Karavas | |
|---|---|
)  Karavas Location in Cyprus | |
| Coordinates: 35°20′50″N 33°12′28″E / 35.34722°N 33.20778°E | |
| Country (de jure) |  Cyprus |
| • District | Kyrenia District |
| Country (de facto) |  Northern Cyprus[1] |
| • District | Girne District |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 6,597 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Website | Alsancak Turkish Cypriot Municipality |
)
Karavas (Greek: Καραβάς; Turkish: Alsancak) is a town in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. As of 2011, the town has a population of 6,597.[2]
Etymology
The name Karavas comes from the Greek karávi (καράβι), meaning "ship".
History
Prior to the Turkish invasion in 1974, Karavas had a Greek population of approximately 2200. Karavas was captured by the Turkish Army before the second Turkish invasion of Cyprus after July 20, 1974. The city was attacked on August 6, during the so-called armistice. All Greek Cypriot inhabitants were forced out of Karavas by Turkish military forces and have become refugees, living in Cyprus and abroad.
The Turkish Cypriot municipality Alsancak was founded in 1974.
"Pente Mili" is one of the most beautiful beaches in Karavas.
The Cyprus Treasure, an impressive collection of silver vessels, dishes, spoons and jewelry, was found here in 1902 and 1917. It can be found in the British Museum in London, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.
Notable people
Karavas is the ancestral village of the British pop singer George Michael, and the Cypriot-American organic chemist K. C. Nicolaou.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Karavas is twinned with:
References
- ^ In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus unilaterally declared independence from the Republic of Cyprus. The de facto state is not recognised by any UN state except Turkey.
- ^ a b KKTC 2011 Nüfus ve Konut Sayımı [TRNC 2011 Population and Housing Census] (PDF), TRNC State Planning Organization, 6 August 2013, p. 20, archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2013
- ^ Bornova - Twin Towns, Bornova-City.sk, retrieved 2013-10-19
- ^ Twin Town to Gazipasa from Cyprus, Gazipasa Municipality, archived from the original on 2015-06-18, retrieved 2015-06-18