Cyprus has hot temperatures for nearly the whole of the year and is situated in between three separate continents. The island boasts beautiful beaches and clear sea and so it is no real surprise that it is so popular with people looking for a relaxing sun holiday. In addition the sun and the many beaches, Cyprus also has fantastic scenery with mountains and historic buildings. Cyprus has been in the media recently because of outbreaks of conflict due to uncertainty of its allegiance with either Greece or Turkey and this has made many think twice about a holiday there.

Britain ruled Cyprus from 1878 despite there being a large Turkish presence on the island. Upon taking control, Britain put its own government system in place to try and bring order and development to the country. This system wasn’t received well by the island’s Turkish citizens though and they were unhappy with Britain’s way of running the country. Britain had originally agreed with Turkey that they would still have a large say in matters regarding Cyprus but when Turkey sided with Hungary during the world war, Britain revoked the agreement.

Up until 1960, Cyprus stayed under the rule of Britain who had a large presence of armed forces there. In 1960 however, Britain gave up its rule and Cyprus became entirely independent which sparked a debate between Greece and Turkey over who would have influence in the country. As part of the agreement with Cyprus, Britain still owns three per cent of the country for strategic military purposes.

Ever since 1960 there has been a conflict between Greece and Turkey about which of them Cyprus belongs to. In 1974 Cyprus declared a union with Greece which outraged Turkey and as such sent their armed forces in to try and occupy the island. This created a divide between Northern and Southern Cyprus, the North being claimed by Turkey and the South by Greece. In 2004 Greek Cyprus became a member of the EU however Turkish Cyprus maintained its independent status.

Although Cyprus has a history with a lot of conflict, it is still a stunning country and a great holiday location. The unrest between the north and south has subsided a lot recently and has become more of a political debate about the future. Both Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus have holiday resorts which can boast amazing beaches and hot temperatures.

For great cheap holidays Cyprus, look no further.