The Green Line in Cyprus

The Green Line in Cyprus.....Introduction

Hopefully, in the years to come, even this introduction (written in 2018) will have become a piece of outdated history.

Initially, the term 'Green Line' referred to the demarcation line between Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities in the capital Nicosia.
However, at the moment, a 'Green Line' winds its way across the whole of the island of Cyprus.......a buffer zone between two states: the Turkish Cypriot north and Greek Cypriot south.

Each has its own terminology for the other's territory and the current situation is described by the map below. 
The border is somewhat complicated by the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (ESBA) where the Turkish Cypriot north meets land controlled by the United Kingdom. Along this border there is no Buffer Zone.



This website describes the events that created the current position ......some of the information was gained first hand during the difficult 1970s and other details are the result of more recent experiences and research.

The final Governor of Cyprus (1957-60) Sir Hugh Foot once wrote...."Anyone who says he understands Cyprus has been misinformed".

I have no political viewpoint or affiliations to espouse; I have concentrated on recording what happened and sidestepped the minefield of trying to detail the background of why things happened and who was responsible.
In this way I hope to tell this immensely complex story as straightforwardly as possible.


I would like to thank Brig (Rtd) Michael Perrett-Young, Richard Sale, Christopher Meynell and Geoff Cosson for their valuable assistance.

November 2016 (updated January 2024)