Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus and the largest city on the islands. It is situated on the bank of the Pedieos River. Located almost centrally, it is the seat of political and administrative power besides being the main business center.
Called Lefkosia in the local language, the city has had a turbulent history in recent times and bears many of the scars. It has Turkish and Greek divisions separated by a demilitarized zone maintained by the United Nations, ironically called the Green Line. It is the only capital city to have two parts after the fall of the Berlin Wall although no one refers to North and South Nicosia unlike East and West Berlin.
In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus and occupied a substantial part of the island’s territory. Much of Nicosia was run over and the captured part is called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Except Turkey, no other country has granted official recognition to this state. The population of the city under the control of independent Republic of Cyprus is about 206,200 as at the end of 2001.
Despite being through troubled times, Nicosia has a quaint old world charm mixed with the style of a modern and dynamic capital city. There are lively restaurants, inviting shopping malls and a variety of entertainment centers for the discerning traveler.
The University of Cyprus, which is also the hub of all the colleges and institutes in the Republic, is in Nicosia. Nicosia is also a thriving business center with trade in textiles, leather, pottery and plastic products. Copper is an important mineral found in the mines just outside the city.
Nicosia does not have an official international airport as the old airport lies in the UN zone and has not been used since 1974. To get to the Turkish part one could get down at Ercan, which is the de facto airport at the eastern end. Only flights from and to Turkey use this airport. Those going to the Greek part of Nicosia prefer landing at Larnaca.
Nicosia has a good network of taxis to go around the city. You just need to pick up the phone to call for a taxi and the drivers are very courteous and would give you a ringside view of the city. The unique thing about taxis in Nicosia is the taxi bank at the Eleftheria Square at the city center where you can hire taxis twenty-four hours a day. The service is well regulated and drivers charge only according to the taximeter.
Nicosia is also home to several sporting teams. AC Omonia and APOEL are the two teams that dominate in the football leagues besides having separate sections for basketball and volleyball. Olympiakos Nicosia and En Thoi Lakatamia are the other teams that have had considerable success in the Cypriot First Division football. The Neo GSP stadium is the largest in Cyprus with a capacity of 23,400.
Kernavos Strovolos is a popular basketball team and the Gymnastic Club Pancypria (GSP) is active in athletics. The club owns the football stadium mentioned before. In the Futsal First Division, all the teams are from Nicosia! Handball is another popular sport here.
Nicosia hosted the 2000 ISSF World Cup shotgun shooting championship. The 1997 European Saporta Cup and the 2005 FIBA All Star European game were held in the Eleftheria Indoor stadium, which has a capacity of 6500 seats. The volleyball stadium owned by Omonia and APOEL is called Lefkotheo.
Nicosia