CYPRUS (Syllabus GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: The EU has announced the opening of a sea corridor this weekend for shipping humanitarian aid from Cyprus to Gaza in the race to stave off a famine that is already claiming lives.

Cyprus

• About: Cyprus is situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, positioned north of the Sinai Peninsula, south of the Anatolian Peninsula, and west of the Levant.
• Cultural Identity and Geopolitics: While geographically part of West Asia, Cyprus's cultural affiliations and geopolitical influences are predominantly Southeast European.
• Size and Population: As the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus also holds the status of being the third-most populous island in the region.
• Boundaries: Cyprus is strategically positioned east of Greece, north of Egypt, south of Turkey, and west of Lebanon and Syria.
• Capital: Nicosia 
• Political Complexity: The northeastern part of the island is effectively governed by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, adding a layer of political complexity to the region.

Gaza Strip

• About: It is also known as Gaza, is a Palestinian enclave situated on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
• Boundaries: It shares an 11-kilometer (6.8-mile) border with Egypt to the southwest and a 51-kilometer (32-mile) border with Israel to the east and north.
• Both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are territories claimed by the de jure sovereign State of Palestine.