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Cyprus Urban-Rural Composition
When the Republic of Cyprus was established in 1960, 60
percent
of Turkish Cypriots lived in villages. The rest lived in
the five
urban centers of Nicosia (Lefkosa), Famagusta
(Gazimagusa),
Larnaca, Limassol, and Paphos. Few Turkish Cypriots lived
in
Kyrenia (Girne). During the period of intercommunal
conflict, the
urban-rural distribution of the Turkish Cypriot population
was
unclear because of the thousands of refugees living in
tents and
temporary shelters. After the de facto division of the
island in
1974, however, there was a gradual change in the
urban-rural ratio.
By the late 1980s, 51 percent of the Turkish Cypriot
population
lived in urban areas. Given the small number of Turkish
Cypriots,
however, urban centers were not large. As of 1987, the
Turkish
Cypriot section of Nicosia had only about 38,000
inhabitants,
Famagusta 20,000, and Kyrenia 7,100.
One reason for increased urbanization was the
resettlement
program after 1974, which placed refugees from territory
controlled
by the government of the Republic of Cyprus in houses
previously
occupied by Greek Cypriots in the urban areas of Kyrenia,
Morphou
(Güzelyurt), and Famagusta. Immigrants from Turkey were
largely
settled in villages.
Resettlement was an extensive process that directly
involved
about two-thirds of the Turkish Cypriot population.
According to
some estimates, about 60,000 Turkish Cypriots moved from
their
places of residence following the establishment of a cease
fire in
1974. Most managed to move behind Turkish military lines
on their
own. Others, however, required international agreements or
diplomatic initiatives to join their ethnic community.
About 9,400
Turkish Cypriots took refuge in the British base areas.
Another
8,100 came to territory controlled by Turkish forces after
negotiations between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
leaders
under United Nations (UN) auspices resulted in an
agreement to
exchange populations. While all Turkish Cypriots moved to
areas
controlled by their community, not all Greek Cypriots
returned to
areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus. Most of these
Greek
Cypriots lived in the Karpas Peninsula.
The growth in the urban sector was also a reflection of
a
changed Turkish Cypriot economy. In 1960 agriculture
employed
nearly half of all Turkish Cypriots. By 1990 this sector
accounted
for well under a third of the work force, while about half
of
economically active Turkish Cypriots earned their
livelihoods in
the service sector and one-fifth in construction and
industry.
Except for agricultural work, most employment was in urban
areas.
Despite the marked decline in agricultural employment,
at the
end of the 1980s, 49 percent of Turkish Cypriots still
lived in
areas classified as rural. Urbanization was not as
extensive as
suggested by employment figures. The discrepancy resulted
from the
small size of the "TRNC." Many of those who worked in
urban areas
were able to remain in their villages because the distance
between
most villages and urban centers was less than an hour's
drive by
car. Workers did not migrate to areas of employment, but
instead
commuted. An effect of commuting between urban and rural
areas was
that other urban developments, such as changes in
attitudes toward
education and social values, were more easily diffused
than
otherwise would have been the case.
Data as of January 1991
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