Cyprusball

Cyprusball is a divided countryball in Europe. He is split between  Greek Cyprus,   Turkeyball and  UKball  (bases). He is a member of Commonwealthball.

Cyprusball can into EU and active Euros too. Recently Cyprusball discovered oil. He is currently fed up with his land and maritime neighbours.

Prehistoric and Ancient Cyprusball
Cyprusball is believed to be first inhabited by humans around 10'000 BC &  2balls started to settle into villages from 8200 BC.

Interestingly, remains of a kitten were discovered buried with a human body in Cyprusball, estimated to be over 9000 years old. This pushes back the earliest known cat-human association significantly. Plenty of cats still reside on  Cyprusball today.

In the 13th & 14th centuries BC Mycenaean Greeks began settling the island. During this time Cyprusball started to evolve a Greek character.

Afterwards, it was ruled by Assyriaball for a century from 708 BC, then a brief rule under  Ancient Egyptball and eventually  Persian rule in 545 BC.

The island was conquered by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. After the division of his Empire,  Cyprusball became part of  Ptolemaic Egyptball. In 58 BC Cyprusball was acquired by the Roman Republic.

Middle Ages
When the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern and Western parts in 395,  Cyprusball became part of the East Roman, or  Byzantineball, and would remain so for 800 hundred years.

Beginning in 649, Cyprusball suffered from devastating raids launched by  Muslim armies from the Levant, which continued for the next 300 years. The island was fully or at least partially ruled by Umayyadball &  Abbasidball. Byzantineball regained control in 965.

In 1191, during the Third Crusade, Richard I of England captured  Cyprusball, putting it under the control of the  Kingdom of Englandball. Richard the Lionheart had also celebrated his wedding there & drank the oldest wine brand in the world. Afterall, Cyprusball is touristy!

In a string of events a Crusader state of the  Kingdom of Cyprusball was established & recognised by the  Holy Roman Empireball.

Following the death of the last Cypriot King in 1473, the  Republic of Veniceball assumed control of the island. Venice formally anshlußed Cyprusball in 1489. The Venetians fortified Nicosiaball by building walls. Throughout Venetian rule, the Ottoman Empireball frequently raided Cyprus. In 1539 the Ottomans destroyed Limassolball and so fearing the worst, the  Venetians also fortified Famagustaball and Kyreniaball.

Ottoman Rule
In 1570, a full-scale Ottoman invasion brought the island under Ottoman control, despite stiff resistance by Nicosiaball and Famagustaball. Ottomanball massacred many Greek and  Armenianballs. Soldiers who fought in the conquest settled on the island and Turkish peasants and craftsmen were brought to the island from  Anatolia. A Muslim community began to form.

Ottoman rule of Cyprusball was at times indifferent (mediocre/no attention paid), at times oppressive, depending on the temperaments of the Sultans and local officials. The island began over 250 years of economic decline.

As soon as the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, several Greek Cypriots left for Greece to join the Greek forces. In response, the Ottoman governor of Cyprusball arrested and executed 500  Greek Cypriots. The Ottoman oppression led to uprisings by both Greek and  Turkish Cypriots, but with little success. After centuries of neglect by the Turks, the ruthless poverty of most of the balls & the taxes fuelled  Greek nationalism, and by the 20th century idea of enosis, alas union with newly independent  Hellenic Republicball was firmly rooted among Greek Cypriots.

British Rule
In the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the Congress of Berlin, Cyprusball was leased to the  British Empire which de facto took over its administration in 1878 (although Cyprusball remained an Ottoman territory until 1914) in exchange for guarantees that  UKball would use the island to protect the  Ottoman Empireball against possible  Russian aggression.

Cyprusball would serve Britain as a key military base for its colonial routes. By 1906, when the Famagustaball harbour was completed, Cyprusball was a naval outpost overlooking the Suez Canal, the crucial main route to  India. Following the outbreak of the WW1 and the decision of the Ottoman Empireball to join the Central Powers; on 5 November 1914, the  British Empire formally anschlußed  Cyprusball and declared it a  British protectorate.

In 1915, British offered  Cyprusball to  Greece on condition that  Greece would join WW1 on the side of the  British, which was declined. In 1923 Turks relinquished any claim to  Cyprusball, and in 1925 it was declared a British crown colony. Many Greek and Turkish Cypriots fought in the British Army during both world wars.

The Greek Cypriot population, meanwhile, had become hopeful that the  British administration would lead to enosis. The Turkish Cypriots were sceptical of the situation which escalated in the 1950s into protests for the partition of the island but it was later eased off. In January 1950, the Church of Cyprusball organised a referendum (with no  Turkish participation), where 96% of the participating  Greeks voted in favour of enosis.

Independence
British Cyprusball ended its existence on 16 August 1960 when the The Republic of Cyprusball was established. (Except for Akrotiri and Dhekeliaball)

Intercommunal violence erupted in 1963, which resulted in the death of 538 people, destruction of 109 Turkish Cypriot or mixed villages and displacement of 27'000   Turkish Cypriots.

The Greek Cypriots still believed that enosis was their final goal.

1974 coup, Turkish invasion and division
On 15 July 1974, the Greek military junta carried out a coup d'état in  Cyprus, to unite the island with  Greeceball. In response to the coup, five days later, the Turkish army invaded the island, citing a right to intervene from the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. This justification has been rejected by the United Nations and the international community.

International pressure led to a ceasefire, and by then 36% of the island had been taken over by the Turks and 180'000  Greek Cypriots had been evicted from their homes in the north. At the same time, around 50'000 Turkish Cypriots settled into those properties.

Post-partition
After the restoration of order in December 1974, Turkish troops remained, occupying the northeastern portion of the island. In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprusball was proclaimed, which is recognised only by  Turkeyball. Around 150,000 settlers from Turkeyball are believed to be living in the north.

The last major effort to settle the Cyprusball dispute was the Annan Plan in 2004 aka United Republic of Cyprusball but it was rejected by a third of the Cypriot voters.

On 1 May 2004, Cyprusball joined the  EUball, together with 9 other countryballs. In July 2006, the island served as a haven for people fleeing Lebanonball, due to the conflict between  Israelcube and  Hezbollahball.

Efforts have been made to enhance freedom of movement between the two sides. In April 2003, Northern Cyprusball eased border restrictions, permitting  Cypriots to cross between the two sides for the first time in 30 years. In March 2008, a wall that had stood between the Republic of Cyprusball and the  UN buffer zone was demolished & the Ledra Street was reopened.

Now Cyprusball enjoys an influx of tourists every year, especially from  UKball and  Russiaball.

North and South relaunched reunification talks on 15 May 2015, however, they are presently in a bit of stagnation. But as one pro-unification journalist said: "Patience is running out".

CYPRIOTS, UNITE!

Friends

 * [[File:Greece-icon.png]] Greeceball - Brother. Habitually swaps 12 points with each other at Eurovision.But why have you installed a dictatorship on my island and let the Turks invade? Why did yuo do that? WHY?!
 * [[File:Russia-icon.png]] Russiaball - Good friend. Your tourists are welcomed!
 * Maltaball - Little Mediterranean step-sister. Wants to get noticed by Yurop too.
 * [[File:Armenia-icon.png]] Armeniaball - An old friend with a similar distaste for kebab. Remembers his uncle Ciliciaball well.
 * [[File:USA-icon.png]] USAball - Please help me remove Fake Cyprus!
 * Czechball - Oh Czechy, you seem so sympathetic!
 * [[File:Serbia-icon.png]] Serbiaball - Both Orthodox.
 * Romaniaball - Both Orthodox and Greece's friend.
 * Germanyball - Am waiting for your touristas! And euros

Neutral

 * [[File:UK-icon.png]] UKball/ Akrotiri and Dhekeliaball - Stupid porks still won't apologize nor try to reunify the island! Remove tea! However, they helped with education & they're much better than  Ottomans! So s'agapo a bit.

Enemies

 * [[File:Turkey-icon.png]] Turkeyball - Damn kebab won't reunify island!
 * Northern Cyprusball - FAKE KEBAB CYPRUS! Uses Hellenic heritage to grab tourist-money. Sissy boy.
 * Ottomanball - Worst nightmare

Links

 * Facebook page

Ciparball