English language
It only has official status on the territory of the Akrotiri and Dhekelia sovereignty zones, but is spoken by almost everyone, often to perfection. Most official bodies translate everything into English, including laws. Since the division of the island, English has even become the common language of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Before 1974, it was Greek and its local variant, Cypriot Greek, that enabled everyone to understand each other. But their use has been lost in the north. In the south, young people now use Greeklish, a mixture of Greek and English: sorry replaces the Greek sygnomi ("pardon"), kettlo means "kettle " and hoteli means "hotel" instead of the Greek xenodochio.
Division of the island
Undeniably, the British have been responsible for the separation of Cyprus since 1963. Of course, the inhabitants themselves, Greece and Turkey, also bear their share of responsibility, but London has a certain experience of chaotic decolonization (India, Palestine, Nigeria...). Here, the British made the mistake of considering the island solely as a military base to control the Suez Canal, without taking into account the aspirations of the "natives". In fact, the UK retains part of the island, and is still officially responsible for the country's security. With the result we all know.
Military Bases
The UK retains 2.76% of the island's surface area, with the sovereign zones of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Despite the uniforms of the local police and the presence of the last RAF base in the Mediterranean, these two confetti of the former Empire are not necessarily the most British corners of the island. Indeed, the local authorities are doing their utmost to forget this embarrassing colonial presence, even to the point of adopting the single European currency in 2008. Akrotiri and Dhekelia are the only British territories where the euro is the official currency. And the Brexit of 2020 changed almost nothing.
Left-hand drive
As in the UK, in Cyprus you drive on the "wrong side" of the road. Allow a day or two to adjust to this. You should also be aware that this may mean an additional cost for car rental if you come from a country where people drive on the right-hand side of the road, such as France. On the other hand, distances and speed limits are indicated in kilometers, not miles.
Golf practice
It's not widespread among Cypriots, but Her Gracious Majesty's subjects love coming to the island to hit a ball while gazing out over the Mediterranean. There are five modern 18-hole golf courses. Four of them are located in the southern part of the island, near Paphos. Secret Valley Golf is both the most technical and the most recent (2013). The Minthis Hills course is quite physical, as it is very hilly, but offers splendid scenery along the Stavros tis Minthis monastery. TheElea course is rather rustic, but hole 16 is the most feared on the island. The Aphrodite Hills course is also very hilly; it's the most chic and the most expensive. Finally, on the northern side, near Kyrenia, Korineum Golf is ideal for beginners, with its very affordable rates.
Beer
Some of the bars in the South End have nothing to envy London pubs. You'll find the same decor and the same English or Irish beers. They also serve the products of the two major local breweries, Keo and Leon, founded during the British era. In some of the more specialized pubs, such as Brewfellas in Nicosia-South, you can also sample the suds of several local microbreweries. In the northern part of the island, Efes Turkish beer is the most popular, and craft brews are less common. But is this just British heritage? In 2012, traces of fermented barley malt were discovered in the ruins of a 3,500-year-old brewery near Paphos.
Tourism
Every year, around 1.3 million British tourists visit Cyprus: that's more than the island's population. Often intrusive, especially when young and drunk, they are nevertheless well received by the local population. And they feel right at home here (with the added bonus of sunshine): left-hand drive, English language, Indian restaurants, the same big-name stores as back home, and so on. It was thanks to the British that tourism developed in Cyprus at the end of the 19th century, when the Empire's troops stationed in Egypt came to cool off on the Troodos during the summer.
Diasporas
Ties between the British and their former colony are also maintained by the Cypriot diaspora, which numbers around 800,000 in the UK. Cyprus is home to between 50,000 and 120,000 British nationals. Most were settled before the end of the Withdrawal Agreement in 2021, which enabled a transition after the Brexit. Most of them are well-to-do retirees, whose presence has had the effect of driving up property prices. Less numerous in the northern part, they mainly reside illegally in properties belonging to Greek Cypriot families expelled in 1974. In addition to these expatriates, there are around 7,000 British nationals living on British territory, in the sovereignty zones of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Since the Brexit, non-resident Britons are limited to 180 days' stay per year or subject to a visa.
Business
Renowned for their business acumen since ancient times, the Cypriots have been able to evolve by adopting British business law: advantageous taxation, facilitated administrative procedures, etc. And this, both in the north and south of the island. And this applies to both the north and south of the island. While Russian and Turkish investors in particular have long benefited from this situation, Cypriot businessmen are well established in the UK. Most of the 170 major Greek Cypriot shipowners have their headquarters or a subsidiary in London. Since the Brexit, interest from new investors has been more limited.
