Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus is a Eurasian island nation in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea south of the Anatolian peninsula (Asia Minor) or modern-day Turkey . It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The Republic of Cyprus is divided into six districts : Nicosia (the capital, Greek: Lefkosia, Anglicised: Nicosia), Ammochostos (Famagusta), Keryneia (Kyrenia), Larnaka (Larnaca), Lemesos (Limassol), and Pafos . A former British colony , the Republic of Cyprus gained independence in 1960 while the United Kingdom retained two Sovereign Base Areas . Following 11 years of alternating intercommunal violence and peaceful attempts at reconciliation, including the establishment of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus in 1964, Turkey launched a two-stage invasion of the island in 1974 in response to an Athens -engineered coup which overthrew the legitimate Cypriot government of President Makarios. The invasion led to the internal displacement of thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the subsequent establishment of a separatist regime to govern the invaded area, currently styling itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , separated from the south by the UN-controlled Green Line and recognized only by Turkey. The Republic of Cyprus has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004 .