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Eight sunny questions about the essentials of Cyprus. No need to be an expert: the whole family can join in, from nine to ninety.
Seaside sun-seeker 0–3 · Olive-grove rambler 4–6 · Honorary Cypriot 7–8
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Halloumi has an unusually high melting point, so slices can be browned in a pan or on a barbecue and still keep their shape. It squeaks against your teeth as you chew, and it often has a light minty taste from the mint leaves added while it is made.
Photo: Halloumislicefresh.jpg : J.P.Lon derivative work: Zlerman ( talk ), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Green turtles and loggerhead turtles both nest in Cyprus, and some beaches on the wild Akamas peninsula are protected especially for them. About two months later, the tiny hatchlings dig their way up out of the sand and scramble down to the waves.
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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In the story told by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, she rose from the sea foam and the waves carried her to Cyprus. A tall sea rock on the island's south-west coast, Petra tou Romiou, is known as Aphrodite's Rock, and the Romans knew the same goddess as Venus.
Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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The Romans called it 'aes Cyprium', metal of Cyprus, which became 'cuprum' and then the English word copper. That is also why copper's chemical symbol is Cu, and in Roman times Cyprus was one of the busiest copper-mining places in the whole empire.
Photo: Native_Copper_Macro_Digon3.jpg : “Jonathan Zander ( Digon3 )" derivative work: M, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Mount Olympus, the island's highest mountain at about 1,950 metres, often gets enough snow in winter for skiing, with ski lifts run by the Cyprus Ski Club. Its runs are named after Greek gods, such as Zeus, Hera, Hermes and even Aphrodite.
Photo: Dickelbers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Cyprus is one of only three countries in the European Union where traffic keeps to the left, together with Ireland and Malta. So drivers there sit on the right-hand side of the car, just as they do in the United Kingdom.
Photo: TomasNY at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Lefkara lace is stitched by hand in fine geometric patterns, and in 2009 UNESCO added it to its list of living traditions worth protecting. A local tradition says that Leonardo da Vinci visited Cyprus in the 15th century and took a piece home to Italy, where it decorates Milan Cathedral.
Photo: Anthi5, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Their descendants are said to live on at the Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats near Limassol, which once had two bells: one to call the cats to dinner and one to send them out hunting. Cats have a long history here: archaeologists in Cyprus found signs that people and cats lived closely together about 9,500 years ago.
Photo: Riannacone, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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