Cyprus is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. Located east of Greece and south of Türkiye, it is smaller only than Sicily and Sardinia, making it the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus includes central plains and southern coastal plains. It also has mountains to the north and south. Cypriots suffer from hot, dry summers and cool, mild winters. The island itself is approximately 9,251 square km, which is about 0.6 of the state of Connecticut. Cyprus has a population of 1,120,489 inhabitants, of which 97.6% are literate. The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia which has a population of approximately 240,000 inhabitants. It is made up of 77% Greeks, 18% Turks and 5% other ("CIA - The World Factbook"). The country of Cyprus began as a British colony in 1878 but gained independence on August 16, 1960 and celebrate Independence Day on October 1. The newly independent country is known locally as Kypriaki Dimokratia or Kibris Cumhuriyeti which means Republic of Cyprus. Shortly after becoming a separate country, the true Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots began to quarrel over national tensions and the separation of the two ethnic groups. This dispute was continuous and Turkey invaded the country in 1974. As the Turks invaded, most of them Muslims, they persecuted the Christians and killed many people. The Turks subsequently retreated knowing that if they continued to invade other European nations they would come to the aid of Cyprus and defeat all of Turkey ("CIA - The World Factbook"). Cyprus is under a republican government and the Greek Cypriots head the only internationally recognized government. The flag of the Republic of Cyprus has a copper image of the island with two green olive branches crossing underneath... in the center of the sheet... ah? Works Cited"CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the website of the CIA – Central Intelligence Agency. April 10, 2007. Web. December 14, 2011. .Garcia, Blanca. "Cypriot people and culture - Cyprus.com." Cyprus: Find businesses, hotels, holidays, restaurants and travel information - Cyprus.com. 2008. Network. 14 December 2011. "San Barnaba". CATHOLIC SAINTS. Network. 16 December 2011. "San Lazzaro". New Nostos home page. 1998. Network. 16 December 2011. "Icons in the Orthodox Church". Orthodox photos, relics, monasteries, fathers, elders. 2003-2010. Network. December 16. 2011. .