The population of the southern part
Officially, the Republic of Cyprus extends over the whole island except for the British "confetti" of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. In fact, because of the Turkish occupation of the northern part, it exercises its authority only over the inhabitants of the southern part
Demography. The southern part, i.e. the territories under the direct administration of the Republic of Cyprus, has a population of 876,000. Despite a low fertility rate (1.46 children per woman), the population is steadily increasing with more than 10,000 additional inhabitants each year. In 2004, when the country joined the European Union, it had a population of 728,000. This represents an increase of more than 20% in 15 years. This exceptional dynamism is due to the contribution of immigration, whose figures are however largely underestimated and do not take into account the massive arrival of refugees since 2015. Nevertheless, demography is the major issue in the negotiations for the reunification of the island: the more populated the southern part of the island is, the more political weight it will have. The other important factor is the weight of the cities. Already, the southern part of Nicosia (the capital) alone has 250,000 inhabitants with its agglomeration. And the second urban center, Limassol, has 190,000 inhabitants. That is to say, the first two cities have more than half the population of the territory. The next agglomerations are Larnaka with 85 000 inhabitants, Paphos with 63 000 inhabitants and Protaras-Agia Napa with 40 000 inhabitants. As much to say that the rest of the southern part is almost empty.
Greek Cypriots. They are 690 000. They are the first ethnic-linguistic group of the island and represent 79% of the population of the southern part. They have in common to speak Greek and to be of Greek Orthodox religion or culture. Often confused with Greeks, Greek Cypriots have a distinct history from the current population of Greece. They are distant descendants of the first inhabitants of the island, who arrived 10,000 years ago, then of Phoenician, Egyptian, Assyrian and Minoan settlers who were Hellenized during antiquity and to whom Greeks were added, and finally, in the Middle Ages, of various populations of the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe (Franks, Venetians and Genoese). Of course, the historical, cultural, linguistic and religious proximity with the Greeks is obvious. Both peoples worshipped the same gods in ancient times. They both adopted Christianity and remained faithful to Orthodoxy. Finally, they were both integrated into the Ottoman Empire. But the Greek Cypriots have retained certain specificities. Already, because of the geographical position of their island, they share common features with the other peoples of the Middle East. And, from 1878 onwards, the whole of the island was greatly influenced by the British colonial power. The Greek Cypriots also have their own language, Greek Cypriot. It is one of the many variants of ancient Greek, which evolved in isolation to become a dialect of modern Greek. This idiom has gradually incorporated some of the vocabulary of the colonizing powers, such as the French words "cheminée" and "guerre" which are said tsiminia and guerra, not tzaki and polemos as in modern Greek. Cypriot Greek has also borrowed expressions from Islamic culture, such as massala and inssala, derived from the Arabic terms Mashallah ("God has willed it") and Inch'Allah ("God willing"), which are used in everyday life by Christians in Cyprus. However, from the 20th century onwards, the influence of Greece has been decisive. Modern Greek, spoken in Athens, was chosen as the official language alongside Turkish at independence in 1960. And Greek has become a household language through radio and television. Thus, Cypriot Greek, which was spoken by the majority of Greek and Turkish Cypriots in 1974, is now a simple dialect spoken by the often elderly inhabitants.
Turkish Cypriots. There are only about 2,000 of them living in the southern part. But the Republic of Cyprus makes a point of recognizing as its citizens all Turkish Cypriots, i.e., inhabitants of Turkish language and culture born in Cyprus before 1974 or born of Cypriot parents. At the same time, it excludes all other inhabitants of the northern part, in particular the "Turkish settlers" who arrived after the 1974 invasion. The European Union takes the same attitude and considers all Turkish Cypriots as European citizens, again excluding the "Turkish settlers". More than half of the 150,000 Turkish Cypriots in the northern part of the island have taken steps to obtain citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus and, by extension, of the EU. Thus, in 2019, 81,000 Turkish Cypriots were registered on the electoral rolls of the southern part during the European elections. And of the six Cypriot MEPs sitting in Brussels and Strasbourg, two are from the Turkish Cypriot community in the northern part
Maronites, Armenians and Latins of Cyprus. These three old peoples of the island represent about 7,000 inhabitants and less than 1% of the population of the southern part. The constitution of the Republic of Cyprus recognizes them as "religious groups" but considers them part of the "Greek Cypriot community. It is true that each of these three minorities is culturally very close to the Greek Cypriots, but each also has its own character. The Maronites of Cyprus number about 3,600 in the southern part, mainly in Nicosia. They are of Catholic faith or culture and belong to the Antiochian Syriac Maronite Church. They are the descendants of Maronites from Lebanon who took refuge in Cyprus between the 7th and 13th centuries. They speak Lebanese Arabic and Greek, use Aramaic ("the language of Christ") in church, and have their own dialect, Cypriot Arabic (now spoken by about 200 people), a mixture of several Arabic languages influenced by medieval Cypriot Greek. Before the 1974 split, they were settled in four villages in the north of the island, but only the village of Kormakitis retains its Maronite inhabitants today. The Armenians of Cyprus number about 2,500, with another 1,000 non-Cypriot Armenians. They are the descendants of Armenians who arrived in successive waves between the 6th and 20th centuries. Concentrated in the urban centers since the Middle Ages, they fled the northern part in 1974. Speaking Greek and Armenian, they are mainly Orthodox, belonging for 90% of them to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Finally, the Latins of Cyprus number about a thousand. Greek-speaking Roman Catholics, they are the descendants of French and Italian settlers from the Middle Ages, but also of European merchants who came to settle between the 17th and 20th centuries, or of Maronites and Armenian Catholics assimilated to the Latins. All three minorities are well integrated into the Greek Cypriot majority and enjoy certain advantages: financing of Armenian language schools, special representatives in political bodies, etc
Foreign residents. According to official data, about 170,000 foreigners live in the southern part, which represents almost 20% of the population. This is considerable... but it is probably much more. So, officially, there are only 9,000 Russians. However, it is enough to walk around Limassol to notice that this community is much more important. Without even mentioning the large number of Russian tourists (about 900,000 each year), the permanent residents from Russia are probably more, around 100,000. What attracts them here is not only the sun, but the possibility of acquiring Cypriot (and therefore European) nationality in exchange for investments. The same applies to Ukrainians, officially estimated at 3,600, but perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 in reality living here. Greeks are the largest foreign community, according to the state, with about 35,000 people. It is probably a little more, as several thousand young Greeks have come to try their luck in Cyprus since the crisis that shook their country in 2009. The British officially number 30,000. But without taking into account tourists (around 1 million each year) or the Territory's sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the local media estimate that 100,000 Britons reside in the southern part. Most of them are retirees who come to spend part or all of the year in the sun. In the rest of the ranking, the other figures appear both more stable and more reliable. There are the European nationals from Romania (25,000), Bulgaria (20,000) and Poland (3,000) who arrived here before the financial crisis of 2012-2013. As a former British colony, Cyprus has also attracted citizens of the former Empire from Sri Lanka (8,000) and India (3,000) since the 1980s. At the same time, it was also common for wealthy Cypriot families to have an Asian domestic worker. As a result, about 20,000 Filipinos and 8,000 Vietnamese, mostly women, have settled in Cyprus. Geographical proximity explains the presence of a community of about 3,000 Syrians who fled the Assad dictatorship in the 1970s. Finally, there are just over 2,000 French-speaking foreigners, including 1,500 French.
Refugees. Since the beginning of the "migrant crisis" in 2015, Cyprus has become one of the secondary entry points for refugees from Asia and Africa into the EU. The numbers are small compared to Italy or Greece, but they are huge in relation to the local population and, more importantly, they are increasing significantly. While 2,100 people applied for asylum in the Republic of Cyprus in 2015, there were 7,000 in 2018 and nearly 10,000 in 2019. Most come by boat from Lebanon to arrive in the northern part of Cyprus before passing the buffer zone. The Republic of Cyprus does not have the means to accommodate so many people. In relation to the population, these asylum applications would represent 700,000 more people every year in France. Nicosia is therefore asking the other EU member states to take in 5,000 refugees each year, without success. Two large reception camps have been set up near the capital and in the village of Kofinou, near Larnaka. But the living conditions there are harsh, especially in the summer heat. Integration into Cypriot society is also proving difficult, especially as the far-right ELAM (National People's Front) party is surfing on the theme of immigration, entering the Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus for the first time in 2016 with two MPs (out of 56 seats).
The population of the northern part
This is the heart of the "Cyprus problem" with three obstacles to reunification: the presence of an occupying army, the creation of a state without legal existence and the massive arrival of foreign settlers. Initially, all this was done to protect the Turkish Cypriots. But the latter have now become a minority and want to get rid of the tutelage of Turkey
Demography. Knowing the exact population of the northern part is complicated, because the local authorities tend to overestimate the figures. This is for two reasons. First, the size of the population is a major issue in the negotiations for eventual reunification. In 1975, for example, Turkey set a target population equivalent to that of the southern part. Then, the self-proclaimed "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC) regularly inflates its statistics in order to receive more financial aid from Turkey. Also, there can be very large discrepancies between the Republic of Cyprus, Turkey and the TRNC in terms of the number of inhabitants, ranging from 260,000 to 700,000. However, there are the physical limitations of geography: the northern part represents only 36% of the island's surface and it does not have sufficient water resources. Moreover, the idea of an ultra-numerous population is contradicted by an impression of emptiness as soon as one leaves the cities. Taking into account the UN estimates and those of the local press, the population of the northern part can be estimated at about 330,000. This is quite considerable, since when the TRNC was created in 1983, it had only 155,000 inhabitants. That is an increase of 113% in less than forty years! With a low fertility rate (1.6 children per woman), this increase is due, as in the South, to immigration, in particular to the massive arrival of "Turkish settlers". Finally, as in the South, the weight of the cities is important. The unrecognized capital, Nicosia-North, has about 83,000 inhabitants with its suburbs, or a quarter of the population of the territory. On the eastern coast, the second urban center is Famagusta with about 50,000 inhabitants. And on the north coast, the agglomeration of Kyrenia has a population of 40,000.
Turkish Cypriots. They are about 150,000, or 45% of the population of the northern part. They are the descendants of Turkish settlers who arrived after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571. They speak modern Turkish, but also, for the older ones, Greek and Greek Cypriot. And they have their own dialect, Cypriot Turkish. This differs from Turkish, especially in its pronunciation. For example, "Cyprus" is said Gıprıs and not Kıbrıs as in Turkish, and "stone" is said daş and not taş. Turkish Cypriots are of Muslim faith or culture, 98% Sunni. But for this community, religion is mostly a private matter. And the practice of Islam is flexible, with a broad tolerance, women rarely covering their heads and the consumption of alcohol allowed. This is due to British influence, but above all to the attachment to secularism inherited from Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey. For despite the particularities, the similarities with the large neighboring country remain important. In general, Turkish Cypriots consider Turkey as a protector and received with relief the troops of the operation Attila in 1974. However, tensions have arisen in recent years. The community is increasingly resentful of the military presence and is distancing itself from the "Turkish settlers. Turkish Cypriots are also highly critical of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan and welcome opponents of his regime with open arms. Of all the island's inhabitants, they are also the strongest advocates of a reunified Cyprus. For pragmatic reasons, they combine nationalities, some holding up to four passports: those of the TRNC, Turkey, the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom. Finally, even though they have become a minority in the northern part, they still carry political weight. On the one hand, they still represent 70% of the TRNC electorate. On the other hand, they can vote in the Republic of Cyprus, notably in European elections.
Turkish settlers. Called by Turkish Cypriots the Türkiyeliler ("those from Turkey"), they are said to be around 180,000 today, or slightly more than half the population of the northern part. Since 1975, Ankara has encouraged Turkish-speaking populations from other countries, particularly Turkey, but also from the Balkans and the former USSR republics, to settle here. Arriving with different customs, a low level of education and a more conservative Islam, they were mostly confined to menial jobs, especially to take over the farms abandoned by the Greek Cypriots in 1974. Their position is unenviable: they are in violation of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the repopulation of occupied territories, but the majority of them are also deprived of "Turkish Cypriot nationality" (not recognized) and the right to vote locally. Attached to the Turkish "motherland", they are considered by Greek and Turkish Cypriots as difficult to "assimilate" and therefore as one of the main obstacles in the reunification process
Greek Cypriots and Maronites of Cyprus. Once a majority in the northern part, only about a thousand remained after the 1974 invasion. This is the first time that a city's economy has been affected by the economic crisis, and the first time that a city's economy has been affected by the economic crisis, and the first time that a city's economy has been affected by the economic crisis. The two communities, isolated but now able to access the southern part without difficulty, are nevertheless supplied every two weeks by a UN convoy. This is the first time that a city's economy has been affected by the economic crisis, and it is the first time that a city's economy has been affected by the economic crisis, and it is the first time that a city's economy has been affected by the economic crisis.
Turkish military and students, non-Turkish speaking foreigners. The statistics do not take these categories into account. The Turkish army maintains about 30,000 soldiers in the country. This is the highest military concentration in the world in relation to the civilian population. There are also 40,000 students, most of them Turkish, living in the gleaming campuses of major Turkish universities in Nicosia-North, Famagusta, Kyrenia and Morphou. Finally, there is a foreign population of non-Turkish speaking origin. On the one hand, about 15,000 Europeans, mostly British, living here all or part of the year. On the other hand, a foreign workforce working mainly in tourism, construction and prostitution. This population comes from Asia and Africa and is estimated to number between 30,000 and 50,000 people.
Populations in the British zones and the buffer zone
Two things are often forgotten about Cyprus: on the one hand, 2.74 per cent of the island still belongs to the United Kingdom; on the other hand, the "green line" that separates the south and the north is not completely empty. In these two entities live 25,000 people subject to very special status.
Territory of the sovereignty zonesofAkrotiri and Dhekelia. The vocation of this overseas territory of the United Kingdom in Cyprus is above all military, with, in particular, the last British air base in the Mediterranean at Akrotiri. Half of the 15,000 inhabitants are subjects of Her Gracious Majesty: a rotating staff of 3,000 soldiers, civilian personnel and their families. The other half of the population are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus who own houses, fields or businesses here. In fact, only 20% of the territory is occupied by military installations. The British Ministry of Defence, which manages the sovereignty zones of Akrotiri (near Limassol) and Dhekelia (between Larnaka and Agia Napa), has concluded a whole series of agreements with the Republic of Cyprus so that this "colonial" presence is as unobtrusive as possible: local laws partly modelled on Cypriot law, the euro as the official currency, no border posts, etc. And in order not to irritate either the Greek Cypriots or the Turkish Cypriots, 90% of the territory's 300 police and customs officers are recruited equally from both communities.
UN buffer zone. The UN-controlled demarcation line has divided the island between the north and the south since 1964. Most of its inhabitants fled in 1974, but nearly 10,000 people, mostly Greek Cypriots, remained in four villages. The smallest and most isolated is Deneia, 27 km east of Nicosia, with 350 inhabitants. The other three are located southeast of the capital, near the British sovereignty zone of Dhekelia. These are Athienou (5,000 inhabitants), Trouli (1,700) and Pyla (2,800). The latter is the only one where the population is still mixed with about 2,000 Greek Cypriots and 800 Turkish Cypriots. While these four villages are under the direct administration of the Republic of Cyprus, the law is enforced by UNFICYP, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus. In addition, the 900 UN peacekeepers and police officers also reside partly in the buffer zone, mainly in Nicosia, in the former international airport and in the former Ledra luxury hotel.
The Cypriot diaspora
It is simple, there are more Cypriots abroad than inhabitants in Cyprus. The diaspora is estimated at 1.3 million people. This figure includes people born in Cyprus and those with at least one Cypriot parent. It also includes all ethnic components of the island
Turkish Cypriots. They are the most numerous abroad: about 800,000 people. A huge number compared to the 150,000 Turkish Cypriots living in Cyprus today. The largest community is in Turkey, with 300,000 people who have arrived mainly since the early 1950s to escape inter-ethnic clashes. In addition to the current diaspora, there are an estimated 300,000 descendants of Muslim Cypriots in Turkey who left the island after the transfer of power from the Ottoman Empire to Britain in 1878. In the United Kingdom, only those born in Cyprus are counted, i.e. 130,000 people. But with descendants, the community exceeds 300,000 people, mainly in London. The third large community is that of Australia: 40,000 people born in Cyprus and 120,000 people in all with descendants. There are also small groups in Canada (6,000), the United States (6,000) and Germany (2,000).
Greek Cypriots. There are about 500,000 of them living away from their island. They left for the same reasons (to escape inter-ethnic conflicts) and often to the same places as their Turkish Cypriot compatriots. Admittedly, they did not choose Turkey as their home, but rather Greece, where the Greek Cypriot community now numbers about 70,000, mainly in Athens. But, like the Turkish Cypriots, they can be found in the United Kingdom (about 270,000), Australia (about 80,000), the United States (about 30,000) and Canada (25,000). There are also about 25,000 in South Africa and less than a thousand in France. In all these countries, Greek Cypriots are very close to the Greek diaspora, with frequent intermarriage. However, it should be noted that in the United Kingdom, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots often live in the same neighborhoods. Because of their cultural proximity, the two communities have close ties, especially in sports clubs
Cypriot minorities. The Armenians, Maronites and Latins of Cyprus living abroad are more difficult to count. First, these three minorities are considered part of the "Greek Cypriot community" by the Republic of Cyprus. Second, they have generally blended into other communities in their host countries. For example, the approximately 3,000 Armenians in Cyprus who have left the island since the 1950s have developed close ties with the Armenian diaspora, particularly in the United States. As for the few hundred exiled Maronites and Latins from Cyprus, they have, on the whole, remained very close to the Greek Cypriot diaspora.
