Although it is geographically located in West Asia , its cultural identity and geopolitical make-up are overwhelmingly Southeast European. It is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Nicosia. Cyprus hosts the British-controlled military bases Akrotiri and Dhekelia , whilst the northeast portion of the island is de facto governed by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , which is separated from the Republic of Cyprus by the United Nations Buffer Zone.
Cyprus was first settled by hunter-gatherers around 13, years ago, with farming settlements emerging a few thousand years later. During the late Bronze Age , Cyprus then called Alashiya developed an urbanised society closely connected to the wider Mediterranean world.
Cyprus experienced waves of settlement by Mycenaean Greeks at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. It was subsequently occupied by several empires, including the Assyrians , Ancient Egyptians , and Persians , from whom the island was seized in BC by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt , the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire , Arab caliphates , the French Lusignans , and the Venetians was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between and de jure until The future of the island became a matter of disagreement between the two prominent ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
From the 19th century onwards, the Greek Cypriot population pursued enosis union with Greece , which became a Greek national policy in the s. These events and the resulting political situation are matters of an ongoing dispute.
Cyprus is a major tourist destination with an advanced high-income economy. Through overseas trade, the island has given its name to the Classical Latin word for copper through the phrase aes Cyprium , "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum. The standard demonym relating to Cyprus or its people or culture is Cypriot. The terms Cypriote and Cyprian later a personal name are also used, though less frequently.
