All The Young Elons In Cyprus

FOTP Monday

Continuing our alphabetic tour of the great nations of Europe, we head this week to Cyprus for two stories that will make you feel right at home in the United States.

Actually, we’ll head to two Cypriots (Cypruses?) for two stories.

And who knew there were two?

There’s the Republic of Cyprus, the southern part, which encompasses 60 percent of the island — the one recognized by most of the world — and the eponymously named Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognized by Turkey and, as the name suggests, makes up 40 percent of the rest of the country. There’s a buffer zone, controlled by the United Nations, between them, which runs 180 km (112 miles) from Paralimni in the east to Kato Pyrgos in the west because the two Cyprusi (?) don’t always play nice together.

It’s not a pretty thing.

From Reuters

One of the most striking symbols of the buffer zone is the abandoned Nicosia International Airport, where a Cyprus Airways passenger plane still stands, faded and broken.

There are two other areas of the island —Akrotiri and Dhekelia—which the British still control.

There’s a lot going on in a country half the size of New Jersey.