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Why Is The Island of Cyprus Divided Into Two?
One of the world’s unrecognized countries
The conflict between Greece and Turkey is one of history's longest and most enduring. These two nations, and their people, have butted heads since the days of the Greco-Persian Wars. Today, this conflict has spilled out onto the island of Cyprus. Cyprus rarely makes headlines, and many people don’t realize that the island has been engulfed in a political crisis for nearly fifty years. Since 1974, the island has been effectively split in half. The northern portion of the island is controlled by Cypriots, which are friendly to Turkey. The southern half of the island is controlled by Cypriots friendly to Greece.
Cyprus, the internationally recognized country, is the southern portion. The northern portion, Northern Cyprus, is an unrecognized breakaway state backed by Turkey. The recognized nation is pushing for reunification and control of the entire island. The northern state wants international recognition and legitimate independence.
The conflict is one of the modern world’s sticky situations that is similar to the situation in Israel and Palestine, but it does not get nearly the same amount of coverage. Cyprus also remains a contentious issue in Greek-Turkish relations.
