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Total Area:
9,250 sq km

Population:
780,133 (est. July 2005)
Ethnicity:

Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)
Language:
Greek, Turkish, English
Religion:
Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and Other 4%
Government Type:
Republic
Capital:
Nicosia
Population Below Poverty Line:
Not Available

Persecution News
None Currently Available

This island in the Mediterranean Sea was under British control until 1960. It is now a country split between the Greek and Turkish communities with on-going tensions between the two.

Officially, seventy-eight percent of the population is Christian, primarily Greek Orthodox. According to Operation World, there are more Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses on the island than evangelicals.

There are only five religious groups recognized in the constitution: Greek Orthodox, the Vakf (the Muslim institution that regulates religious activity for Turkish Cypriots), Armenian Orthodox, Maronite, and Roman Catholic. These are eligible for tax exemptions and government subsidies.

There are no restrictions on conversions or proselytism in Cyprus. Nevertheless, there are only a handful of missionaries in the country and they face opposition. In the Turkish North, which is almost exclusively Muslim, no active witness is tolerated and the church is limited to a few small groups of believer.

Prayer Requests

  • Pray for a encouragement and strength for the limited number of Christians in Muslim areas of the country.
  • Pray that there will be freedom to share the Gospel throughout the country.  
  • Pray for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Cyprus.