Cyprus is an island nation in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. This is the third largest and most populous island in the region and located east of Greece. The island of Cyprus has been inhabited since the 10th millennium BC and has a population estimated at 1.20 million in 2019.

Cyprus has an estimated population of 1.20 million in 2019, up from the 2011 census of 839,000 and the 2011 estimate of 1.11 million. This ranks 158th in the world.

Of the 1.16 million people in Cyprus, about 300,000 live in the north, although it’s believed this number has climbed to 500,000, half of whom are Turkish settlers or Cypriot-born children of settlers. There is only one city in Cyprus with a population over 100,000. Limassol has a population of 101,000, with a metro area population of 185,000. Nicosia, the capital, is divided into the North (pop 61,000) and the South (pop 55,000).

Cyprus itself is de facto partitioned into the south, which is effectively under control of the Republic and accounts for 59% of the island, and the north, administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The North is recognised only by Turkey. The international community considers the northern region as part of Cyprus which is occupied by Turkish forces.

Cyprus Demographics
Cyprus inhabitants are known as Cypriots. In 2001, the population was comprised of 77% Greek Cypriots, 18% Turkish and 5% other, with about 10,500 people of Russian origin in the nation. The Republic of Cyprus is also home to about 110,000 foreign permanent residents and between 10,000 and 30,000 undocumented illegal immigrants.

The Turkish Cypriots live in the north of the country. The villages of Pyla and Potamia are the only two in the Republic with a mixed population of Turkish and Greek residents.

Nearly every Greek Cypriot is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. The majority of Turkish Cypriots adhere to Sunni Islam. Cyprus is considered one of the most religious countries of the European Union. 95% of the population is Christian Orthodox, 0.9% is Armenian or Maronite, 1.5% is Roman Catholic, 1.0% belongs to the Church of England and 0.6% is Muslim, with just 1.3% not stating or religion or choosing another denomination.

There is a large Greek and Turkish Cypriot diaspora in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Turkey, and Greece.

Cyprus Population Growth
The country is growing modestly, and by 2020, it’s estimated to reach 1.2 million people.

Ethnic Identity

The people of Cyprus identify themselves in may ways.

Greek
Greek Cypriot
Cypriot
Turkish Cypriot
Turkish
Armenian
Maronite

……….and that does not include the large numbers of Russians, Romanians, British and people from many other countries who have settled in Cyprus over the last few decades.

Thank you Chris, this is exactly what I want, and much as I know you may think I am nuts, to even attempt the impossible, I will continue to do so, so humour me and allow me to respond to your excellent questions:

• What unites the two Communities if they speak a different language, have a different religion, differing customs, different origins and look to a different “mother” country?

The greatest barrier with the ethnic diversity of Cyprus is as much in the minds of the people as it is within the Demographic breakdown of the Island, so for the first part, I will focus on the ROC and the diversity within that section of the island.

In total, the population of Cyprus is now reported to be 1.2 million, a rise of 400,000 in recent years. As I stated in my video, large numbers have moved here from all over Europe, Russia and beyond. The largest single groups have been British, followed by Russians, neither of which speak Greek, but with the exception of a few Cypriots who have learned to speak Russian, the common language once again is ENGLISH, is it not?

Most Cypriots who were raised abroad, (such as myself)  live in or come from English speaking countries and even though they may be able to communicate in Greek, ranging  from very little to fluent, their preferred choice of communication is and always remains English.

Does this cause any problems? No it does not, English is the international language and while nobody is suggesting that other languages are abandoned,  but it makes perfect sense to build on a language that nearly everyone would be happy to learn/improve and one that would provide common ground for all.

With regard to the ‘MOTHERLANDS’ once again, people are free to identify themselves as they wish, the notion of a Cypriot race is one that is very divisive, as many people will cling on to their institutional ‘MOTHERLANDS’ but that need not be an obstacle. The irony is that the number of children born here to one Cypriot and one foreign parent is very high, yet those children are STILL raised with the same ethnic  mind-set.  I would argue that a child with a Russian mother is just as much Russian, as they are Cypriot, so is it not the citizenship that they have been raised to identify with the issue, rather than their gene pool?

Nearly all races, or demographics are made up of a particular fusion of people, within Russia, there are many differences across the nation, depending on their historical Gene pool, within the UK, we can say that people of a certain appearance have a high Viking, Saxon or Celtic Gene, yet they identify as English, or Scottish or Welsh.

Therefore, I fervently believe that the issues of ethnic diversity, or Gene pool or even language are not real obstacles, they are certainly not obstacles to the hundreds of thousands who have taken up residence here.

With regard to the rest of the island, I have no doubt, that if we make the effort to move forward with a clear and INCLUSIVE nation building policy, designed to create a national identity WITHOUTH threatening people’s individual feelings on their ethnicity, with an effort to exploit the ubiquity of the English language, there will be far less resistance to slowly ending the social division. As for the politics, I will leave that to the politicians, I have no interest in remaining on the political merry-go-round that does nothing but divide everyone.

• You seem to be very approving of the fact that Cyprus is in the EU and yet you’re rabidly against it when it comes to the UK where the EU is apparently the Devil’s emissary on Earth? Two policies for two countries? How come?

I referred to the EU as factor that has changed Cyprus beyond recognition, as it is doing to other parts of Europe. I think that you, along with most supporters of the EU, confuse my contempt for the EU with my general feeling about Europe as a whole. I love the Europe, despise the EU, always have, always will, that is my opinion and it will never change.  I would have definitely preferred to have seen Cyprus remain an independent united island, with the status of a Tax haven and an international shipping flag of convenience, an offshore tax rate of 4% rather than the politically castrated South East sector of the infernal EU.

Nevertheless, we are where we are and the demographics have gone too far for us to change now, therefore we can only go forward, we cannot rewind. Therefore, despite my reservations about the EU, we need to accept that we only have two choices here….

An island divided in to two ethnic halves

Or

An island united under one common national identity of Cypriots.

I use the term national identity as that does not distinguish between ethnic groups. I for one was born and raised in the UK, but I am not Anglo Saxon, I am obviously racially Cypriot, but I am culturally English, and as you know, when I have my English head on, GOD HELP anyone who offends, I’ll have their guts for garters………………….Does that answer your questions? lol