7. Cyprus
The island of Cyprus has been the site of much conflict over the years as two factions war for control. The island is the third largest and third most populated island in the Eastern Mediterranean. It has a population of 1.1 million and a GDP of $27.5 billion. Today the island is divided between the Turkish and Greek forces, with the majority of the international community viewing the Turkish occupation as illegal.
Cyprus’ strategic position led to it being controlled by a number of major powers over the centuries including the Egyptians, Persians, the Roman Empire and the Venetians. It was taken over by the Ottoman Empire in 1571 and they ruled until 1878 when it was placed under British administration. In 1914 the British formally took over control of Cyprus but allowed the Greek population and culture to thrive. In the 1950s the Turkish believed that they should annex Cyprus as an extension of the Anatolia while the Greeks within Cyprus wanted a union with Greece.
In 1960 Cyprus was granted independence. In 1963 violence broke out between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots and it lasted until 1974. On July 15th, 1974, Greek Cypriot nationalists attempted a coup d’etat in order to get Cyprus to merge with Greece. Following the attempted coup Turkish forces invaded Cyprus and captured Northern Cyprus. The move displaced over 200,000 residents and established a separate Turkish state in 1983.
The action was condemned by the international community and Turkey remains the only state in the world to recognize the Turkish state in Cyprus. Today the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus controls 37% of the island. Another 4% of the land is dedicated to a UN buffer zones. Currently the international world views the Turkish occupied area of Northern Cyprus as a territory of the Republic of Cyprus that is illegally occupied.