Brief History: Cyprus (sometimes spelled Kypros) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, 70 miles south of Turkey.

Kypros is a straight transliteration of the Greek name, Cyprus is a Latinized version of the name. The name derives from the ancient Greek word for copper, large deposits of which are found on Cyprus.

Cyprus is geographically in Southwest Asia, but Cypriots assert that they are a part of Europe.

The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognized government of most of the island, but controls only the southern two-thirds of that territory. The northern third was occupied by Turkey in a 1974 invasion, which has since set up the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, though this government is not recognized by any country except Turkey. In the decades since the invasion, the northern third has become almost exclusively Turkish, and the southern two-thirds almost exclusively Greek, so the territories are now sometimes referred to as the "Greek part" and the "Turkish part" of Cyprus.

The other power with territory on Cyprus is the United Kingdom. Under the independence agreement, the UK retained title to two small areas on the southern coast of the island, around Dhekalia and Akrotiri, known collectively as the UK sovereign base areas. They are used to host military bases.

Negotiations have been ongoing for years to reunify the island, but have not as yet seen substantial success. A United Nations plan, announced on 31 March 2004 following talks in Switzerland, is to be put to both sides in separate referendums on 24 April. If either side rejects it, only the southern, Greek portion of the island will become part the European Union on 1 May 2004. See (external link:) The "Annan Plan" for Cyprus.