Cyprus, officially named the Republic of Cyprus, is an island state in the eastern part of Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is located north of Egypt, south of Turkey, east of Greece, northwest of Israel, and west of Syria and Lebanon. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea – its total area is about 9.3 thousand square kilometers; and the population is more than 1 million people. The capital of the country is Nicosia. The official languages are Greek and Turkish.

The terrain of the country consists of two mountain ranges and the central plain. The climate is subtropical.

The national currency is the Euro.

Cyprus has long been a favorite vacation spot. The turquoise Mediterranean Sea, palm and olive trees, exotic flowers, comfortable hotels, chic restaurants and many more other things attract tourists from all over the world. Located at the crossroads of East and West, Cyprus has a very unusual character. His story began more than 9000 years. The Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans Ottomans, and the British took interest in this island in different times and all of them influenced its wonderful and unique culture.

One of the top tourist attractions in Cyprus is the ancient settlement of Amathus, which was founded as an Eteocyprians village about 1050 BC. Connoisseurs of ancient history will be also glad to see Kalavasos-Tenta, a New Stone Age settlement; Choirokoitia, where you can still see several circular huts, created about 9 thousand years ago; Curium, the remains of Roman and Byzantine buildings constructed around 4500-3900 BC; the well-preserved Tombs of the Kings near Paphos and Palaepaphos, a sanctuary of Aphrodite erected in 1200 BC. More recent architectural and historic monuments of this beautiful island include painted churches and monasteries of Troodos, Kyrenia Castle, Kykkos Monastery, Saint Hilarion Castle and lots of other interesting sites.

The nature of Cyprus is not less interesting than its rich culture – here you can enjoy almost pristine landscapes of Akamas Peninsula; bask on the north-coast beaches; watch green and loggerhead turtles and rare moufflons; go biking, horse-riding or hiking in Cyprus mountains or dive in its azure waters.

Larnaca International Airport (LCA) the main international airport of Cyprus located 4 kilometers from Larnaca.

Paphos International Airport (PFO), located near the city of Paphos, serves the western part of Cyprus

Those who like wreck diving will find plenty of interesting sites in the waters of Cyprus: the RS Zenobia, an 11 thousand-ton ferry, sunk in 1980 just off the Cypriot coast and lying at a depth of about 40 meters; the Liberty, deliberately sunk in environmental marine reserve in the Protaras area; the HMS Cricket, a WWII battleship, lying at a depth of 27 meters; the Lady Thetis and the Constandis sunk on purpose in Limassol in 2014.

Nature lovers will like Akrotiri, where you can meet groupers, sea breams, moray eels, basses and octopuses and explore a sunken helicopter and canons; Big Country, multi-level dive site with caves, overhangs and boulders; Green Bay, suitable for all levels; Manijin Island, where you can enjoy picturesque cliffs and caves; the Amphitheatre, inhabited by moray eels, octopuses and flute fish; and the serene Cynthiana Beach, whose lagoon is an ideal place for beginning divers.

Diving in Cyprus is possible all year round. The water temperature varies from 18 to 28 degrees Celsius; the visibility is up to 30 meters.