Cyprus

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Cyprus is officially known as the Republic of Cyprus. This island nation is situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, boasting the third largest and most populous island in the region. Located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel, north of Egypt, and southeast of Greece. The earliest human presence on the island dates back to around 10,000 BC. Archaeological findings from this era include the remarkably preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia. Cyprus also hosts some of the world's oldest water wells. The island was initially settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves during the 2nd millennium BC. Its strategic location in the Middle East made it a prime target for major powers, including the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians. Alexander the Great seized the island from these empires in 333 BC. Cyprus then came under Ptolemaic Egypt's rule, followed by periods of Classical and Eastern Roman Empire dominance, Arab caliphates for a brief period, French Lusignan dynasty control, and Venetian rule. Ottoman rule lasted for over three centuries from 1571 to 1878 (de jure until 1914).