Cyprus

country on an island at the E end of the Mediterranean, south of Turkey: colonized by Phoenicians and ancient Greeks; at various times ruled by Persian, Roman, Ptolemaic, Byzantine, & Ottoman Empires: formerly a British territory, it became independent in 1960 & a member of the Commonwealth in 1961: 3,572 sq mi (9,251 sq km); pop. 714,000; cap. Nicosia