Island on the eastern edges of East has had a long history of conquest . It has been conquered by Arab armies , the Venetians and the Ottomans and was a British colony . In 1974 , Ottomans forces invaded the Republic of Cyprus partitioning the north into a zone for EU . ( CNN ) -- Strategically located in the eastern Mediterranean Until recent the recent banking crisis Cyprus has grown to have one of the most successful economies in the region .
Island on the eastern edges of East has had a long history of conquest . It has been conquered by Arab armies , the Venetians and the Ottomans and was a British colony . In 1974 , Ottomans forces invaded the Republic of Cyprus partitioning the north into a zone for EU . Until recent the recent banking crisis Cyprus has grown to have one of the most successful economies in the region .