The Country

Geography:
Cyprus is an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, located 40 miles (64 km) south of Turkey and 60 miles (97 km) west of Syria. The island consists of two east-west running mountain ranges the Kyrenia Mountains in the north and the Troödos Mountains in the south, separated by a wide fertile pain, the Mesaoria, which is open to the sea at both ends. The Troödos range includes Mount Olympus, which rises to 6,406 feet (1953m), the island's highest point.
The island has a total area of 3,752 sq miles (9,251 sq km) and a population in 2000 of 766,000 - comprising 77% Greek, 18% Turkish and 5 % other ethnic origin. The Greek Cypriots are mostly Orthodox Christian - although Armenians and Maronites are also represented. The Turkish Cypriots are Moslems.
After the Turkish invasion of 1974, the island was partitioned into two separate states, with the border ('Green Line') running approximately between Lefke in the west and Famagusta in the east, straight through the capital city - Nicosia.
Republic of Cyprus (Kypriaki Dimokratia)
The Republic of Cyprus occupies the southern two thirds of the island, and is overwhelmingly Greek Cypriot. The capital is Nicosia. The land area is 2457 sq miles (5,896 sq km), with a population of 573,000 in 1991.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Kibris Cumhuriyeti)
The TRNC occupies the northern third of the island, with a mainly Turkish Cypriot population. After 1974 several thousand Turks from the mainland were also settled on the island The capital is Lefkosia (northern Nicosia). The land area is 1295 sq miles (3355 sq km), with a population of 175,000 in 1991.

National History:
Summary Narrative History

Timeline - Key Dates in Cypriot History

Further National Information:
BBC Cyprus page
Country Study for Cyprus
Occupied Cyprus Project
Cyprus Timeline
The Cyprus Conflict
Wikipedia Cyprus page
TRNC Public Information Office
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - Info & History
Britain's Small Wars
The Official UNFICYP website

Civil Aircraft Registrations:
Under British administration the registration sequence VQ-Cxx was used 1952-1960. Upon independence in 1960, the registration prefix 5B-xxx was adopted, eg: 5B-DBB.
An online database of Cypriot airliner registrations can be found here: Registration Numbers

Military Air Arms:
Air Force (Cyprus Air Force)
Security Aviation (Turkish Cypriot Security Force)

Central Government Agencies:
Civil Police (Cyprus Police)
Government Aviation (Cyprus Government)

Public Service Aviation:
To be added

Commercial Aviation:
Cyprus Airways
Eurocypria Airlines
Cyprus Turkish Airways

Private Aviation:
To be added

Aircraft Manufacturers:
Not applicable.

Aircraft Maintenance/Repair Depots:
None known.

Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Civil Airports and Airfields-

Southern Cyprus:
Episkopi (EPK)
Larnaca International (LCA) Spotting info
Pafos/Paphos International (PFO)

Northern Cyprus:
Ercan (ECN)
Gecitkale (GEC)

Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing

Aviation Museums:
There is a small aviation museum at Paphos Airport.

Aviation-Related Magazines:
See the pages for Greece and Turkey

Aviation Bibliography:
To be added.

Web Links:
La Fuerza Aérea Argentina en UNFICYP
* Argentine Air Force UNFICYP page