Cyprus may be a small island with a long history and a rich culture that spans of more than 12.000 years, creating one of the oldest civilizations in the Mediterranean.
Here are ten (10) interesting facts about this stunning island:
- On average, Cyprus has only 40 days of rainfall each year and it is known for its sunshine, with more than 300 sunny days during the year.
- Cypriots are big food lovers however despite being an Island nation, they do not like fish that much. In fact, most of their traditional foods are meat-base, like souvla, kleftiko, sheftalia, koupepia, and loukanika.
- United States and the EU recognized halloumi as a traditional Cypriot product, so officially halloumi is only halloumi if it’s made in Cyprus.
- The world’s wine label named wine dating back 5000 years belongs to Cyprus and called as Commandaria.
- Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus, is divided by “The green Line”, additionally known as the un buffer zone. it’s the only capital in the world that’s divided between 2 nations.
- Cyprus is one of only four countries (the United Kingdom, the republic of ireland and Malta) in the EU that drives on the left.
- According to legend, the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite was born and rose from the foam (“afros,” in Greek) near a rock off at Aphrodite’s Beach in Cyprus.
- For the twelfth year in a row Cyprus has ranked first in Europe for the ratio of beaches that received the “Blue Flag”. The total number of beaches in the country with blue flag is 64
- Cyprus is one of the safest places in the world with a very low crime rate.
- The Cyprus Mouflon named as “Agrino”, a rare variety of sheep that can only be found in Cyprus.