function js_50193() { document.write (' '); } function js_50192() { document.write (' '); } function js_259722757690443() { document.write ('

Africa Guides

'); } function js_918074715344550() { document.write ('

Asia Guides

'); } function js_330766749793937() { document.write ('

Caribbean Guides

'); } function js_782714784450263() { document.write ('

Central America

'); } function js_239724636613768() { document.write ('

Europe Guides

'); } function js_208111155344411() { document.write ('

Middle East Guides

'); } function js_871270489702162() { document.write ('

North America

'); } function js_518830478609543() { document.write ('

Pacific Guides

'); } function js_309004163114572() { document.write ('

South America

'); } function js_329771435957214() { document.write ('

send page to a friend

'); } function js_149513792867481() { document.write ('

The island of Cyprus has seen people settle on its shores since 5800 BC. Egyptians, Persians and Romans have all used the island for either political or economical purposes, although the Greek influence had a much more profound effect.

'); } function js_172727239748292() { document.write ('

As a result, a guerrilla war began. In 1958, a Greek Cypriot nationalist leader by the name of Archbishop Markarios began calling for Cypriot independence which in turn resulted in the Turkish Cypriots calling for a divide between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

'); } function js_341438293921224() { document.write ('

Both Turkish and Greek Cypriots continued fighting throughout the 1990s and as an incentive to stop warring, the island was invited to become an EU member state. This did not work and in May 2004, only Greek Cyprus joined the EU.

'); }