What sort of food is Haloumi, often seen on Cypriot menus?

Cheese. Haloumi is a salty cheese made from sheep’s milk.

What is Cyprus’s main mountain range called?

Troodos. Cyprus’s second mountain range the Pentadaktylos is so called because it looks like the 5 fingers of a fist. Now the mountain is under Turkish occupation and can be seen from any part of Nicosia.

Which Christian saint was shipwrecked off Cyprus?

Paul (Pavlos). His companion Barnabas was born and martyred at Salamis in the occupied part of Cyprus.

Which ancient goddess is associated with Cyprus?

Aphrodite. Aphrodite came out of the water according to legend fully formed from the foam. You can visit Aphrodite’s Baths near the small village of Pissouri as you are travelling to Paphos.

Which Archbishop was the leader of Cyprus in the 1960s and 1970s?

Makarios. He was exiled to Seychelles in 1974 after a coup in that year.

What is the name of the UN-staffed dividing zone across Cyprus?

Green Line. So called because it was originally drawn on a map in green ink.

What is the capital of Cyprus (English name)?

Nicosia. Nicosia is the last divided capital in Europe now that the walls are down in Berlin and Belfast.

And what is the Greek name of Cyprus’s capital?

Lefkosia. The name comes from the Lefkon trees in the city.

Which is the most frequently used language in the Republic of Cyprus?

Greek. 82 percent of the population on the island speak Greek. English and Russian are widely spoken.

When did the University of Cyprus begin?

September 1992. Cyprus occupies a high place internationally in terms of Tertiary Education. There are about 23 students per 1,000 of the population.

On average, how many hours of sunshine shall I expect when on the island?

Cyprus receives over 300 hours of sunshine a year. The average number of hours of bright sunshine for the whole year is 75 % of the time.
What is the name of the animal which is the symbol of the Cyprus republic, and it is also used on its coins?
mouflon . The mouflon belongs to the sheep family but this species is unique in the world. This interesting and noble beast has long been in danger of extinction, but today is a fully protected animal.

If you were eating ‘haloumi’, what type of food would you be eating?

a kind of cheese.

What area, in square kilometres, does Cyprus cover?

9251 sq. km, of which 1733 are forested.

What is the main commercial port of Cyprus?

Limassol. Larnaca is the island’s second largest commercial port.

In which sea is the island of Cyprus situated?

Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is actually situated in the north-eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.

Which of the country’s other towns was once its capital?

Paphos . The second largest airport on the island is the Paphos airport, and many historical sites are there.

What is the name of the gift that God supposedly gave to the Cypriots?

Intrigue. It was said that they came last and that God had nothing left to give them, but they insisted upon a gift.

Who was elected the country’s Greek Cypriot leader in the most recent elections?

Nicos Anastasiades (Right wing leader)

What is the name of the building on top of Debenhams, Ledra Street where you can see all over Nicosia?

Ledra Observatory. That is the highest point in Nicosia.

What was the name of the last Queen of Cyprus?

Catherine Cornaro. She was Venetian and was forced to abdicate from her throne.

What is the principal religion of Cyprus?

Greek Orthodox. They are mostly Greek Orthodox in the south and all Greek Cypriot children are brought up strongly in the Church.

Which village is famous for its lace?

Lefkara. It has now become a popular tourist attraction because of this.

What was the name of the capital of Cyprus in ancient times?

Ledra. The principal shopping street in the city is still called Ledra Street.

Which animal is said to have been brought to Cyprus to control the snake population?

Cat. Legend says that Helen, mother of the Emperor Constantine, first brought cats to Cyprus to deal with the snakes. However archaeological evidence shows that there were cats in Cyprus many centuries before this. A Neolithic burial site revealed the skeleton of a young cat, buried just a few feet away from a human skeleton, which suggests that humans over nine thousand years ago may have kept cats as pets.

What is ‘Commanderia’?

Sweet red wine. The Cypriot wine Commanderia is said to be the oldest sweet red wine in the world, produced as long ago as 2000 BC. The name is more recent, dating to the twelfth century when the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem bought Cyprus from Richard the Lionheart. They gave the name of their Headquarters (Grand Commanderie) to this unique wine with its delicate aroma and started exporting it to Europe where it became famous.

What is the name of the monastery where Archbishop Makarios started as a novice?

Kykkos. In 1926 Michael Mouskos, later Archibishop Makarios and first President of Cyprus, went to Kykkos as a novice. The Kykkos monastery was built in 1100 and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, because an icon of the Virgin and Child attributed to St Luke, was given to a Cypriot monk by the Emperor Comnenos. The monastery is 1318 metres high in the north west Troodos Mountains

What is the name of the British Sovereign Base west of Limassol?

Akrotiri. The Sovereign Base Areas were created in 1960 by the Treaty of Establishment, when Cyprus was granted independence. The United Kingdom wished to retain sovereignty over these areas because of the strategic location of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. Akrotiri is the Western Sovereign Base and Dhekelia is the Eastern Sovereign Base (to the east of Larnaca)..