Twelve facts about Cyprus I can actually back up

The lists of Cyprus facts doing the rounds online are full of things nobody has checked. I’ve made mine with one rule, nothing goes in unless an official source backs it. That leaves twelve, and a few of them should surprise you. For the story told in order, see the history of Cyprus. The halloumi one also helps when choosing souvenirs from Cyprus.

An island without rivers

Only two Mediterranean islands are bigger or more populous than Cyprus, says the Spanish foreign ministry, and the same profile adds a detail that genuinely surprised me. There are no permanent rivers. Instead you get two ranges with a plain between them, and Mount Olympus rising to 1,953 m. How big the island is end to end is in how big is Cyprus.

Halloumi has papers

The island’s most famous cheese has protected designation of origin status. The EU registered the name «Χαλλούμι» (Halloumi), and «Hellim» in Turkish, in 2021, with the whole surface of Cyprus as its production area. The regulation cites references to it being made on the island as far back as 1554. For me that’s the perfect excuse to order it at every meal.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Limassol before prices climb.

An English queen crowned in Limassol

This is my favourite. In 1191, the Limassol tourism board says, Richard the Lionheart held his wedding to Berengaria of Navarre in the town, and the bride was crowned Queen of England on the spot. A Navarrese princess crowned an English queen on an island in the eastern Mediterranean.

On the left, like at home

Cypriots drive on the left, as both gov.uk and the Spanish foreign ministry point out. The sources don’t say why, but it fits with the British administration, which the Limassol tourism board dates from 1878 to 1960. If you’re hiring a car, read driving in Cyprus first. The British legacy shows on the wall too, with the three-pin socket covered in plugs in Cyprus.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Limassol and choose by the reviews.

The UN in the middle of the capital

The UN strip runs some 180 km across Cyprus and, in the old quarter of Nicosia, shrinks to under 20 metres. UNFICYP, the force that patrols it, arrived in 1964, and the UN counts it among its longest-running peacekeeping missions. And within it sits Pyla, where, the UN says, the two communities still share one village, uniquely on the island.

Ten thousand Cypriots on British bases

The Sovereign Base Areas at Akrotiri and Dhekelia aren’t part of the Republic, but they aren’t just barracks either. Around 10,000 Cypriots live inside, plus some 3,800 British personnel, civilians and families, and roughly 60% of the land is in private hands, according to the bases’ own administration.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Limassol on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

Compulsory voting, and seats without a vote

Voting in elections to the House of Representatives is compulsory, the House says. And three representatives sit in the chamber, for the Armenians, Latins and Maronites, with a voice but no vote. More in the political system of Cyprus.

More heritage than you’d think

Cyprus has three World Heritage properties, Paphos, the Troodos painted churches and Choirokoitia, and eleven more on the tentative list. On the intangible heritage list it has eight elements, from Lefkara lace in 2009 to Commandaria wine in 2025, by way of tsiattista, a poetic duel in verse.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Limassol before prices climb.

Independence celebrated in October

The last one. Cyprus became independent at midnight on 15-16 August 1960, according to the House, yet the Independence Day on the official holiday list is 1 October. I haven’t found the reason in any official source, so I’ll keep my guesses to myself. Every holiday is in public holidays in Cyprus. The flag dates from that same year, and why it carries a map of the island is explained in the Cyprus flag. According to myth, Aphrodite rose from the sea beside Aphrodite’s Rock, between Paphos and Limassol.