Cyprus

Cyprus was divided when the Turkish Army invaded it in 1974 to stop Greek Cypriot rebels from forcibly merging Cyprus with Greece. By the time the invaders were halted, they had occupied the north of the island, which constituted 38 per cent of the country.

Cyprus was divided when the Turkish Army invaded it in 1974 to stop Greek Cypriot rebels from forcibly merging Cyprus with Greece.

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By the time the invaders were halted, they had occupied the north of the island, which constituted 38 per cent of the country.

Following the invasion, two de facto autonomous areas which were born out of Cyprus:

· Greek Cypriot area controlled by the internationally recognised Cypriot
Government (59% of the island's land area) and

· Turkish-Cypriot area (37% of the island).

The remaining four per cent of the island was taken over by the UN as a buffer zone.

The division of Cyprus is one of the most enduring problems facing the United Nations, which has maintained a peacekeeping force on the island since 1964.