About 98 percent of males are literate; approximately 94 percent of females are literate.
About six percent GDP is spent on health expenditures in this country; about four percent of GDP is spent on educational expenditures. Access to education, sanitation, water, and health is regarded to be very good.
One notable measure used to determine a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which has been compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 169 countries, the HDI placed Cyprus in the very high human development category, at 35th place.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief, www.countrywatch.com; see Bibliography for research sources.
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