Greek Cypriot refers to the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus. They form the island's largest ethnic community, nearly 80 percent of the population, with the second largest ethnic community being the Turkish Cypriots. The Greek Cypriots are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christians, members of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous church headed by an Archbishop. In a broader sense the term also includes Maronites, Armenians, and Latins who were given the option of adhering to one of two constituent communities (Greek and Turkish) as per 1960 Constitution and voted to join the Greek Cypriot Community. The 2001 Republic of Cyprus Census showed that 689,565 people inhabit the Republic. Turkish Cypriots are those inhabitants of Cyprus who are ethnically Turkish[1], as opposed to those who are of Greek (the Greek Cypriots) or other ethnicities. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... Maronites (Marunoye ܡܪܘܢܝܶܐ in Syriac, Mawarinah in Arabic) are members of one of the Eastern Rites of the Catholic church. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... This article is about the year 2001. ...

History

The Greek Cypriots trace their origins to the descendants of the Achaean Greeks and later the Mycenaean Greeks who settled on the island during the second half of the second millennium B.C. The island gradually became part of the Hellenic world as the settlers prospered over the next centuries. Alexander the Great liberated the island from the Persians in 333 B.C. After the division of the Roman Empire in A.D. 285 Cypriots enjoyed home rule almost nine centuries under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Empire of Byzantium, something not seen again until 1960. Perhaps the most important event of the early Byzantine period was that the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus became an independent autocephalous church in 431. This article is about the ancient people of the Achaeans. ... Mycenaean Greece, the last phase of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece, is the historical setting of the epics of Homer and much other Greek mythology. ... Ancient Greece is a period in Greek history that lasted for around one thousand years and was extinguished by the newly-powerful Christianity. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... This article is about the year. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... Events June - Council of Ephesus: Nestorianism is rejected, the Nicene creed is declared to be complete. ...

The Byzantine era profoundly molded Greek Cypriot culture. The Greek Orthodox Christian legacy bestowed on Greek Cypriots in this period would live on during the succeeding centuries of foreign domination. Because Cyprus was never the final goal of any external ambition, but simply fell under the domination of whichever power was dominant in the eastern Mediterranean, destroying its civilization was never a military objective or necessity. The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

Despite the heavy oppression the period of Ottoman rule (1570-1878) did little to change Greek Cypriot culture outright. The Ottomans tended to administer their multicultural empire with the help of their subject millets, or religious communities. The tolerance of the millet system permitted the Greek Cypriot community to survive, administered for Istanbul by the Archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, who became the community's head, or ethnarch. Although tolerant, Ottoman rule was generally harsh and inefficient. Turkish settlers suffered alongside their Greek Cypriot neighbors, and the two groups endured together centuries of oppressive governance from Istanbul. Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: Konstandinúpoli, historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and economic center. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: Konstandinúpoli, historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and economic center. ...

The concept of enosis -- unification with the Greek "motherland" -- became important to literate Greek Cypriots after Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. A movement for the realization of enosis gradually formed, in which the Orthodox Church of Cyprus had a dominant role (see "Cyprus dispute"). The word Ένωσις (enosis) is Greek for union. ... The coronation banquet for George IV 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The word Ένωσις (enosis) is Greek for union. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... The Cyprus Dispute is the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and also Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over Cyprus, an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ...

During British rule (1878-1960), the British brought an efficient colonial administration, but government and education were administered along ethnic lines, accentuating differences. For example, the education system was organized with two Boards of Education, one Greek and one Turkish, controlled by Athens and Istanbul, respectively. The resulting education emphasized linguistic, religious, cultural, and ethnic differences and ignored traditional ties between the two Cypriot communities. The two groups were encouraged to view themselves as extensions of their respective motherlands, and the development of two distinct nationalities with antagonistic loyalties was ensured. Nickname: City of Athena or Cradle of Democracy Location of the city of Athens (red dot) within the Prefecture of Athens and Periphery of Attica Coordinates: Country Greece Peripheries Attica Prefecture Athens Founded circa 2000 BC Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis Area    - City 39 km²  - Metro 3,808 km² Elevation 70 [3... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: Konstandinúpoli, historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and economic center. ...

The importance of religion within the Greek Cypriot community was reinforced when the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus, Makarios III, was elected the first president of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960. For the next decade and a half, enosis was a key issue for Greek Cypriots, and a key cause of events leading up to 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied the northern part of the island. The island remains divided today, with the two communities almost completely separated. Many Greek Cypriots, most of which lost their homes, lands and possecions during the Turkish invasion emigrated mainly to the UK, Australia and Europe. There are today over 200,000 Greek Cypriots emigrants living in Great Britain. Makarios (born Mihalis Christodoulou Mouskos, August 13, 1913—August 3, 1977) was archbishop and primate of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church (1950-1977) and first President of the Republic of Cyprus (1960-1977). ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

By the early 1990s, Greek Cypriot society enjoyed a high standard of living. Economic modernization created a more flexible and open society and caused Greek Cypriots to share the concerns and hopes of other secularized West European societies. The Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, officially representing the entire island, but suspended for the time being in the Turkish occupied north. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Greek Cypriot dialect

The Greek Cypriot dialect is an idiom distinct from the formal Greek language (note that different idioms exist on many of the Greek islands) as it is spoken in mainland Greece. It is considered by linguists to be the second most important non-standard variety of modern Greek, after the Pontic Greek dialect spoken by Greek populations on the Black Sea Coast of Anatolia. Although all Cypriots understand mainland Greeks (as the vast majority of Greek language media is produced in mainland Greek), and all Cypriots are taught standard Greek in the Cypriot educational system, the Cypriot variety is not always mutually intelligible with the standard variant (mainly because of local pronunciation and idiomatic structures). This is particularly true of many of the localized Cypriot idioms spoken in western Cyprus, around Pafos and in the Troodos mountains. The Cypriot dialect of Greek is spoken by more than half a million people in Cyprus and several hundred thousands abroad. ... Greek (, IPA: — Hellenic) has a documented history of 3,500 years, the longest of any single language within the Indo-European family. ... Pontus was a name applied in ancient times to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the Main), by the Greeks. ... Anatolia lies east of the Bosphorus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Anatolia is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ... Paphos, usually written Paphos or Paphus in English, (Ancient Greek: ; Modern Greek: Πάφος, Páfos; Latin: Paphus, and for a time, Augusta; Turkish: Baf, formerly Baffa) is a coastal town in the southwest of Cyprus. ...

The Greek Cypriot dialect is a source of pride for the Greek Cypriot population - many Greek Cypriots consider the dialect to be closer to the Classical Greek language than standard Greek, thus providing a direct linkage between Greek Cypriots and noted ancient Greeks such as Homer and Plato. There are few scholarly works in English that explore the Cypriot dialect, probably because it is spoken by a limited number of people. The History of Greece extends back to the arrival of the Greeks in Europe some time before 1500 BC, even though there has only been an independent state called Greece since Turkey, Italy and Libya. ... Homer (Greek: , Hómēros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos (singer) traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ...

In many ways, the Greek Cypriot pride and interest in perpetuating their unique dialect and distinct identity from the mainland Greeks is similar to that of the Turkish Cypriots' interest in doing so with respect to the mainland Turkish dialect and population. Turkish Cypriots are those inhabitants of Cyprus who are ethnically Turkish[1], as opposed to those who are of Greek (the Greek Cypriots) or other ethnicities. ...

• Oral histories of Greek Cypriots who migrated to Great Britain 1930 - 1960