Cyprus History Timeline

Cyprus's Information

Land Area	9,241 km²
Water Area	10 km²
Total Area	9,251km² (#162)
Population	1,205,575 (#159)
Population Density	130.46/km²
Government Type	Republic Of Cyprus - Presidential Democracy; Turkish Republic Of Northern Cyprus (self-declared) - Semi-presidential Democracy
GDP (PPP)	$29.26 Billion
GDP Per Capita	$34,400
Currency	Euro (EUR)
Largest Cities	Nicosia (200,452) Limassol (154,000) Larnaca (72,000) View all cities in Cyprus

(709BC) Cyprus was conquered and unified by the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sargon II
(669BC) Ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus declared independence from Assyrian rule
(570BC) Cyprus conquered by the Egyptians under Amasis II
(565BC-545BC) Cyprus under Egyptian control
(526BC) Amasis died; Psammetichus III, Amasis' son, succeeded him as pharaoh
(525BC) Kingdoms of Cyprus pledged allegiance to Cambyses II of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in anticipation of the invasion of Egypt
(499BC) Aristagoras rebelled against Persian rule; the kingdoms of Cyprus joined the revolt
(498BC) Persian army re-established control over Cyprus
(411BC) Teucrid Evagoras I regained the throne of Salamis
(400BC) Evagoras attempted to establish himself as an independent ruler for Cyprus with Athenian help
(386BC) Persian rule accepted by Athens under the Treaty of Antakidas
(380BC) Persia reconquered Cyprus
(350BC) Cypriot rebellion began
(344BC) Cypriot rebellion crushed by Artaxerxes
(58BC) Cyprus became a Roman province

45AD – 1800s

(45AD) Christianity introduced to Cyprus
(115-116) Kitos war, 240,000 Cypriots massacred in a messianic Jewish revolt; Kitos war ended
(395) Cyprus became part of the Byzantine Empire
(647) Arabs under Muawiya, invaded and occupied Cyprus
(965) Cyprus restored to Byzantine rule
(1571) First Ottoman settlers arrived
(1878) Ottoman Empire turned over control of Cyprus to the British

1900s

(1914) Cyprus annexed by Britain
(1925) Cyprus became British Crown Colony
(1955) Greek Cypriots began guerrilla war against British rule
(1960) Britain granted independence to the Crown Colony of Cyprus; Archbishop Makarios served as first post-independence president
(1961) Cyprus was accepted into the Council of Europe
(1963) Turk minority rioted in Cyprus to protest anti-Turkish revisions in the constitution; Greeks and Turks rioted in Cyprus
(1974) Military junta in Greece backed coup against Makarios; coup collapsed; Glafcos Clerides, president of the House of Representatives, became president until Makarios returned in December
(1975) Turkish Cypriots established independent administration, Raul Denktash president; Denktash and Clerides agreed to population exchange
(1980) UN-sponsored peace talks resumed
(1983) Denktash suspended talks and proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey
(1988) Georgios Vassiliou elected Greek Cypriot president
(1989) Vassiliou-Denktash talks abandoned
(1992) UN-sponsored talks began between the two sides; talks collapsed again
(1993) Glafcos Clerides replaced Vassiliou as president
(1996) Violence continued along buffer zone
(1997) UN-mediated peace talks between Clerides and Denktash failed
(1998) Clerides re-elected second term; EU listed Cyprus as potential member; Russia planned to deliver anti-aircraft missile system to the Greek Cypriot government; Clerides decided not to deploy missiles in Cyprus

2000's

(2001) UN Security Council renewed 36 year mission; peacekeepers patrolled buffer zone between Greek and Turkish Cypriots; Dr. Chrisitian Barnard, South African cardiologist, died in Paphos, Cyprus (performed the world's first human heart transplant in 1967)
(2002) Clerides and Denktash met on the border in Nicosia in first formal negotiations in four years; EU reached agreement to accept 10 new countries in 2004, included Cyprus
(2003) Tassos Papadopoulos took office as fifth Greek Cypriot president, pledged to strive for reunification; rival Greek and Turkish leaders failed to agree on UN power-sharing agreement to unify the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus; parliament voted to approve the accession of the Mediterranean island to the EU; Turkish Cypriot authorities eased border restrictions
(2004) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, expressed disappointment after Cypriot leaders on both sides rejected a reunification plan; EU agreed to end isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community; Cyprus was one of the 10 new states that joined EU, joined as a divided island; Rauf Denktash, Turkish Cypriot leader, left after decades in politics
(2005) UN officials and Greek Cypriot began exploratory talks for new diplomatic peace effort; proposed EU constitution ratified by parliament; Cypriot airliner crashed into hill north of Athens, killed all 121 people on board
(2006) Greek Cypriots backed ruling coalition in parliamentary elections; EU foreign ministers reached agreement with Cyprus on a formula to enable Turkey to take steps in detailed accession talks with the 25 nation bloc; UN sponsored talks with Papadopolous and Talat, agreed to a series of confidence building measures and contacts between the two communities; Cyprus impounded a Panama-flagged vessel on arms smuggling suspicion; EU president backed a proposal to partially suspend EU membership talks because of Ankara's refusal to open up trade with Cyprus; Turkey offered to open a major seaport to longtime foe Cyprus to keep EU entry talks on track; EU foreign ministers decided to suspend eight out of 35 parts of entry talks with Turkey over Ankara's refusal to open its ports to trade with EU member Cyprus
(2007) Greek and Turkish Cypriots demolished barriers dividing the old city of Nicosia; Turkey denied sending extra warships to the eastern Mediterranean over oil drilling rights off Cyprus; Cyprus and Malta received approval from EU finance ministers to adopt the euro
(2008) Cyprus adopted the euro; left-winged leader Demetris Christofias won presidential election; President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed to start formal talks on reunification; Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders launched intensive negotiations aimed at ending the division of the island
(2009) Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat remained in office; right-winged nationalist National Unity Party won parliamentary elections in northern Cyprus, possibly hampered peace talks; reunification talks continued, little progress made
(2010) President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat resumed talks on reunification, no progress made; Turkish Cypriot head of government Dervis Eroglu, candidate of the pro-independence National Unity Party in the self-proclaimed state's presidential election, beat the pro-unity incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat
(2011) Blast at munitions dump in southern Cyprus killed 12, including country's navy commander, wounded 60; Defense Minister and National Guard Chief resigned due to accident

This page was last updated on July 10, 2020.

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