Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean. It is the third largest island in Mediterranean. It is one of the four European countries where you drive on the left side of the road (England, Ireland and Malta are the others).
Archaeologists found a body here buried with a cat, from around 7500 BC. They consider it as evidence of either the earliest known pet or an early form of cat worship, even before the Egyptians. Some oldest water wells are also found here.
Evidence has also been found of Dwarf Elephants and Dwarf Hippos roaming the land in ancient times before the arrival of humans.
In 1974, as a result of a coup, the country was divided in two with the southern Greek Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Northern Cyprus.
However, no other country except Turkey recognizes Northern Cyprus as a sovereign state. It is still considered a part of the Republic of Cyprus by the international community.
As a result of this division, the country's capital, Nicosia was divided in half between Greek regions and Turkish regions. It is the only capital in the world to be divided between two countries since the fall of the Berlin wall united Germany.
Cyprus doesn't have a unique national anthem. It shares its national anthem, Hymn of Liberty, with Greece.
An entire town, Paphos is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is because the town features ancient tombs of kings, palaces and various other buildings that are well-preserved.
Cyprus boasts of having the world's oldest named wine. The Commandaria is said to have been made around 5000 years ago.
The oldest perfume in the world has also been traced to Cyprus. The perfume was found along with its ingredients and the bottles in which it was stored.
Pavlos Kontides is the only sportsman from the country to win a medal in the Olympics, winning silver at the 2012 London Olympics.
Also, the country's most successful sportsman is Tennis player Marcos Baghdatis , who reached the final of the Australian Open and semi-final of Wimbledon in 2006.