50 free Cyprus trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Cyprus trivia quiz covers the third-largest island in the Mediterranean from its Neolithic villages and copper mines to the Crusader kingdom, Ottoman and British rule, EOKA, independence, the 1974 invasion and the Green Line that still splits Nicosia. It also takes in the things visitors actually notice: halloumi and meze, Commandaria wine, Aphrodite's Rock, the flag with a map on it, driving on the left, and Marcos Baghdatis' run to the 2006 Australian Open final. The early questions suit anyone who has holidayed in Paphos or Ayia Napa; the later ones test people who know who sold the island to the Knights Templar and what a mouflon is. Every question is multiple choice with a short explanation after you answer. Every answer has been checked against a primary source, and each question links to the page that confirms it.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the capital and largest city of Cyprus?
Nicosia
It is the last divided capital in Europe, split by the UN-patrolled Green Line since the 1960s.
Q 02Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean after which two?
Sicily and Sardinia
It ranks third in both area and population, and lies off the coast of the Levant in West Asia.
Q 03Cyprus gained independence in 1960 from which country?
Britain
Britain kept two Sovereign Base Areas, Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which it still controls.
Q 04The island's capital city holds what unhappy distinction in Europe?
Last still-divided one
The Green Line runs through its old town; Ledra Street's crossing only reopened in April 2008.
Q 05The orange-coloured shape on the Cypriot flag depicts what?
Its own map
The colour nods to the copper deposits that may have given the island its name; two olive branches beneath symbolise peace between the two communities.
Q 06Which metal, mined on the island since the Bronze Age, may have given Cyprus its name?
Copper
The Late Bronze Age kingdom of Alashiya grew rich on ore dug from the Troodos Mountains.
Q 07Which Greek goddess is said in mythology to have been born off the coast of Cyprus?
Aphrodite
The sea stack Petra tou Romiou near Paphos is her legendary birthplace; Adonis and Pygmalion also belong to the island's myths.
Q 08Halloumi, the Cypriot cheese that can be grilled without melting, is traditionally made from which milks?
Goat and sheep
Its high melting point makes it a vegetarian favourite; industrial versions increasingly add cow's milk.
Q 09Commandaria, a sweet Cypriot dessert wine, holds what distinction?
Oldest named one still produced
Its style is documented back to 800 BC and its name to the Crusades; Richard the Lionheart reputedly called it the king of wines at his wedding in Limassol.
Q 10Which English king captured Cyprus in 1191 during the Third Crusade?
Richard I
He took it from the Byzantine rebel Isaac Komnenos and sold it a year later to the Knights Templar.
Q 11Which French dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Cyprus for nearly three centuries after the Templars?
Lusignan
The line ended with James II in 1473; his Venetian widow Catherine Cornaro then reigned as a figurehead until Venice annexed the island in 1489.
Q 12Which empire ruled Cyprus for over three centuries from 1571 to 1878?
Ottoman
A 60,000-strong assault in 1570 overcame stiff resistance at Nicosia and Famagusta.
Q 13The British took over administration of the island in 1878 under what arrangement?
The Cyprus Convention
Britain leased the island as a base to guard the Ottomans against Russia, annexed it in 1914 and made it a crown colony in 1925.
Q 21Cyprus joined the European Union in which year?
2004
It adopted the euro four years later, replacing the Cypriot pound at a fixed rate of about 0.585 to the euro.
Q 22Which currency did Cyprus use from 1879 until the euro arrived in 2008?
Cypriot pound
The British introduced it; it was also called the lira in Greek and Turkish and circulated in the Sovereign Base Areas.
Q 23The 2013 Cypriot bailout was notable for seizing a share of what?
Uninsured bank deposits over €100,000
The €10 billion rescue closed Laiki Bank and took 47.5% of large deposits at the Bank of Cyprus, many held by Russians.
Q 14The 1950s armed campaign against British rule that led to independence was led by which organisation?
EOKA
Its goal was enosis, union with Greece, which 96% of Greek Cypriots had backed in a 1950 church-run referendum.
Q 15The Greek Cypriot goal of uniting the island with Greece was known by what name?
Enosis
Turkish Cypriots answered with taksim, the demand for partition and a Turkish polity in the north.
Q 16The first president of Cyprus, Makarios III, held what religious office?
Archbishop
He led the Church of Cyprus from 1950 to 1977 and started out as a monk at Kykkos Monastery in 1926.
Q 17Turkey invaded Cyprus on 20 July 1974, five days after a coup backed by whom?
The Greek military junta
The coup aimed to unite the island with Greece; Turkey cited its right to intervene under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.
Q 18The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, declared in 1983, is recognised by how many countries?
One
Only Turkey recognises it; the declaration was led by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktaş.
Q 19Roughly what share of the island does the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupy?
About a third
The UN buffer zone between the two sides covers another 2.67% of the island.
Q 20The 2004 UN reunification plan rejected by 74% of Greek Cypriots was named after which secretary-general?
Kofi Annan
Turkish Cypriots backed it 65% to 35%, but the island joined the EU a week later still divided.
Q 24Cyprus is one of only three EU countries where vehicles do what?
Drive on the left
It is a remnant of British rule, shared with Ireland and Malta.
Q 25The highest point of Cyprus, at 1,952 metres, shares its name with which famous Greek mountain?
Olympus
It sits at the centre of the Troodos range, whose copper drove the island's Bronze Age wealth.
Q 26Which two mountain ranges dominate Cyprus, enclosing the central Mesaoria plain?
Troodos and Kyrenia
The Kyrenia range is the smaller of the two, running along the north coast.
Q 27The abandoned resort of Varosha, fenced off since 1974, was once the tourist quarter of which city?
Famagusta
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Brigitte Bardot holidayed there before its residents fled the invasion.
Q 28The Cyprus mouflon, the island's national animal, is a wild relative of which animal?
Sheep
About a metre tall at the shoulder, it is the largest animal on the island and survives only in the Paphos mountains.
Q 29Cypriot tennis player Marcos Baghdatis reached the final of which Grand Slam in 2006?
Australian Open
He also made the Wimbledon semi-finals that year and was excused national service to focus on tennis.
Q 30Cyprus's best Eurovision result came in 2018 with 'Fuego', sung by whom?
Eleni Foureira
It finished second; the country had only returned to the contest in 2015.