North Nicosia

North Nicosia
Βόρεια Λευκωσία (Greek)
Capital city
From top to bottom, left to right: The Kyrenia Gate and the İnönü Square, Selimiye Mosque (former St. Sophia Cathedral), historical Samanbahçe neighbourhood, the Büyük Han, Bedesten, Sarayönü and the Venetian Column, the entertainment center of Dereboyu, the Near East Medical School, part of North Nicosia skyline at night
From top to bottom, left to right: The Kyrenia Gate and the İnönü Square, Selimiye Mosque (former St. Sophia Cathedral), historical Samanbahçe neighbourhood, the Büyük Han, Bedesten, Sarayönü and the Venetian Column, the entertainment center of Dereboyu, the Near East Medical School, part of North Nicosia skyline at night
Official seal of North Nicosia
Seal
Nickname(s): 
"The City that Smells of Jasmine"
in Turkish: "Yasemin Kokulu Şeher"
"The City" in Cypriot Turkish: "Şeher"[2]
North Nicosia is located in Cyprus
North Nicosia
North Nicosia
Location in Cyprus
North Nicosia is located in Europe
North Nicosia
North Nicosia
North Nicosia (Europe)
Coordinates: 35°11′24″N 33°21′49″E / 35.19000°N 33.36361°E / 35.19000; 33.36361
Claimed by
 • DistrictNicosia District
Administered by Northern Cyprus[1]
 • DistrictLefkoşa District
Government
 • MayorMehmet Harmancı (TDP)
Area
[3]
92.8 km2 (35.8 sq mi)
 • Metro
165.2 km2 (63.8 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[4]
61,378
 • Density660/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
 • Metro
82,539
DemonymNorth Nicosian
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
WebsiteNicosia Turkish Municipality

North Nicosia or Northern Nicosia (Turkish: Kuzey Lefkoşa [kuˈzej lefˈkoʃa]; Greek: Βόρεια Λευκωσία) is the capital and largest city of the de facto state of Northern Cyprus. It is the northern part of the divided city of Nicosia, and is governed by the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. As of 2011, North Nicosia had a population of 61,378 and a metropolitan area with a population of 82,539.

The city is the economic, political and cultural centre of Northern Cyprus, with many shops, restaurants and shopping malls. It is home to a historic walled city, centred on the Sarayönü Square, and a modern metropolitan area, with the Dereboyu region as its centre of business and entertainment. Described as a city with high levels of welfare, it has seen great urban growth and development in the 21st century, including the construction of new highways and high-rises. It hosts a significant number of tourists and a variety of cultural activities, including its international festivals of theatre and music. With a student population over 34,000, North Nicosia is an important centre of education and research and is home to four universities, of which the Near East University is the biggest.

Following the intercommunal violence of the 1960s, the capital of Republic of Cyprus was divided between the island's Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in the south and north respectively in 1963.[5][6] A coup by the Greek military junta in an attempt to unite the island with Greece in 1974 led to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and the international community considers North Nicosia to have been under Turkish occupation since then.

  1. ^ In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus unilaterally declared independence from the Republic of Cyprus. The de facto state is not recognised by any UN state except Turkey.
  2. ^ "Lament-Türkü Tradition in Cyprus" (PDF). Çukurova Üniversity. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference spd1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ KKTC 2011 Nüfus ve Konut Sayımı [TRNC 2011 Population and Housing Census] (PDF), TRNC State Planning Organization, 6 August 2013, p. 16, archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2013, retrieved 1 March 2014
  5. ^ "Cyprus". Lcweb2.loc.gov. 20 November 1967. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  6. ^ indley, Dan. Promoting peace with information: transparency as a tool of security regimes (2007) Princeton University Press, p.87