The three major languages are Greek, Turkish and English with over three quarters of the population able to speak English. A great deal of Cyprus life is familiar due to the legacy of having once been a British colony; English road signs, utilities bills, driving on the left and a legal system that is firmly based on British legislation are just some examples.

Cyprus has been influenced and governed by many different cultures. It has been occupied by Mycenaeans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians and Persians, governed by the Romans, and fought over by the Islamic and Byzantine Empires. Richard the Lionheart married his bride here, the Venetians built some splendid summer residences in the cool of the mountains, and history and romance seep from every step of the island’s varied terrain.