Copper, Cypress - Cyprus! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ciphers - center for ancient espionage

The Greek name Kupros may have derived from the word kyparissos, the name for the Mediterranean cypress tree which is found on the island. It may also have derived from kypros, the Greek word for the henna plant which grows there. Its use as a dye would have made its presence worthy of remark, as would be the presence of extensive reserves of copper ore. The Sumerian word for bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, was kubar.

Because most of their copper came from Cypriot mines, the Romans called copper 'aes Cyprium', meaning 'metal from Cyprus', which became shortened to cuprum. The naming of copper compounds used to use the terms cupric (for what is now called copper(I), meaning the copper ion has a single positive charge) and cuprous (for what is now called copper(II), meaning the copper ion has a double positive charge) by extension of the Latin name for the element.

Cyprus has often been the centre of disputes over its possession during the 10,000 or so years since human activity began there, but it has never been suggested that coded writing for secret messages is the origin of its name.

Answer: Sicily

The Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia are the largest islands in the Mediterranean. Cyprus comes third, measuring 240 km (150 mi) in length and 100 km (60 mi) in width at its widest point. The overall shape of Cyprus always reminds me of a swordfish - the district of Famagusta lies on an elongated peninsula that juts out on the northeast end of the island.

None of the other options lies in the Mediterranean Sea - Tenerife is one of the Spanish Canary Islands, lying off the northwest African coast in the Atlantic Ocean; Ireland is further north in the Atlantic Ocean, west of the island of Great Britain; Madagascar can be found in the Indian Ocean, off the southeast coast of Africa.

Answer: Turkey

Turkey lies a mere 75 km (47 mi) to the north of Cyprus. Greece, which controlled the country during the Bronze Age, is a more distant 280 km (174 mi) away to the northwest. To the east, Syria and Lebanon are each about 100 km (60 mi) away, and the distance to Israel is roughly 200 km (120 mi).

It is not surprising that the island of Cyprus has been seen as a valuable possession. Originally part of the Hittite Empire, it was the site of extensive settlement by Greek traders around 1400 BCE, and by Phoenicians (on the southern coast) around 800 BCE. Subsequently it came under the control of Assyria, Egypt, and Persia before coming under Greek control during the time of Alexander the Great. This lasted until 58 BCE, when the Roman Republic annexed the island. Around 400 CE the Roman Empire (as it had become) divided into two parts, and Cyprus remained with the eastern part, the Byzantine Empire. During the Third Crusade, Richard I of England captured Cyprus in 1191 CE; it subsequently was passed around a bit until the Ottoman Empire conquered it in 1570. Cyprus was leased to Great Britain in 1878, who took full control during World War I. Despite several attempts during the 20th century to join Greece (resisted by the sizable Turkish Cypriot population), Cyprus became independent in 1960. Tensions between Turkish and Greek communities continued to pose problems, and at the start of the 21st century there remained a part of the island which considered itself to be a separate nation.

Answer: Greece

While the Republic of Cyprus is de jure (in law) the single sovereign body on the mainland of Cyprus, it is actually divided de facto (in fact) into an area of about two-thirds of the main island under the control of the Republic of Cyprus, with about one-third of the area designating itself as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This republic is only recognized by Turkey. The two regions are separated by a buffer zone called the Green Line, which is monitored by the United Nations. The Green Line runs through the nation's capital, Nicosia.

When British control of the island was relinquished, two strategic military bases, referred to as Sovereign Base Areas, were retained. The Western Sovereign Base Area, in the southwest of Cyprus, is centred on Akrotiri; the Eastern Sovereign Base Area is made up of two separate parts, Dhekelia and Ayios Nikolaos.

Answer: The Troodos Mountains

Being surrounded by water, most of the island has a sub-tropical climate, with winters that are too mild for snow, but the height of the Toodros Mountains means that they do get heavy snows. This is not the only reason why they are a tourist hot spot - lovely mountain views and hiking trails, along with many Byzantine churches and monasteries, draw crowds to the area.

But even more significant is the Troodos ophiolite. An ophiolite is a geologic structure now considered to be formed when a portion of the oceanic crust gets uplifted and embedded into continental crust.

They typically contain the green rocks called serpentine which are responsible for the term ophiolite (from the Greek ophio, snake and lithos, rock), pillow lava and chert.

The Troodos ophiolite is particularly significant because it was on the basis of observations made there that Ian Graham Gass (and others) were able to link ophiolites with the developing ideas about sea floor spreading in the 1960s.

Answer: Water shortage

Cyprus relies primarily on rainwater for domestic and agricultural water users, and has over 100 dams for that purpose. However, during periods of reduced rainfall, which seem to be occurring with increased frequency, water supplies can get low. Coupled with increased population, both permanent and transient from tourism, this has caused water shortages.

The government is building water desalination plants to provide a more secure water supply - there's plenty of ocean out there!

Answer: Aphrodite

The Aphrodite field, officially Block 21, is located off the southern coast of Cyprus, slightly to the west of Israel's Leviathan gas field. Since the maritime borders with Egypt, Lebanon and Israel were established in the 2000s, this region is part of Cyprus's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. Turkey, however, does not recognize those treaties, and there were fears they would engage in naval action over the issue, but exploratory drilling began without incident in September of 2011.

As is the case for many Greek gods and goddesses, there are multiple stories about the birth of Aphrodite. According to one version, Cronus (one of the Titans) castrated Uranus (the primordial personification of the sky) and cast his genitals into the sea near the Cypriot town of Paphos. Aphrodite emerged from the resulting foam, and floated to shore on a scallop shell. The painting 'The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli, draws on this myth, but uses the Roman name for the goddess of love.

Answer: Two olive branches

The flag of Cyprus is white, with an orange outline map of the island in the centre, and two olive branches placed horizontally beneath it. The orange color symbolizes the rich copper deposits (mostly in the form of chalcopyrite, which is an orange-ish color); the white background and the olive branches are meant as symbols of peace, a condition which the nation has rarely known.

Answer: Olive branches

The all-important copper is symbolized here by a more yellow color than is used in the flag, this time as a shield rather than a map. There are three olive branches, two of them arranged to produce a wreath-like effect under and around the shield, one in the mouth of the white dove flying in the centre of the shield. Again, there is an emphasis on the hoped-for peaceful coexistence between the Greek and Turkish communities.

Answer: Cat

A team of archaeologists led by Jean-Denis Vigne discovered a young cat buried with human remains in a site that dates from well before the Egyptian civilization that had been thought to have domesticated the cat as an object of religious significance.

The new theory is that cats actually domesticated themselves, moving in to take advantage of the abundant hunting to be found in emerging farming communities in the Fertile Crescent, with rodents coming for the grain, and cats for the rodents. Perhaps that is why they are so aloof - they have always been taking advantage of us, rather than exploited for our purposes.