A United Nations-created “Green Line” divides Nicosia into a northern Turkish section and a southern Greek section. The northern part of Nicosia is the capital of Northern Cyprus, a de facto state that the international community considers to be occupied Cypriot territory.
The third-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea behind Italy’s Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus joined the European Union on May 1, 2004. Nicosia is the furthest southeast of all capital cities in the European Union.
In addition to legislative and administrative functions, Nicosia serves as Cyprus’ financial center and main international trade hub.
Research website numbeo ranks Nicosia in the bottom 44% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Nicosia scored poorly on index factors such as health care (lowest 8%), pollution (worst 36%) and purchasing power (weakest 39%). On the positive side, Nicosia rates in the fastest 9% for traffic commute time, top 27% for safety and leading 34% for climate.
The Cyprus Museum in Nicosia is its country’s biggest and oldest archeological museum. It is filled with ancient artifacts and overflows with historical memories.
Nicosia was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the site where Cypriot Michael Eleftheriades solved a Rubik’s cube upside down in an unprecedented 13.22 seconds. Another unusual Guinness Record was set in Nicosia by a Dunking Devils team member for the highest forward flip trampoline slam dunk ever. The flying-flip dunk soared 11.64 feet (3.55 meters).
From an international trade perspective, exports from Cyprus totaled an estimated US$3.5 billion in 2019. Its most valuable exported products include refined petroleum oils (20.7% of Cypriot global total), cargo ships, tankers, refrigerated vessels and cruise ships (16.5%), other vessels excluding pusher craft (12.4%), drugs and medicines (10.4%), cheese (7.2%), pusher craft including tugboats (2.6%), electrical resistors (1.9%), fresh or chilled potatoes (1.5%) and mobile phones (also 1.5%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Nicosia, Cyprus: Quick Reference
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Nicosia, Cyprus.
- Buray, pop singer (born Jun. 15, 1985)
- Michael Bisping, MMA fighter (born Feb. 28, 1979)
- Angie Bowie, model & actress (born Sep. 25, 1949)
- Hussein Chalayan, fashion designer (born Aug. 12, 1970)
- Melinda McGraw, actress (born Oct. 25, 1963)
- Constantinos Charalambidis, soccer player/footballer (born Jul. 25, 1981)
- Irakli Bolkvadze, Olympic swimmer (born Dec. 12, 1994)
- Marios Antoniades, soccer player/footballer (born May 14, 1990)
- Lawrence Macrides, rugby player (born Jul. 24, 1970)
- Hazar Ergüçlü, actress (born Jan. 1, 1992)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of Nicosia: Nicosian
Population: 200,452 (Nicosia) at August 8, 2020
Density: 4,265 people per square mile (1,643 per square kilometer)
Population: 1,208,310 (Cyprus) at August 8, 2020
Density: 338 people per square mile (131 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Cyprus: 37.3 years old
Financial
GDP: US$36.3 billion in 2019 (Cyprus)
GDP per person: $41,407
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Nicosia were unavailable.
Official currency used in Nicosia: euro
Geography
Capital landmarks: Archbishop’s Palace, Venetian Walls, Cyprus Museum, Neo GSP Stadium, Makario Stadium and the Nicosia Municipal Art Centre
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Europe: Cyprus.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Fastest time to solve a Rubik’s cube upside down.
Guinness World Records, Highest forward flip trampoline slam dunk.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
KidzSearch encyclopedia for kids, Wiki: Nicosia.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Nicosia Municipality.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Nicosia.
Wikipedia, Cyprus.
WorldOMeter, Cyprus Population.
World Population Review, Nicosia Population.
Excluding Turkish Cypriots who celebrate November 15 as Republic Day, Cypriots considers October 1 as its Independence Day.
Nicosia’s land area measures 47 square miles (122 square kilometers), home to an estimated 200,452 residents at August 2020.
At the country level, the population count for Cyprus was 1.2 million people living over a land area equal to 3,568 square miles (9,240 square kilometers).
Population density is more concentrated within Nicosia, averaging 4,265 Nicosians per square mile (1,643 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to the island’s overall land boundaries, population density for Cyprus dilutes to an average 338 people per square mile (131 per square kilometer).
