About

Discovery Ltd was founded in 1989. We mainly deal with the Limassol District in the area of real estates. In the year 1983 we were involved in Development Projects all through Cyprus and earned our license in 1988. We deal with many fields of the real estate range of services sucs as villas, houses, appartments, land, Property to rent is also among our range of services. 

Destination Cyprus

This island republic of spectacular beauty offers sandy beaches, rugged cliffs and cool pine forests. Its 9,000-year-old cultural heritage blends East and West.  Recently joined the EEU and will become a full member on May 2004.

* useful note : all street signs, directions signs and shop signs, etc. are written in both Greek and English. 

* useful note : Cyprus enjoys over 250 Sun Shining days per year. 

About Cyprus

General | People | Government | Economy | Transportation 

Location: Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 33 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 9,250 sq km (note: 3,355 sq km are occupied by Turkish troops)
land: 9,240 sq km
water: 10 sq km

Area-comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 648 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate, Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters

Terrain: central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Olympus 1,952 m

Natural resources: copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 13%
other: 70% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: moderate earthquake activity

Environment-current issues: water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall; sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer; increased salinization in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization

Environment-international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements.

People

General | People | Government | Economy | Transportation 

Population: 748,982 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (male 94,006; female 89,256)
15-64 years: 65% (male 245,739; female 241,935)
65 years and over: 10% (male 33,989; female 44,057) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.69% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 13.93 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 7.51 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.97 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.79 years
male: 74.62 years
female: 79.07 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Cypriot(s)
adjective: Cypriot

Ethnic groups: Greek 78% (99.5% of the Greeks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 0.5% of the Greeks live in the Occupied Turkish area), Turkish 18% (1.3% of the Turks live in the Greek Cypriot area; 98.7% of the Turks live in the Occupied Turkish area), other 4% (99.2% of the other ethnic groups live in the Greek Cypriot area; 0.8% of the other ethnic groups live in the Occupied Turkish area)

Religions: Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, Maronite, Armenian Apostolic, and other 4%

Languages: Greek, English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94%
male: 98%
female: 91% (1987 est.)

Goverment

General | People | Government | Economy | Transportation 

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus
conventional short form: Cyprus
note: the Occupied Turkish area refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)

Data code: CY

Government type: republic
note: a desegregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began after the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified following the Turkish intervention in July 1974 following a Greek junta-based coup attempt, which gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which has been recognized only by Turkey; both sides publicly call for the resolution of intercommunal differences and creation of a new federal system of government

National capital: Nicosia
note: the Occupied Turkish area's capital is Lefkosa (Nicosia)

Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note-Occupied Turkish area administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Nicosia and Larnaca

Independence: 16 August 1960 (from UK)
note: Occupied Turkish area proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 from Republic of Cyprus

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October
note: Occupied Turkish area celebrates 15 November as Independence Day

Constitution: 16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983; a new constitution for the Occupied Turkish area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

Legal system: based on common law, with civil law modifications

Flag description: white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities
note: the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a white field.

Economy

General | People | Government | Economy | Transportation 

Economy-overview: The Greek Cypriot economy is small and prosperous, but highly susceptible to external shocks. Industry contributes 22% to GDP and employs 25% of the labor force, while the service sector contributes 73% to GDP and employs 62% of the labor force. Erratic growth rates in the 1990s reflect the economy's vulnerability to swings in tourist arrivals, caused by political instability on the island and fluctuations in economic conditions in Western Europe. The Turkish Cypriot economy has about one-third the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is recognized only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there. The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government service, which together employ about half of the work force. Moreover, the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is legal tender. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey provides direct and indirect aid to nearly every sector. In January 1997, Turkey signed a $250 million economic cooperation accord with the Occupied Turkish area to support tourism, education, and industry.

Transportation

General | People | Government | Economy | Transportation 

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: Greek Cypriot area: 10,415 km; Occupied Turkish area: 2,350 km
paved: Greek Cypriot area: 5,947 km; Occupied Turkish area: 1,370 km
unpaved: Greek Cypriot area: 4,468 km (1996 est.); Occupied Turkish area: 980 km

Ports and harbors: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Vasilikos Bay

Merchant marine:
total: 1,533 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,330,565 GRT/37, 272,825 DWT
ships by type: bulk 471, cargo 568, chemical tanker 23, combination bulk 48, combination ore/oil 12, container 139, liquefied gas tanker 5, oil tanker 142, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 54, roll-on/roll-off cargo 42, short-sea passenger 16, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 2
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 45 countries among which are Greece 673, Germany 159, Russia 57, Latvia 28, Netherlands 25, Japan 24, Cuba 22, China 18, Belgium 17, and Poland 14; Cyprus owns 78 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,623,560 DWT that operate under the registries of Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Liberia, Malta, Panama, and Philippines (1997 est.)

Airports: 15 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways:
total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 4 (1997 est.)

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