Zwischen Europa und Orient: Malta & Zypern entdecken

About the destination: The Maltese Islands are a melting pot of different cultures that have each played a part in shaping our history, heritage, and lifestyle. While there remains an innate “Malteseness” in everything that we do, influences from past rulers can still be observed in our day-to-day lives. Our language is derived from Semitic roots with Italian influences and is the only language of its kind that is written in Latin script; our Capital City – Valletta – and the Islands’ fortifications, were built by the Order of the Knights of St John; our national flag bears the George Cross, an award for the country’s display of valour during the Second World War, during which Malta served as the naval base for the British; and the list goes on. 8000 years of history are condensed into an island of just 316 square kilometres, so history can be found in every corner of the island. From the oldest free-standing temple structures of the Megalithic Temples and the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum to incredible feats of fortified architecture like the “silent” city of Mdina and the Capital City of Valletta, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, you will also find that there is a more modern side to the Maltese Islands too. After over 160 years of British rule, Malta became an Independent nation in 1964. Since then, the Island has continued to develop into the warm and welcoming Island that we know today. From beautiful sunny beaches, to fun-filled leisure activities, luxurious experiences and, of course, historical, and cultural excursions, the Maltese Islands have something to offer to every type of traveller. An open, safe, and multicultural destination, Malta has always been a melting pot that embraces a diversity of cultures. Today, our country is one of the most inclusive places in the world, happily welcoming thousands of travellers of all kinds, shapes, sizes, colours, and creeds every year. Malta Facts • The Maltese Islands boast 300 days of sunshine throughout the year. • Malta is less than a three hour flight away from most major European airports. • The island’s total area covers just 316 km squared, meaning travel times are often kept under 20 minutes! • Maltese and English are the two official languages on the island, although many people are also fluent in Italian. • The Capital City, Valletta, was the European Capital of Culture in 2018 and is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites found on the island. • Malta joined the European Union on 1st May 2004 & adopted the Euro on New Year’s Day, 2008.

About the destination: Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean. The third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, it is located south of Turkey; west of Syria and Lebanon; north of Egypt, Israel and southeast of Greece. The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC. As a strategic location in the Middle East, it was subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire, Arab caliphates for a short period, the French Lusignan dynasty and the Venetians, was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and 1878 (de jure until 1914). Cyprus was placed under the UK's administration based on the Cyprus Convention in 1878 and was formally annexed by the UK in 1914. While Turkish Cypriots made up 18% of the population, the partition of Cyprus and creation of a Turkish state in the north became a policy of Turkish Cypriot leaders and Turkey in the 1950s. Turkish leaders for a period advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as Cyprus was considered an "extension of Anatolia" by them; while, since the 19th century, the majority Greek Cypriot population and its Orthodox church had been pursuing union with Greece, which became a Greek national policy in the 1950s. Following nationalist violence in the 1950s, Cyprus was granted independence in 1960. The crisis of 1963–64 brought further intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, which displaced more than 25,000 Turkish Cypriots into enclaves and brought the end of Turkish Cypriot representation in the republic. On 15 July 1974, a coup d'état was staged by Greek Cypriot nationalists and elements of the Greek military junta in an attempt at enosis, the incorporation of Cyprus into Greece. This action precipitated the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on 20 July, which led to the capture of the present-day territory of Northern Cyprus in the following month, after a ceasefire collapsed, and the displacement of over 150,000 Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots. A separate Turkish Cypriot state in the north was established by unilateral declaration in 1983; the move was widely condemned by the international community, with Turkey alone recognising the new state. These events and the resulting political situation are matters of a continuing dispute. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the entire island, including its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, with the exception of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which remain under the UK's control according to the London and Zürich Agreements. However, the Republic of Cyprus is de facto partitioned into two main parts: the area under the effective control of the Republic, located in the south and west and comprising about 59% of the island's area, and the north, administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, covering about 36% of the island's area. Another nearly 4% of the island's area is covered by the UN buffer zone. The international community considers the northern part of the island to be territory of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkish forces.[h] The occupation is viewed as illegal under international law and amounting to illegal occupation of EU territory since Cyprus became a member of the European Union. Cyprus is a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean. With an advanced, high-income economy and a very high Human Development Index, the Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the Commonwealth since 1961 and was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement until it joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. On 1 January 2008, the Republic of Cyprus joined the eurozone.