Nicosia is the largest city on the island of Cyprus and capital of the Republic of Cyprus as well as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, it is also the capital of the district of Nicosia. It is located in the center of the island, within the limits of the Mesaoria valley, specifically between the coordinates: 35º 10 ‘N 33º 21’ at 128 meters above sea level, on the banks of the Pedieos River. The city has a population of 270,000 residents.
According to abbreviationfinder, Nicosia is the only capital city in the world that is divided by a wall, the northern part of Turkish descent and the southern part of Greece, separated by the so-called Green Line, which consists of a demilitarized zone controlled and maintained by the United Nations. In real terms, the terms “North Nicosia” and “South Nicosia” are rarely used in the daily life of the city.
The northern part of the city is called by the Turks who live in the country: capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state that has not been recognized internationally.
Nicosia means “city of victory”, a term that began to be used during the occupation of the island by the Templars in the 12th century, who according to history did not properly pronounce the word Kallinikisis, which was the name of the city at that time, for which they began to call her as Nicosia.
The city is also called as Leukosia or Lefkosia, which means “white city”, while Lefkoşa, the name given to it by the Turkish population, is a mere deformation of the Greek second name. It is also called Lefkothea, which means “white goddess”.
History
In ancient times the city was known as Ledra or Ledrae and in 1192 it became the seat of the kings of Cyprus, centuries later in 1489 it became part of the Republic of Venice and by 1571 it fell into the hands of the Turks.
After the Turkish invasion in 1974 the island was literally divided in half as the Turks came to occupy 36% of the entire territory and from that date of extreme violence and after independence even part of the northern part of the city is within the limits of an area monitored by the UN on the so-called Green Line.
Today even Nicosia, like the rest of the main cities of Cyprus, preserves Greek archaeological remains despite the considerable damage caused by the Turkish invaders. Among these remains, some belong to the so-called “archaic” period to which are added the seductive Gothic architectures erected by the so-called “Franks” or “Latinos” from the Crusades and even the Turkish occupation.
Geography
The city of Nicosia belongs to the district of the same name of which it is its capital, it is located approximately in the center of the island of Cyprus, specifically within the Mesaoria or Mesarya valley, which is delimited to the north by the Kyneria mountain chain also known as the Besparmak Mountains and to the south by the Troodos Mountains, 128 meters above sea level, on the banks of the Pedieos River.
- Average maximum temperature recorded in a year 44 ° C.
- Average daily maximum temperature recorded in a year 25.9 ° C.
- Average daily minimum temperature recorded in a year 12.5 ° C.
- Average minimum temperature recorded in a year -6 ° C.
- Average total rainfall recorded in a year 345 mm.
Economy
The city’s economy is based on trade and textile, leather, plastic and other products manufacturing. Copper extraction is also carried out in mines that are located near the city. See population of Cyprus.
Education
The city of Nicosia has educational centers where all levels of education are taught, including university, the latter includes public and private higher education establishments, on both sides of the Green Line.
The various centers of higher studies offer bachelor, magister and doctorate degrees, among which can be found the University of Cyprus, the University of Nicosia, the Frederick University, the Open University of Cyprus, the European University of Cyprus, the University of the Middle East, the International University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Institute of High Technology.
The University of Cyprus founded in 1989 is the most important and the largest university institution in the country.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti). It is a de facto independent state located north of the island of Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, controlling 37% of its territory. Its capital is Nicosia, (called Lefkoşa), the capital that it shares with the Republic of Cyprus, divided by a wall, which makes it currently the only capital that has this division.
This republic was founded after the Turkish victory in Operation Attila (20 July – 17 of August of 1974), which enabled him to establish a new government in the occupied territory under the name Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. This de facto state became the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in November 1983 after its declaration of independence. Despite this, it is only recognized by Turkey; all other governments and the United Nations recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the entire island. The Organization of the Islamic Conference recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a constituent state, under the name Turkish Cypriot State.
