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  • Since 1974 Cyprus has been unofficially divided in two.  While both sides identify as Cypriots,

  • one part is ethnically Greek, while the other is Turkish. And both sides obey separate governments.

  • However, there are signs that the Turkish military occupation on the island is dwindling,

  • and the two sides may reunite soon. So why is Cyprus divided?

  • Well, ownership of Cyprus has changed hands several times. Originally, Cyprus was populated

  • mainly by Greeks. But around 1570, the Ottoman Empire, which later became Turkey, conquered

  • the island, and many Turks migrated there. In the late 19th century about three quarters

  • of Cypriots were ethnically Greek, while just a quarter were ethnically Turkish.

  • For much of their history, Greek and Turkish-Cypriots lived together in ethnically-diverse neighborhoods.

  • After being under British rule since 1878, and following both World Wars, the two communities

  • split based on nationalistic and religious loyalties. Radical political organizations

  • became responsible for the assassinations of hundreds of people along ethnic lines.

  • In 1960, Cyprus gained independence from Britain, which relieved some colonial tensions. But

  • after years of infighting their unity as a nation was tainted.

  • In 1974, Greece’s military junta backed a coup d’etat of the new Cyprus government

  • to assert more influence over the island. In response, five days later, Turkey invaded

  • Cyprus, and captured about a third of its territory. In subsequent battles over dominance,

  • thousands of Cypriots died and were displaced. The United Nations stepped in to broker a

  • cease-fire deal soon after, and a Buffer Zone between both sides was created. Greece then

  • rescinded virtually any claim over Cyprus once Turkey threatened all out war.

  • But since 1974, Turkey hasn’t left Cyprus, and the country is divided and ruled by different

  • governments. However, ONLY Turkey recognizes the Turkish-Cypriot territory, also known

  • as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The rest of the world, including the UN and

  • the EU, recognizes Cyprus as just one nation, called the Republic of Cyprus.

  • Political relations between both territories remain delicately balanced, but nowadays,

  • fighting has subsided. And in April 2015, people in Turkish-occupied Cyprus elected

  • a new president who is an advocate for reunification. The new president promises that his policy

  • will befocused on reaching a peace settlement”. He says, “This country cannot tolerate any

  • more wasted time." Other international leaders are also hopeful. US Secretary of State, John

  • Kerry, believes that the partiescan make real and lasting progress in the year 2015.”

  • If youre interested in learning more about how powerful Turkey is, make sure you watch

  • our full video here. There’s a link in the description below. Oh yea, and if youre

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Since 1974 Cyprus has been unofficially divided in two.  While both sides identify as Cypriots,

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