1. Lifestyle
2. Crime Rate
3. European Community
4. Transport & Telecommunications

Lifestyle

The ideal weather and ideal location define the ideal lifestyle of this magnificent Mediterranean island. With more that 340 days of sunshine, residents and tourists get to enjoy the clear warm waters of Cyprus throughout the year.

In November you can swim in the warm Mediterranean in the morning and ski on the slopes of Troodos Mountains in the afternoon.

The sun has an incredible effect on the Cypriot lifestyle and reveals itself in many ways, especially through the diet and characteristics of the Cypriots.

Two of the main industries on the island, tourism and farming prosper from the sun. Cyprus produces a wide array of fruit, vegetables and free-range meat resulting in a delicious and healthy diet evolved from many influences. Greece , Armenia , Lebanon , Syria and Italy have all left their mark on the Cypriot cuisine.

Dining in Cyprus is a very sociable affair and is usually the main reason for friends to meet friends and family to meet family!

Cyprus also has a long tradition of winemaking that goes back over 4,000 years. In ancient times wine was a major source of wealth for the island. Approximately 10% of the island is covered in vineyards. The wines are best sampled at the annual wine festival in Limassol in September.

Cypriots widely speak English as a result of the British influence, and of course to accommodate the great numbers of English speaking tourists that visit the island.

Low Crime Rate

Cyprus enjoys a very low crime rate compared to other Mediterranean countries such as Spain , Portugal , Italy and France . Cyprus crime rate is only one tenth of the average rate of the other European countries (6% of United Kingdom ) . One will find that in residential areas, people rarely lock their cars, many times leave houses, windows or even doors open. This is all due to friendliness and honesty of the local population and the reason people return year after year.

Cyprus and the European community

Since the 1 st of May 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union. The benefits to Cyprus as a whole from membership of the EU are quite substantial, with the whole population of the island benefiting from political, economic, social, environmental and other advantages. The EU is Cyprus 's main trading partner accounting for approximately 50% of total trade, the United Kingdom being Cyprus ' main export destination. Further, Cyprus is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the British Commonwealth and also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Transport & Telecommunications

In an island like Cyprus , where tourism is one of the main industries, transport and telecommunications systems are certainly of a high standard. There is public transport service with regular connections between cities with scheduled taxi services and comfortable coaches. Private taxis and rental cars are readily available.

Cyprus ranks third (3 rd ) in the world in having modern telecommunications facilities. CYTA (Cyprus Telecommunication Authority) provides the highest level of services by enabling participants to have direct dial access to over 200 countries.

These excellent communications have contributed to a great degree in the progressive development of the island. Our two international airports in Larnaca and Pafos as well as the ports of Limassol and Larnaca, connect Cyprus with all countries of the world. More than 40 airlines operate over 260 flights weekly to and from Cyprus . More than 60 charter airlines fly to Cyprus . Both airports of the island are among the most frequented in the Eastern Mediterranean.