"A Brief History Of...": Bullet Point Information for Infographic

I wanted to try and bullet point the information into succinct points which I wanted to get across. I decided it would be best to divide it into the sections I created on my design sheet. These sections make the information easier to take in and understand. I might decide to add more information later but for the moment this is a really useful starting point. The full information is on my Summer Brief Blog.


The Divide

-Cyprus has been the site of many colonisations during it's history, from the early Phonecians,Persians, Byzantines and Ottomans to the modern Greeks, Turks and British.

- The Ottoman Empire ruled over cyprus during the Greek uprising between 1821 and 

1832.

- 486 Greek Cypriots were executed for conspiring with the rebelling Greeks.

- The aim of this was to deter the population from rising up against the Ottoman rulers by showing how violent they could be.

 
- Strengthened the idea of ‘Enosis’.

- Greece became independent in 1830.

- Ottomans control over Cyprus ended in 1878. - Handed over to Unite2d Kingdom.

- Republic of Cyprus began in 1960.

Invasion

- Turkish Cypriot population was only 18%.

- A constitution was put in place which allowed a form of power sharing to try and bring around equality between the mixed population.

-Internal conflicts turned into full-fledged armed fighting.

- In 1974 Greek Cypriots performed a military coup with the support of military junta in Greece.

- The Turkish used the coup as a reason to invade Northern Cyprus.

- In the end around 1/2 of the Island became refugees in their own land after being forced to evacuate with little warning.

-160,000 people were displaced.

- 70% drop in the gross output of the country.

- 30% rise in unemployment.

- just under half of industrial production, and over half of all mining output was also gone.

The Buffer Zone/ Green Line

- 180 kilometers across the island.

- Established in 1974 following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

- The width of the zone ranges from 3.3 metres to 4.6 miles.

- There are several villages or special areas (called Civil Use Areas) within the buffer zone, where more than 10,000 people live and/or work. Civilians may enter these areas freely. Elsewhere in the buffer zone, civilian movement or activity requires specific authorization from UNFICYP.

- UNFICYP keeps permanent watch over the buffer zone with patrols in vehicles, on foot, on bicycles and by helicopter.

- Additionally, a highly mobile unit stands ready to respond to emergencies within the buffer zone.

Abandonment 

Nicosia

- After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nicosia is currently the only divided capital city across the world, with the southern and northern portions divided by the "Green Line".

- It lies roughly at the centre of the island.

- It's history goes back some 2,500 years, and it has been the island's capital for over a thousand years.

- A walled city built on the banks of the river Pedieos, it is now home to 84,893 Turks in the northern part of the city and 47,832 Greeks in the south of the city.
-The island is serviced by 3 airports, at Larnaca and Pathos in the south and Ercan international airport in the north, which is accessed only via flights from the Turkish mainland.

Varosha 

- Varosha is a small town to the south of Famagusta. In the 1970s, Famagusta was the number one tourist destination in Cyprus.

- The Varosha quarter of Famagusta was not only the number one tourist destination in Cyprus, but between 1970 and 1974, it was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and was a favourite destination of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot.

- Population of 35,000 had to evacuate in 1974 with no more than a few hours warning.

- Everyone left their possessions and only took essentials with the thought that they would be returning.

- When the Turkish invaded they barricaded it up meaning the locals could not return, soldiers were ordered to shoot anyone who attempted to enter.

- It still remains untouched and off limits today, being heavily guarded by the Turkish.


The Land

- The island is made up of two large mountain ranges, the Troodos mountains that make up about half of the terrain of the island, with it's highest elevation at Mount Olympus at 1,952m.

- The Kyrenia range extends along the northern coast occupying a much smaller area and elevation.

- The interior is made up of the fertile plain of the Mesaoria, the main agricultural belt where wheat, barley and oats are grown.

- The 782 km coastline consists of beautiful sandy beaches in the south, giving rise to the island's thriving tourist industry.

- The northern beaches are more rugged and unspoilt, leading to the breeding grounds of the Green Turtle and many species of sea birds.

- The island grows it's own olives and lemons and these are exported to Northern Europe in the south, but the northern half of the island can only export to the Turkish mainland, with the north relying heavily on Turkish economic support.

- The unit of currency in the south is the Euro, with the Turkish Lire in the north, although both currencies are accepted from tourists in the north.

- The Turkish government allocates $ 400 million a year to help raise living standards of it's Cypriot community.

- Considering this, the annual G.D.P of the north is surprisingly high, with little unemployment and a good standard of living.