republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
republic note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey
Independence date
1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are only recognized by Turkey
Religions
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4%
Languages
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Greek, Turkish, English
Exports
cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles
citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, and clothing
External Debt
$10,460,000,000 $
$106,500,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,317 (2008 est.), 1,263.8 (2007), 1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.673 (2008 est.), Cypriot pounds (CYP) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.4586 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.500%
2.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
6
0
Location
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey
Area
447,400 km sq
9,251 km sq
Coastline
0 km
648 km
Climate
mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
