Located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean, about fifty miles south of the coast of Turkey, near the Levant. Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean.
Cyprus is approximately 140 miles long by 60 miles wide (3,572 square miles). Throughout the island’s long history, it has been a location with strategic and economic importance to both Mediterranean and Near Eastern powers. Its location on eastern Mediterranean trade routes and its proximity to Egypt and the Near East made it an ideal stopping point for goods flowing both eastward and westward. Its significant mineral resources, fertile agricultural lands, and safe harbors further ensured that trade ships in antiquity frequently visited the island.
Inhabited since the Neolithic period, the island was first settled by Anatolians in the third millennium B.C.E. These first inhabitants soon discovered the abundant copper ore resources on the island, which gave the island its name. Copper quickly became the basis for the economy of the island throughout most of its history. Trade connections were established with cities in the Near East, Egypt, and the Aegean Sea, and the export of copper was soon extensively exploited, bringing wealth to the island. During the Early Bronze Age, the mining and smelting of copper became widely practiced on the island and many commercial cities such as Kalavassos and Maroni developed on the southern and eastern coasts. Around the thirteenth century B.C.E., the island suffered the collapse of the Bronze Age kingdoms that occurred in many parts of the eastern Mediterranean.
From the late eighth century B.C.E. until its annexation by Rome in the first century B.C.E., the island found itself involved in many conflicts. Through these turbulent times, trade still remained an important part of the island’s economy. The Roman period on Cyprus was characterized by both its tranquillity and prosperity. In the Byzantine period, the island became a possession fought over by the Byzantines and Arabs, which disrupted the economic and civil life on the island. It was not until the Byzantines were able to gain control of the island in the ninth century C.E. that peace returned to the island, allowing the economy to recover. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the island became more prosperous as new coastal cities were developed along the southern coastline. It became a critical western outpost for possible military actions against the Muslims and an important economic center for Italian merchants. It remained predominantly an agricultural producer until the end of the twentieth century.
In the twenty-first century, Cyprus is an active trading partner with the European Union, with most of its exports and nearly all of its agricultural production going to the European Union. Its main exports are pharmaceuticals, cement, paper products, and furniture.
R. Scott Moore
See also: Mediterranean Sea; Roman Empire.
Karageorghis, Vassos, and Demetrios Michaelides, eds. Cyprus and the Sea. Nicosia: University of Cyprus, 1995.