Cyprus - Key Facts - The 1974 Invasion and Aftermath

The initial invasion began on Saturday 20th July 1974 when a bridgehead was established at Kyrenia.

Three days later the Greek junta that had ordered the coup in Cyprus collapsed and, in turn, so did the coup.

Ninety minutes after the breakdown of peace talks on 14th August a full scale invasion was launched.

37% of the island was occupied, disproportionate to the amount of Turkish Cypriots in need of ‘protection’.

More than 162,000 Greek Cypriots were displaced becoming refugees in their own country.

51,000 Turkish Cypriots lived in the south and the majority chose to move to the occupied area.

Greek Cypriots made up 82% of the population of the north of the island.

The ceasefire line is known as the Green Line.

120,000 mainland Turks from Anatolia were brought in to bolster the population and build the economy.

International isolation meant the collapse of the economy in the occupied area and 70,000 Turkish Cypriots moved to the mainland to avoid poverty.

Today it is recognised that there are 1474 missing Greek Cypriots and 500 missing Turkish Cypriots, victims of reprisals on both sides.

In the occupied area, 500 historic churches and 17 monasteries have been vandalised, robbed, converted to commercial premises or totally destroyed.

The invasion took:

70% of the Gross Economic Output
65% of tourist accommodation
87% of hotel beds
83% of the island’s port facilities
56% of mining and quarrying
41% of livestock production
48% of agricultural production
46% of industrial production
20% of the island’s forests
36% of the island’s housing
38% of the island’s schools