Cyprus has the world’s only national flag featuring a detailed map of the country itself. The map appears in copper-coloured outline above two olive branches on a white field.
The flag was adopted in 1960, when Cyprus became independent from British rule. Its design was intended to represent cooperation between the island’s Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. The olive branches symbolize peace, while the copper colour reflects Cyprus’s historic association with copper mining.
The flag’s map depicts the whole island, including territory administered by the Republic of Cyprus. Because the island remains politically divided, the map has particular historical and diplomatic significance. The Republic of Cyprus controls the southern part, while the northern part is administered by the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey.
Cyprus is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean and a member of the European Union. Nicosia, its capital, is also divided by a United Nations buffer zone.