Nicosia - Green Line

Nicosia (also known as Lefkosia) is the capital of Cyprus. Its northern part is the de facto capital of Northern Cyprus. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years. The city was first documented in the 7th century BC under the name Ledra.

After the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, the Sultan ceded Cyprus to Great Britain. In 1960, Nicosia became the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, a state founded by Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

In 1974, the Greek military junta staged a coup to unite the island with Greece. The coup overthrew President Makarios III and led to the invasion of the Turkish army. The Turkish army advanced and eventually conquered 37% of Cypriot territory, including the northern part of Nicosia.

Today, Nicosia is divided by the Green Line into a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot quarter, monitored by the UN peacekeeping force. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Nicosia is the last divided capital city in Europe.

The Green Line named after the green pencil, that was used to map the ceasefire border in 1963, runs through the Nicosia´s old city. The Green Line became impassable in 1974, but meanwhile there are some checkpoints.