Island on the eastern edges of the Mediterranean Sea has had a long history of conquest . The island was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and then again by Julius Caesar during his invasion of Egypt in 44 BCE. Around 180,000 Greek Cypriots were forced south and some 50,000 Turkish Cypriots moved into vacant properties in the northern Turkish occupied zone . In 1974 , Turkish forces invaded Cyprus partitioning the north into a zone for Turkish Cypriots . Until recent the recent banking crisis the Republic of Cyprus has grown to have one of the most successful economies in the region .
Island on the eastern edges of the Mediterranean Sea has had a long history of conquest . The island was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and then again by Julius Caesar during his invasion of Egypt in 44 BCE. In 1974 , Turkish forces invaded Cyprus partitioning the north into a zone for Turkish Cypriots . Until recent the recent banking crisis the Republic of Cyprus has grown to have one of the most successful economies in the region .