National Flag of the Republic of Cyprus (1960)

The name Cyprus is derived from the Greek name for the island Kupros, meaning copper, which has been mined on the island for over 3000 years.

Cyprus has had a long history of colonisation, many of the world's great empires have ruled over it at one time or another, including: the Assyrians, British, Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Romans and Ottomans (Turks).

As a result of this diverse colonisation, the Cypriot government intentionally chose neutral colours and images for the country's first national flag, adopted in September 1960, after achieving independence from Britain.

Continuing tensions between the island's Greek and Turkish communities saw Turkey annex the northern part of Cyprus in 1974 and establish an independent, though officially unrecognised, Turkish Cypriot state.

The Symbolic Meaning

The flag shows a centrally placed dark yellow silhouette of the island, with two crossed olive branches underneath, on a white field.

The dark yellow represents copper, which has been mined on the island for millennia, while the white field and olive branches symbolise the hope for peace between the island's different ethnic communities.