There were many different stages in the history of Cyprus - the island changed many owners over a long time - the ancient Greeks and Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders and Turks ruled here. The strongest influence on the modern island of Cyprus was left by the last nominal owners of the island - the British. Despite the fact that the period of reign of British governors on the island of Cyprus was much shorter than the rule of the same Turks, and did not even last a hundred years, the importance of English culture was so high that until now, fifty-six years after the Republic of Cyprus gained independence , people who are familiar with British customs and peculiarities firsthand notice similar things in Cyprus.
The most noticeable of these features is, of course, left-hand traffic. This leaves its mark not only on the peculiarities of the organization of traffic, but also on the car fleet of the population of the island of Cyprus. Perhaps, only in Great Britain and Cyprus you can find many rare cars - for example, Aston Martins of the fifties and sixties of the last century. This is logical, because most of the cars produced in the UK have a right-hand drive, which means they are most common in countries with right-hand traffic, and Cyprus from such countries is located closest to the Island Kingdom. It should be noted that in Cyprus, Japanese right-hand drive cars are also often found.
Another example of British influence is such a simple thing as electrical outlets - in Cyprus they are made according to the British model and give out a voltage of 250 volts, which can be an unpleasant surprise for visitors to the country who forget to use step-down transformers.
English is of great importance in Cyprus, despite the fact that it is not a state language, the number of native speakers of English in Cyprus is amazing - according to some polls, more than ninety-five percent of the island's population speaks it.
The cultural influence of the British on the population of Cyprus is easiest to notice in the theater - plays are often staged here in English based on plays by English playwrights, primarily, of course, William Shakespeare. By the way, William Shakespeare, if he were still alive, could boast that one of the main theater festivals in Cyprus bears his name and is completely dedicated to his works.
The influence of the British protectorate on modern Cyprus is noticeable in a lot of little things - there are mailboxes in cities that are distinguished from their English counterparts only in color - here the traditional red color was replaced by yellow. Here and there there are telephone booths recognizable by everyone who has ever seen photographs of London, and it is easier to meet British cuisine, for example, the Scottish Haggis, in Cyprus than in any other country in the world, excluding, of course, Great Britain itself and neighboring Ireland. and it is quite possible that a descendant of the British who came to Cyprus during the British protectorate will cook it for you.
