About Cyprus
Cyprus is situated in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, about 70 km south of Turkey, 100 km west of Syria, and 215 km north of Egypt. The maximum width of the island is about 225 km, the maximum length is 97 km, and the total area is 9.250 square kilometers. After Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus is the 3rd largest island of the Mediterranean Sea with a favorable climate, pollution free environment and beaches, almost non-existent crime rate and no political or religious conflicts, or ethnic clashes. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) spreads over the northern part of the island and geographically covers 36.7% of the whole land. TRNC is a fully-fledged secular state with all its democratic institutions intact and where the rule of law prevails.
TRNC is a small country with an estimated population of 340.000, but it hosts 16 universities, 14 of which are private ntities. The tertiary level student population makes more than one fourth of the total opulation, as a unique and distinctive peculiarity among other study destinations in the world. Moreover, higher education, which constitutes 40% of the national economy (direct and indirect contributions to the GDP) in the TRNC, is actively supported, encouraged and promoted by the State, so as to deliver quality higher education at international standards with affordable tuition fees and various choices for dormitory/accommodation facilities. Universities in the TRNC offer hundreds of different programs integrated with the Turkish higher education system. This is why, as an island state, the TRNC is considered as “an oasis of higher education.”