Nicosia, known locally as
Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city of
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
. Located on the River
PedieosThe Pedieos is the longest river in Cyprus. The river originates in the Troodos Mountains close to Machairas Monastery and flows northeast across the Mesaoria plains, through the capital city Nicosia...
and situated almost in the centre of the island, it is the seat of government as well as the main business centre. Nicosia is the capital of the
Nicosia DistrictNicosia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia. The Turkish-controlled northern part of the city is the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey .Turkish-controlled areas of the Larnaca...
.
Following the
intercommunal violenceCypriot intercommunal violence refers to periods of inter-ethnic conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on the island of Cyprus from 1930 to 1974.- Background :...
of the 1960s, the capital was divided between the island's Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in the south and north respectively. An attempted coup to unite the island with Greece in 1974 led to a
Turkish invasionThe Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military operation in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus which had been staged by the Cypriot National Guard whose leaders deposed the Cypriot president and archbishop Makarios III and installed Nikos...
, leaving the capital divided since then, with Turkish Cypriots claiming the north as the capital of their own state,
Turkish Republic of Northern CyprusThe Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , commonly called Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , is a de facto independent republic located in the north of Cyprus. The TRNC declared its independence in 1983, nine years after a Greek Cypriot coup attempting to annex the island to Greece triggered an...
(TRNC) (recognised only by
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
). On 3 April 2008, as part of efforts to reunify the island, a symbolic wall dividing the two communities at
Ledra StreetLedra Street is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus.It is the site of the former Ledra Street barricade where the street ran across the United Nations buffer zone...
was opened.
South of the Green Line, the population of the city is 270,000 (late 2004), while a further 84,893 live in the north. Nicosia is important commercially with many shops, two modern shopping malls, restaurants and entertainment. The city is a trade centre and manufactures textiles,
leatherLeather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable and versatile material....
,
potteryPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
, plastic, and other products.
CopperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
mines are nearby. Nicosia is the seat of the
University of CyprusThe University of Cyprus is a public coeducational university established in 1989. It admitted its first students in 1992 and has currently approximately 3,500 students . It was the first university to be established in Cyprus.-Academic profile:Based at the Capital of Cyprus, Nicosia...
(UCY) and four other universities.
History
Nicosia was a
city-stateA city-state is an independent republican country whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as part of another local government....
known as
Ledra or
Ledrae in ancient times. The king of Ledra, Onasagoras, was recorded as paying tribute to
EsarhaddonEsarhaddon , was a king of Assyria who reigned 681 – 669 BC...
of
AssyriaAssyria was a civilization centered on the Upper Tigris river, in Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times in history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
in 672 BC. Rebuilt by Lefkos, son of Ptolemy I around 300 BC, Ledra in Hellenic and Roman times was a small, unimportant town, also known as
Lefkothea. By the time it received its first Christian bishop, Trifillios, in 348, the town was called
Lefkousia or
Ledra.
Still known as Lefkosia, the city became the island's capital around the 10th century. It had grown in importance because of threats to the coastal cities
PaphosPaphos Paphos Paphos (Paphos is usually written Paphos, Pafos or Paphus in English, Ancient Greek: ; Modern Greek: Πάφος, Páfos; Latin: Paphus, and for a time, Augusta; Turkish...
and
SalamisSalamis was an ancient city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the river Pedieos, 6 km north of modern Famagusta.- History :The earliest archaeological finds go back to the eleventh century BCE...
, which made many people flee to the centrally located Lefkosia.
The seat of the
LusignanThe Lusignan family originated in Poitou near Lusignan in western France in the early 10th century. By the end of the 11th century, they had risen to become the most prominent petty lords in the region from their castle at Lusignan...
kings of CyprusThe Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
since 1192, it became a
VenetianVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
possession in 1489, and fell to the
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
in 1571. Ledra is now the actual name of the most popular commercial street.
The exonym "Nicosia" appeared with the arrival of the Lusignans. The "Frankish" Crusaders either could not, or did not care to, pronounce the name
Lefkosia, and tended to say "Nicosia". In this era of the Franks, the city expanded culturally, and in the 15th and 16th centuries, saw the erection of a number of palaces, mansions, churches and monasteries.
Some 20,000 residents died as a result of the Ottoman siege of 1570. Man-made and natural disasters further struck the city during the 19th century. The Turks crushed the 1821 anti-Ottoman revolt in blood.
Cholera hit the city in 1835, and fire destroyed large parts of Nicosia in 1857. The
British EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was...
gained control over the island in 1878, with Nicosia serving as the capital of the new British possession.
Nicosia was the scene of extreme violence in the period just prior to Cypriot independence in 1960. Since the Greek supported coup and Turkish invasion which followed it in 1974, part of the city's northern sector has been inside the boundary of a
United Nations Buffer ZoneThe United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus runs for more than 180 km along what is known as the Green Line and has an area of 346 km square...
.
The tombs of the
LusignanThe Lusignan family originated in Poitou near Lusignan in western France in the early 10th century. By the end of the 11th century, they had risen to become the most prominent petty lords in the region from their castle at Lusignan...
kings are in the former Cathedral of St. Sophia, now a mosque in the northern sector.
The core of the city also has well-preserved Venetian fortifications, built in the 16th century, which encircle the old, medieval part of the city.
Government
As the capital of the republic, Nicosia is Cyprus's political, economic and cultural centre. Greater Nicosia is subdivided into seven municipalities, but the metropolitan authority is the Municipality of Nicosia itself – within whose boundaries the Constitution states that the main government buildings and headquarters must be situated. The other municipalities in the city are
StrovolosStrovolos is a municipality of Nicosia. With a population of near 70,000, it is the second biggest municipality of Cyprus, after Limassol, and the biggest municipality of Nicosia...
, Lakatamia,
LatsiaLatsia , once a small village on the south east outskirts of Nicosia is today one of the largest and most populous suburbs of the city. It hosts the new Nicosia General Hospital, the new GSP stadium and the new campus of the University of Cyprus....
, Aglandjia,
EngomiThis article is about the suburb of Nicosia. For the ancient settlement near Famagusta, see: EnkomiEngomi is a suburb of the Cypriot capital Nicosia. It has a population of around 13,600 . It is a mainly residential neighbourhood with many large villas. It also includes a very important annexe to...
and Agios Dhometios.
According to the constitution of Cyprus Nicosia Municipality was divided into a Greek and Turkish sector with two Mayors: a representative of the
GreekGreek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus. They form the island's largest ethnic community, comprising nearly 80 percent of the population. The Greek Cypriots are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christians, members of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous church headed by an...
community which was the majority, and a second one representing the
TurkishTurkish Cypriots are the ethnically Turkish inhabitants of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is sometimes used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, as opposed to the Turkish migrants who have settled there since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus...
community. The Mayors and the members of the Council were appointed by the President of the Republic. Since 1986, the Mayors and members of the Council are elected. The Mayor and the Municipal Councillors are elected by direct popular suffrage but into separate ballots – one for the Mayor and the other for all the Councillors. Municipal elections are held every five years.
The Municipality of Nicosia is now headed by the Mayor, who is
Eleni MavrouEleni Mavrou is the mayor of Nicosia, Cyprus. She was elected in December 2006 becoming the first female mayor of Cyprus's capital...
(former lagilator of the
communist partyA political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government. The name originates from the 1848 tract Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels...
AKEL, supported by her own political party, socialist party EDEK and the Democratic Party and the council comprising of 26 councilors, one of who is Deputy Mayor. The Northern Sector has its own
de factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "by [the] fact". In law, it is meant to mean "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but without being officially established"...
municipality, but that municipality is not internationally recognised because it is part of the non-recognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Mayor and the Councillors exercise all the powers vested in them by the Municipal Corporation Law. Sub-committees consisting of members of the Municipal Council act only on an advisory level and according to the procedures and regulations issued by the Council.
The Mayor is the executive authority of the Municipality, exercising overall control and managing the Municipal Council. The Council is responsible for appointing personnel employed by the Municipality. All municipalities in the Republic of Cyprus are members of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities. The executive Committee is the governing organ of the Union. This Committee is appointed from among the representatives of the Municipalities for a term of two and a half years. The Mayor of Nicosia is the President of the Union and the Chairman of the Executive Committee.
Landmarks
Although the city has been destroyed more than once by conquerors, there are still enough leftovers to enjoy the past. History is most strikingly experienced at the
VenetianThe Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797...
city wall, which was constructed between 1567 and 1570. The 4,5 metres thick wall used to have three gates. The
FamagustaFamagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located in a bay between Capes Greco and Eloea, east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour in the island. Since the 1974 Turkish invasion the city has resided in the de facto Turkish Republic...
gate is now used as a cultural centre. Some other parts of the wall contain administrative offices. The historical centre is clearly present inside the walls, but the modern city has grown beyond.
The heart of the city is Eleftheria (Freedom) Square, with the city hall, the post office and the library. Adjacent Ledra street leads to the most lively part of the old city with narrow streets, boutiques, and cafés. Agia Fanomereni is a church built in 1872, constructed with the remains of an old castle and a convent. Here rest the Archbishop and the other Bishops who were killed by the Turks during the 1821 revolt. The Palace of the Archbishop can be found at Arkhiepiskopos Kyprianos Square. Although it seems very old, it's a wonderful imitation of typical Venetian style, built in 1956. Next to the palace is the late
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Saint JohnSt. John's Cathedral, or Cathedral of St. John, or other variations on the name, with or without the suffix 'the Evangelist, may refer to:In Antigua:*St. John's Cathedral, St. John'sIn Australia:*St John's Cathedral, Brisbane...
cathedral (1665) with picturesque frescos.
Nicosia is also known for its fine museums. The Archbishop's Palace contains a
ByzantineThe word Byzantine may refer to:Topics directly related to the Byzantine Empire* A citizen of The Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
museum where you can admire the largest collection of religious icons on the island. Leventis Municipal Museum is the only historical museum of Nicosia and revives the old ways of life in the capital from ancient times up to our days. Other interesting museums include the Folk Art Museum, National Struggle Museum (witnessing the
rebellion against the British administrationEOKA but sometimes expanded as Ethnikí Orgánosis Kipriakoú Agónos was a Greek Cypriot nationalist military resistance organisation that fought for the end of British rule of the...
in the 1950s), Cyprus Ethnological Museum(House of Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios) and the Handicrafts Centre.
In Nicosia also there are
mosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid, —...
s, like the Selimiye Mosque. This ancient church is the chief mosque in the Turkish occupied part of Nicosia, and the great festivals of
BayramBayram or Bairam may refer to:* Bayram , the Turkish word for a festival or celebration* Bayrami , a Sufi order-People:* Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, Turkish Sufi* Bairam Khan, advisor and prime minister to Akbar the Great...
and other Moslem gatherings are conducted here. It was formerly the cathedral of St. Sophia which was built in the period 1209 A.D. to 1228, over the ruins of a previous building.
Other famous mosques are Haydarpasha Mosque, and Arabahmet Mosque
Pre-Independence (1882-1959)
- Christodoulos Severis, 15 November 1882–31 July 1888.
- Achilleas Liassides, 1 August 1888–10 April 1906.
- Antonios Theodotou, 8 January 1888–10 April 1906.
- Mehmet Şevket Bey, 11 April 1908–31 March 1911.
- Antonios Theodotou, 1924–1926
- George Markides, 6 April 1926–31 March 1929.
- Themistoclis Dervis, 5 April 1929–28 September 1946.
- Ioannis Clerides, 1 June 1946–31 May 1949 (Last elected Mayor until 1986).
- Themistoclis Dervis, 1 June 1949–18 December 1959.
Post-Independence (1959-Present)
- Diomedes Skettos, 1959–1960.
- George M. Spanos, 1960–1962; 1963–1964.
- Odysseas Ioannides, 1964–1970.
- Lellos Demetriades, December 1971–July 1974 (dismissed by the July 15 Coup).
- Christoforos Kithreotis, August 1974.
- Lellos Demetriades, October 1974–2001 (Elected in 1986; reelected in 1991 and 1996).
- Michalis Zampelas, 2002–2006.
- Eleni Mavrou
Eleni Mavrou is the mayor of Nicosia, Cyprus. She was elected in December 2006 becoming the first female mayor of Cyprus's capital...
, 2007–present.
Culture
In 2006 the
ManifestaManifesta is a biennial visual art event that began as a Dutch initiative to create a pan-European platform for the contemporary visual arts...
Biennale was scheduled to be held in Nicosia for a duration of three months. The project was canceled, however, with the overseas and local organizers blaming each other for its collapse.
The city also hosted the competition of
Miss Universe 2000Miss Universe 2000, the 49th Miss Universe pageant was held at Eleftheria Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus on May 12,2000. 79 delegates from around the universe competed for the crown...
in
Eleftheria Indoor HallThe Eleftheria Athletic Center is an indoor arena beside Makario Stadium and Lefkotheo Indoor Hall in Engomi, Nicosia, Cyprus. It is the home venue of the AC Omonia, and Cyprus national basketball team. Currently the arena has a capacity around 6,800 seats and it is the biggest sports indoor hall...
.
The city contains
Arabahmet MosqueArabahmet Mosque mosque is situated in the city of Nicosia in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus. It was built in the late 16th century. The Mosque is named after a commander of the 1571 Ottoman army. The mosque is the tombs of some important persons of the past in its garden....
.
Football
FootballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
is the most popular sport in Cyprus, and Nicosia is home of three major teams of the island; APOEL,
OlympiakosOlympiakos Nicosia is a football club in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The Club was founded in 1931. It is a founding member of the Cyprus Football Federation. The jersey colors are black and green...
and
OmoniaAthletic Club Omonia Nicosia is a Cypriot football club that plays in the capital Nicosia and is considered one of the best teams of the country. Omonia has won 19 league championships, 12 Cypriot Cups and 14 Super Cups...
. APOEL and Omonia dominate
Cypriot footballFootball in Cyprus is by far the most popular sport. While the national team has not enjoyed any success of note, the national association has gained an excellent reputation by organising various FIFA and UEFA events...
. APOEL has the record on number of championships and cups.
OlympiakosOlympiakos Nicosia is a football club in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The Club was founded in 1931. It is a founding member of the Cyprus Football Federation. The jersey colors are black and green...
was also successful in the past. There are also many other football clubs in Nicosia and suburbs.
Other sports
Nicosia is also the home for many clubs for basketball,
handballHandball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass and bounce a ball to throw it into the goal of the opposing team...
and other sports. APOEL and Omonia have
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
and
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
sections and
KeravnosKeravnos Strovolos is one of the powerhouses of Cypriot basketball. Founded in 1926, it is based in the Nicosia suburb of Strovolos. In the past, the club also had a football team.-History:...
is one of the major basketball teams of the island. The Gymnastic Club Pancypria (GSP), the owner of the
Neo GSP StadiumThe Pancyprian Gymnastic Association Stadium is a football stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus. Although small by international standards, it is the largest stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 22,859 and was built in 1999. It serves as the home stadium for the Nicosia Clubs of APOEL,Olympiakos Nicosia...
, is one of the major athletics club of the island. Also, all teams in the
FutsalFutsal is a variant of association football that is mainly played indoors. Its name is derived from the Portuguese fut ebol de sal ão and the Spanish fút bol sal a/de sal ón, which can be translated as 'salon football'...
First Division are from Nicosia.
Venues
Nicosia has some of the biggest venues in the island; The
Neo GSP StadiumThe Pancyprian Gymnastic Association Stadium is a football stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus. Although small by international standards, it is the largest stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 22,859 and was built in 1999. It serves as the home stadium for the Nicosia Clubs of APOEL,Olympiakos Nicosia...
, the biggest in Cyprus, with capacity of 23,400 is the home for the
national teamThe Cyprus national football team is the national football team of the island of Cyprus and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association. They have never reached the finals of either the European Championships or the World Cup....
, APOEL,
OlympiakosOlympiakos Nicosia is a football club in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The Club was founded in 1931. It is a founding member of the Cyprus Football Federation. The jersey colors are black and green...
and
OmoniaAthletic Club Omonia Nicosia is a Cypriot football club that plays in the capital Nicosia and is considered one of the best teams of the country. Omonia has won 19 league championships, 12 Cypriot Cups and 14 Super Cups...
. The other big football stadium in Nicosia is
Makario StadiumMakario Stadium is an all seater multi purpose stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was the largest and main sports venue of the capital up to the construction of the new GSP stadium in 1999. At present it is mostly used for football matches and is the home ground of Digenis Morphou. The stadium holds...
with capacity of 16,000.
The
Eleftheria Indoor HallThe Eleftheria Athletic Center is an indoor arena beside Makario Stadium and Lefkotheo Indoor Hall in Engomi, Nicosia, Cyprus. It is the home venue of the AC Omonia, and Cyprus national basketball team. Currently the arena has a capacity around 6,800 seats and it is the biggest sports indoor hall...
is the biggest basketball stadium in Cyprus, with capacity of 6,500 seats and is the home for
the
national teamThe Cyprus national basketball team is the national team of Cyprus. It is run by the Cyprus Basketball Federation. It is affiliated to FIBA, in the FIBA Europe zone.- History :The team participates at international and European tournaments...
,
APOELAPOEL is a basketball team from Nicosia, Cyprus. APOEL is one of the most successful basketball clubs in Cyprus by winning 9 Championships, 11 Cups and 9 Supercups . APOEL B.C. is part of the APOEL multisport club.-History:...
and
OmoniaAthletic Club Omonia Nicosia is a Cypriot football club that plays in the capital Nicosia and is considered one of the best teams of the country. Omonia has won 19 league championships, 12 Cypriot Cups and 14 Super Cups...
.
The
Lefkotheo indoor arenaThe Lefkotheo arena was the first major indoor sports hall to be constructed in Cyprus. Its construction was finished in 1980, and it is located next to the Makario Stadium with which it shares a common car park...
is the volleyball stadium for APOEL and Omonia.
International/European Events
Nicosia hosted the
2000 ISSF World Cup FinalFor the 2000 ISSF World Cup in the seventeen Olympic shooting events, the World Cup Final was held in October 2000 in Nicosia, Cyprus for the shotgun events, and in November 2000 in Munich, Germany for the rifle, pistol and running target events.- Shotgun :...
shooting events for the shotgun. Also the city hosted two basketball events; the European Saporta Cup in 1997 and the 2005 FIBA Europe All Star Game in the
Eleftheria Indoor HallThe Eleftheria Athletic Center is an indoor arena beside Makario Stadium and Lefkotheo Indoor Hall in Engomi, Nicosia, Cyprus. It is the home venue of the AC Omonia, and Cyprus national basketball team. Currently the arena has a capacity around 6,800 seats and it is the biggest sports indoor hall...
. Another event which was hosted in Nicosia were the
Games of the Small States of EuropeThe Games of the Small States of Europe is a biennial multi-sport event that has been organized by the National Olympic Committees of eight European small states since 1985.-Members:...
in 1989 and 2009.
Transportation
Nicosia International AirportNicosia International Airport is an abandoned airport. It lies to the west of the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia.-History:NIC used to be the principal airport for Cyprus from its initial construction in the 1930s as the Royal Air Force station RAF Nicosia until 1974...
has not been used since 1974 as it lies within the U.N. Buffer Zone separating the two parts of Nicosia. The nearest airport on the Greek administered side is
Larnaca International AirportLarnaca International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Larnaca, Cyprus. Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus' main international gateway and the larger of the country's two commercial airports, the other being Paphos International Airport on the island's southwestern...
on the southern coast.
Motorways link Nicosia with other major urban areas in Cyprus. The
A1The A1 motorway marked the beginning of an ambitious government project to link all the main cities on the island with modern 4 lane highways. It is 73km long and is free of any at-grade intersections...
connects it with
LimassolLimassol or Lemesos is the second-largest city on Cyprus, with a population of 176,900 , the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island...
in the south with the
A6The A6 highway marked the ending of an ambitious government project to link all the main cities on the island with modern 4 lane, high speed, highways. It is 66km long and is free of any at-grade intersections...
going from Limassol onto
PaphosPaphos Paphos Paphos (Paphos is usually written Paphos, Pafos or Paphus in English, Ancient Greek: ; Modern Greek: Πάφος, Páfos; Latin: Paphus, and for a time, Augusta; Turkish...
.
The
A2thumb|leftThe A2 motorway branches off the A1 at Pera Chorio-Nisou and connects to the A3. It is locally referred to as the Nicosia - Larnaca motorway . It is also called "the tube" due to its mostly straight with a very limited number of exits....
links Nicosia with the south eastern city of
LarnacaLarnaca, is a city of the Republic of Cyprus situated on the southern coast of Cyprus. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
with the
A3The A3 motorway is a modern Motorway linking Larnaca International Airport, the largest airport in Cyprus, and Ayia Napa, a very popular clubbing paradise. It is 55 km long. The road was build in 5 phases and took about 10 years to be completed...
going from Larnaca to
Ayia NapaAyia Napa is a resort at the far eastern end of the south coast of the island of Cyprus, famous for its sandy beaches. In recent years, apart from being a family holiday destination, it has become a 'party capital' similar to Ibiza, Rimini and Mykonos...
. The
A9A9 is a motorway under construction which is planned to connect Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, with the Troodos Mountains. Currently this motorway is completed until the small village of Akaki. The project has stopped until the safety of planers will be established...
is currently under construction and would connect Nicosia to the
Troodos mountainsTroodos is the biggest mountain range of Cyprus, located in the center of the island. Troodos' highest peak is Mount Olympus at 1,952 metres.Troodos mountain range stretches across most of the western side of Cyprus...
.
There are many taxi companies in Nicosia. Besides the taxi companies, there is a taxi rank at the
Eleftheria squareEleftheria square is a major square in central Nicosia, Cyprus. It forms the intersection of Ledra and Onasagorou streets with Stasinou, Omirou, Kostaki Pantelidi, Konstandinou Palaiologou and Evagorou avenues....
(City Center), where you can find taxis twenty-four hours a day. Taxi fares are regulated by law and taxi drivers are obliged to use a
taximeterA taximeter is a mechanical or electronic device installed in taxicabs and auto rickshaws that calculates passenger fares based on a combination of distance travelled and waiting time...
.
Public transport within the city is limited to a bus network operated by the subsidised Nicosia Bus Company. Currently plans are underway to expand and modernise this with a European Union grant. There is no train or
metroA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
system.
Between 1905 and 1951, Nicosia was a prominent station of the
Cyprus Government RailwayThe Cyprus Government Railway was a gauge railway network that operated in Cyprus from October 1905 to December 1951. With a total length of , there were 39 stations, stops and halts, the most prominent of which served Famagusta, Prastio Mesaoria, Angastina, Trachoni, Nicosia, Kokkinotrimithia,...
.
Twinnings
LisbonLisbon is the capital and largest city of Portugal. It is also the seat of the district of Lisbon and the main city of the Lisbon region...
,
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
SchwerinSchwerin is a city in northern Germany and the capital of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . The population, as of end of 2007, was 95,855.-History:...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
(1974) AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
(1988) OdessaOdessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .Odessa was founded by Hacı I Giray, the Khan of Crimea, in 1240...
,
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
(1996) ShirazShiraz is the sixth most populous city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Rudkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river. Shiraz has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for more than a thousand years.The earliest reference to the city,...
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IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
(1999) BucharestBucharest is the capital city, industrial and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River....
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RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
(2004) ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city in China, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China's central eastern coast at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality of the People's Republic of China with province-level...
, China
(2004) BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
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SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
(2004) BeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which...
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LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
(2004) Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
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MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(2004) MilanMilan in Italy, is the capital of the region of Lombardia and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while the urban area is the fifth largest in the E.U. with an estimated population of 4.3 million...
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ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
(2004) Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast...
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United Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras...
(2004)
Collaborations
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, Russian Federation
(2000) Nicosia,
SicilySicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
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ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
(2000) Qingdao' , best known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city in eastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Yantai to the northeast, Weifang to the west and Rizhao to the southwest. Lying across the Shandong Peninsula while looking out to the Yellow Sea,...
, China
(2001) AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
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GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
(2002, 2003) HelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin...
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FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
(2003)
Famous Nicosians
- Tassos Papadopoulos
Tassos Nikolaou Papadopoulos was a Cypriot politician. He served as President of the Republic of Cyprus from February 28, 2003 to February 28, 2008....
, ex-president of the Republic of Cyprus (2003-2008).
- Glafkos Klerides
Glafkos Ioannou Clerides is a Greek-Cypriot politician and former President of the Republic of Cyprus.Clerides was the eldest son of the lawyer and statesman Yiannis Clerides....
, president of the Republic of Cyprus (1993-2003).
- George Vasiliou
George Vasos Vassiliou was President of the Republic of Cyprus from 1988 to 1993. He was the founder and leader of the Cypriot United Democrats party ....
, president of the Republic of Cyprus (1988-1993).
- Ioannis Kasoulides
Ioannis Kasoulides was born on 10th of August, 1948 in Nicosia. He is married with Mme Droushiotou Emy and has one daughter named Joanna.-Career:Kasoulides studied medicine at the University of Lyon in France and specialised in geriatrics in London...
, Member of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is the English name for a person who has been elected to the European Parliament, one of the European Union's two legislative bodies. MEPs are the European Union's equivalents of a country's national legislators in either the lower house or unicameral...
.
- Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha
Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha , also spelled as Kâmil Pasha or Kiamil Pasha was an Ottoman statesman of Turkish Cypriot origin in the late 19th century and early 20th century, who became, as aside regional or international posts within the Ottoman state structure, grand vizier of the Empire during...
, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
- Fazıl Küçük
Fazıl Küçük was the first Turkish Cypriot Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.Fazıl Küçük, the son of a farmer, was born in Nicosia in 1906. After graduating from the Turkish High School in Nicosia, Küçük went on to study medicine at the Universities of Istanbul, Lausanne and Paris...
former vice president of the Republic of Cyprus (1960-1963).
- Benon Sevan
Benon Vahe Sevan was the head of the United Nations' Oil-for-Food Programme, established in 1996 and charged with preventing Iraq's government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population.Born into an Armenian family in...
, ex-head of UN Oil for Food program.
- Nicolas Economou
Nicolas Economou was a Cypriot composer and pianist born in Nicosia, Cyprus.He was the first child of his family. His parents, who loved classical music, decided to expose him to music as a creative outlet rather than a career...
, composer.
- Alkinoos Ioannidis
Alkinoos Ioannidis is a Greek-Cypriot composer, lyricist, singer and orchestrator.He was born in Nicosia on 19 September 1969. His artistic family, with a painter father and poet brother was a source of inspiration for him. He first wanted to study drums, but couldn't due to the lack of a drum...
, singer.
- Michalis Hatzigiannis
Mihalis Hatzigiannis is a Greek-Cypriot Singer - Songwriter. He also has some success in Australia.-Early life:Hatzigiannis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus on November 5, 1979...
, singer.
- Stavros Konstantinou
Stavros Konstantinou is a Cypriotic singer who rose to popularity after winning Super Idol, the Greek version of Pop Idol, shown by MEGA TV.
-Super Idol Performances:...
, singer, winner of Greek Super IdolSuper Idol was the Greek version of the British television hit show Pop Idol. It is a talent contest to find a pop performer and was hosted by Themis Georgantas. The winner was Stavros Konstantinou...
.
- Okan Ersan
Okan Ersan is a Turkish Cypriot guitarist. He was born on April 27, 1972 in Nicosia, Cyprus, and started to play the guitar and piano at a very young age...
, guitarist.
- Hüseyin Cakmak
Hüseyin Çakmak is a Turkish Cypriot cartoonist and journalist.- Early career :He started to draw cartoons in 1976 under the influence of the "Gır-Gır" humour magazine of Turkey...
, cartoonist, writer.
- Alparslan Türkeş
Alparslan Türkeş was a Turkish neo-fascist politician of military heritage. He represented the far right of Turkish political spectrum, and was court-martialed on the charges of "fascist and racist activities" in 1945, with the charges being dismissed in 1947...
, a Turkish nationalist politician, who served as a Deputy Prime MinisterA Deputy Prime Minister or Vice Prime Minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of Turkey
- Giannos Kranidiotis
Giannos Kranidiotis was a Greek diplomat and politician....
, a Greek diplomat and politician
See also
- Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
- List of Cypriot companies
- Cypriot Orthodox Church
The ancient Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is one of the fourteen or fifteen independent Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. It is one of the oldest autocephalous churches...
- Divided cities
A divided city is one which, as a consequence of political changes or border shifts, presently constitutes two separate entities. Listed are the localities and the state they belonged to at the time of division...
- Foreign relations of Cyprus
Cyprus is a member of the United Nations along with most of its agencies as well as the Commonwealth of Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Council of Europe...
- Foreign relations of Northern Cyprus
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, due to its unrecognized status internationally, is dependent upon Turkey to facilitate its contacts with the international community...
- Ledra Street
Ledra Street is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus.It is the site of the former Ledra Street barricade where the street ran across the United Nations buffer zone...
- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , commonly called Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , is a de facto independent republic located in the north of Cyprus. The TRNC declared its independence in 1983, nine years after a Greek Cypriot coup attempting to annex the island to Greece triggered an...
- Nicosia District
Nicosia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia. The Turkish-controlled northern part of the city is the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey .Turkish-controlled areas of the Larnaca...
- United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions...
External links
Documentaries
- Echoes Across the Divide (2008) is a documentary film about an attempt to bridge the Green Line with a bicommunal music project performed from the rooftops of Old Nicosia