Northern Cyprus At A Glance

Northern Cyprus is a de facto state officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

President

Ersin Tatar is the current president.

Location

The country lies between latitudes 34° and 36° N, and longitudes 32° and 35° E with a total surface area of 3,355 square kilometers (1,295 sq mi).

Neighbors

The closest country is Turkey in the north (70km). Other neighbors are Syria (110km) in the east, Lebanon (200km) and Israel (300km) in the southeast, Egypt (400km) in the south and Greece (800km) in the west.

Flag

The flag was adopted by Law n°15 of 1984. The flag of Northern Cyprus is similar to the Turkish with the crescent slightly to the left of the center between two horizontal red bars.

Currency

Northern Cyprus uses the Turkish lira as legal tender.

Language

The official language of North Cyprus is Turkish.  Although the local Cypriots have their own dialect, English is also widely spoken with many international programs at universities taught in English.

A few pointers to get you started in Turkish.

• Merhaba – Hello
• Selâm / Merhabā  -Hi (merhabā is more common)
• Iyi günler – Good day
• Iyi akşamlar – Good evening
• Iyi Geceler – Good night
• Lütfen – Please
• Teşekkür ederim / Sağol – Thank you
• Görüşürüz! – See you!
• Nasılsınız – How are you?
• Iyiyim – I am fine
• Memnum Oldum – Nice to meet you
• Evet – Yes
• Hayir – No
• Yok – No

Numbers

• Sıfır        0
• Bir           1
• Iki            2
• Üç           3
• Dört        4
• Beş         5
• Altı          6
• Yedi    7
• Sekiz   8
• Dokuz 9
• On          10

Carrying on in all numbers

• On bir 11
• On iki  12
• On Üç 13
• On dört   14
• Yermi      20
• Otuz    30
• Kırk     40
• Elli       50
• Altmış  60
• Yetmiş 70
• Seksen    80
• Doksan    90
• Yüz         100
• Bin      1000

Population

Under the auspices of UN observers. The total population of the 2011 census of Northern Cyprus was 294,906.

Capital City

The Capital of Northern Cyprus is the impressive city Lefkosa (Nicosia), which has witnessed several civilizations, such as Lusignans, Franks, Ottoman, noble Venetians and the 20th century British period.

Places to Visit at Nicosia:

• The old city walls
• Selimiye Mosque (The Cathedral of St. Sophia)
• The great Khan (Büyük Han)
• Büyük Hamam ( The great Turkish Bath)
• Mevlevi Tekke Museum
• The Cathedral of St. Catherine
• The Lapidary Museum

Administrative Partition of Northern Cyprus

Northern Cyprus is divided into six districts: Lefkoşa, Gazimağusa, Girne, Güzelyurt, İskele and Lefke.

Largest Cities in Northern Cyprus

TRNC 2011 Population and Housing Census

Rank	Name	District	Population
1	North Nicosia	Lefkoşa	61,378
2	Famagusta	Gazimağusa	40,920
3	Kyrenia	Girne	33,207
4	Morphou	Güzelyurt	18,946
5	Gönyeli	Lefkoşa	17,277
6	Kythrea	Lefkoşa	11,895
7	Lefka	Lefke	11,091
8	Dikomo	Girne	9,120
9	Trikomo	İskele	7,906
10	Lapithos	Girne	7,839

Economy

The economy of Northern Cyprus is dominated by the services sector (69% of GDP in 2007). The country operates on a free market approach permitting it to be listed as the top country in Europe in entrepreneurial intent to start a new business in 2014.

Airports

Air transport is a major route of entry into Northern Cyprus. Ercan International Airport (ECN) sometimes referred to as Lefkosa (Nicosia) Airport is the most popular airport.

Education

The Department of Education Planning and Program Development has made significant contributions to the Cyprus Turkish educational system since 2005.

Vision & Mission of the Department of Education Planning & Development

…Cyprus Turkish Education system aims at providing individuals with appropriate environments to improve themselves in all respects and raising generations who:

• Open to new ideas
• Give priority to humanistic values
• Are peaceful and conciliatory
• Have committed themselves to freedom, democracy, peace, social justice and superiority of jurisprudence
• Have assimilated scientific thought and study
• Are continuously able to improve themselves
• Are able to express their ideas freely
• Inquire, investigate, know how to access information
• Are able to establish friendly relations with individuals of Turkey and other neighboring communities
• Adopt ATATURK’s peaceful, innovative, contemporary, secular principles
• Are mentally and physically healthy, have an advanced aesthetic sense
• Are virtuous and creative
• Bear the human qualities of the 21st century.

For more information about universities and international programs in Northern Cyprus, see the various universities Blue Ocean can help you secure admission.

Find a school, get admission and travel to North Cyprus with Blue Ocean. Chat on WhatsApp.

Note

• Visa is required for some African countries.
• Procedure is within 2 weeks to months depending on the country.