British rule and annexation
Due to the opening of the Suez canal in 1869 Great Britain showed increasing interest in the island, which is situated in what had suddenly become a very convenient location. In 1878, Britain supported Turkey in the Russian-Turkish war, in exchange for control of Cyprus; this agreement was formalized by the Convention of Berlin.

In 1914 the Ottoman Empire declared war against Great Britain and France (as part of the complex series of alliances that led to World War I. The British cancelled their agreement with the Turks and annexed Cyprus on November 2, as part of the British Empire, making the Cypriots British subjects. On November 5 the British and the French declared war on the Ottoman Empire.
In 1915 Great Britain offered Cyprus to Greece if the latter chose to enter the war on the side of the Allies. Greece hesitated and the offer was withdrawn. Since then two prevailing plans have appeared for Cyprus: in general, the Greek Cypriots supported the union of the island with Greece {enosis) and the Turkish Cypriots its division to two parts (taksim).

In 1946, the British set up detention camps in Cyprus to house Jewish refugees from Europe caught trying to flee to Palestine. In 1948 the camps held more than 40,000 refugees, most of whom left for Israel after 1949, when the new state was established.

A few photographs of the island

Top photo: Visit some of our oldest villages
Bottom photo: Farm life