History
Cyprus is a country that has been fought over for thousands of years because of its useful, strategic position.
In recent years the British occupied it until the 1960s with large military bases there, in order to safeguard British interests in the Middle East and Suez.
Some of these bases are still present today on the Greek side of the island.
Following the granting of independence to the island, disputes broke out between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots.
Turkish Northern Cyprus
This culminated in the invasion of the northern side of the island in 1974 by the Turks in order to protect the Turkish Cypriots. The northern side of the island has now been annexed to Turkey.
There is still a large military presence on the island. The TRNC has not received the economic aid sent to the south and so it has remained largely unchanged. This is just beginning to change with new roads, an airport and holiday developments of new villas, hotels, golf courses being completed, bringing much needed jobs and currency to the island.
In 2004 the border, protected and patrolled by the United Nations, was
opened to the Greek and Turkish Cypriots living on the island - and today, the Greeks still prevent the Turkish nationals, born in Turkey from making the crossing into the South - although some have lived, worked and bought up families in the northern part of the island.