Cyprus

LOCATED IN THE Mediterranean Sea, the island of Cyprus attained its long-sought independence from Great Britain in 1960. Three years later, tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and the Turkish Cypriot minority exploded into violence. A United Nations peacekeeping force was subsequently deployed but was unable to negotiate a lasting peace. Turkey controls the northern third of the island, which it has named the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Other governments do not recognize this area as a separate country. Repeated efforts to reunite Cyprus have been unsuccessful.

The republic of Cyprus is a high-income nation, with a per capita income of $20,300. Over three-fourths of the labor force is engaged in services, mostly in tourism and finances. Approximately 10 percent of the labor force are involved in agriculture. The unemployment rate is 3.2 percent. Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, and all Cypriot citizens have the rights granted to members of the Union. In Turkish Cyprus, economic indicators are less positive. The per capita income is $7,135. Half of the labor force is involved in services, and 15.1 percent are engaged in agriculture. Agriculture is made more difficult in Cyprus because prolonged droughts may go on for several years, creating water shortages.

Data on some social indicators for Cyprus are missing, and there is no official poverty line. The government believes it has eradicated hunger by providing a social net for those in need. Nevertheless, when compared to other Cypriots, single mothers and rural and retired women are likely to make up the poorest segment of the population. Single mothers are the only group of Cypriots who are in danger of becoming victims of long-term poverty. Benefits granted to needy individuals include pensions, public assistance, and monthly child benefit payments. Government programs offer training, employment, and social services.

Life expectancy in Cyprus is 77.65 years, with females outliving males by an average of five years. The median age is 34.68 years. Nearly 21 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and 11.4 percent have lived to see a 65th birthday. Even though water shortages are a problem, all of Cyprus has access to safe drinking water. Proper sanitation is also available to 100 percent of the population. A national health plan has been considered but has failed to garner sufficient support for passage. While healthcare is not free, it is widely available. There are 269 physicians for every 100,000 people on Cyprus. Some 95 to 100 percent of Cypriots are able to afford essential drugs.

Cypriot infant mortality is low at four deaths per 1,000 live births. This rate has drastically decreased since the 1970s when the rate was 29 deaths per 1,000 live births. Between 1970 and 2005, the mortality rate for all children under the age of 5 was slashed from 33 to five deaths per 1,000. Nine percent of all infants are underweight at birth. Immunization rates for children from birth to 23 months range from a percentage in the mid-80s to the high 90s.

Cyprus has made a concentrated effort to promote family planning. Between 1970 and 2005, the fertility rate fell from 2.5 children per woman to 1.83 children per woman. Teenage pregnancy is relatively rare at 16 per 1,000 births. Professional medical staff attend 100 percent of all births. Based on modeled estimates for 2000, maternal mortality in Cyprus occurs at a rate of 47 deaths per 100,000 live births.

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