The capital of a country is the face of the country, and many countries will focus on choosing when setting up a capital, after all, the capital is the center of political power and has a very important position.
Therefore, the capital is an existence that cannot be easily discarded or divided by the state under any circumstances.
However, there is one city in the world that is not only the common capital of two countries, but also separated by a "green line".
People who live in one city are people from both countries because of the "dividing line", and the two countries are not allowed to marry each other, even in the same city.
Such a strange thing is real, and it is the only one in the world, what the city has experienced that would make both countries have its capital, and such strange requirements.
Nicosia
One such city, which has been designated as the capital of both countries, is Nicosia. With an area of only about 50 square kilometers, it is the only capital city in the world that is shared by two countries.
Nicosia is located in the middle of the island of Cyprus, in the middle of the Mesaoria Plain, at an altitude of only about 150 meters above sea level, and the population of the city is only a few hundred thousand people.
Nicosia is the largest city in the Republic of Cyprus and has a very long history, a place rich in history and culture, even dating back to prehistoric times.
Tribes had already settled on the land, and over the next few thousand years, it was ruled by many cultures and politics.
From the early Mycenae, Assyria, Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, Byzantium and other countries have set foot in this land, and with the rise of the kingdom and empire, it has also occupied this place.
It was not until the British finally came here to colonize it, and after the independence movement, it was able to govern itself and become an independent state.
This also makes there a lot of historical sites here, and also allows the locals to have a more colorful cultural heritage and activities and festivals. Cyprus is also one of the cradles of ancient Greek civilization, and it is said that Venus, the goddess of love in ancient Greek mythology, was born here, so it is also known as the "Island of Eros".
With a rich heritage and exciting festivals, this place is a natural attraction for many people, and this is also one of the most famous places in Cyprus.
Yet there is one of the strangest controversies in the world, why is Nicosia the capital of the Republic of Cyprus and the capital of "two countries"?
A city that is divided in two
In this particular place, there is a "Green Line" that divides the islands, and such a green line was established by the United Nations peacekeeping forces.
The aim is to isolate the conflict between the two sides and prevent violence in the region. The length of such a green line is about 180 kilometers long and 7.4 kilometers wide, and Nicosia became the divided capital.
This green line, which is guarded by peacekeepers, has been fenced along the way with a large number of checkpoints, barbed wire, and other barriers, and it is also a strange and chilling sight.
There are different political rights at each end of the Green Line, and in this divided city of Nicosia, even if you are a resident of the city, you still need to register and go through security to finally cross the line and reach the other end of the Green Line. There are no exceptions to people of that race.
Such strict requirements have also made the residents of Nicosia completely deprived of their sense of belonging and identity to the city, which not only affects the normal life of Nicosia residents, but also causes many contradictions in the city.
The inhabitants of Nicosia fell victim to the political struggle, even though they lived in the same city, separated by a Green Line.
The situation did not improve until the 21st century, when the United Nations worked tirelessly to ease the strict controls on the Green Line and began to allow residents on both sides to pass through a very small number of checkpoints.
Although registration and inspection are still required, it is also an improvement in the interaction between the "two countries", allowing the residents of the same city to communicate and communicate well, and at the same time giving both sides more understanding and respect.
Although the two sides have the possibility of mutual communication, the differences in the formal culture and religion of the two sides make the two sides have different pursuits and interests, and at the same time, the residents of both sides do not have too much sense of identity with each other's countries.
Internationally, the Republic of Cyprus has always been an independent country, but the Green Line has divided the country in two, and the different ideas and differences between the two sides make it seem as if the two countries are in a constant confrontation.
The Green Line separates the two countries of North and South Cyprus, and both sides have their capitals in Nicosia, which is the status quo of two capitals in one city.
And what is the root cause of this situation, why a country is divided, and why the UN peacekeeping force uses the "green line" to divide it?
A country divided in two
Cyprus has a long history, with recorded human beings dating back to 1500 BC and the birthplace of the Greek myth of Eros, where the Greeks have been around since an early age.
Because of its excellent inhabitability, the Greeks set foot in this land a long time ago, and then another group of people came, the Turks who came around the 16th century.
Since the first Greek city-state was established in this area, it has been constantly invaded by other countries, and wars have never stopped in this land, which has also caused Cyprus to change the rule of different political systems frequently.
Especially around the 16th century, the Turkish Empire was particularly powerful, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire ruled the island for nearly 300 years, and this was also the time when the Turks settled on the island.
Originally, there were two major ethnic groups in a small place with only Greeks, but under the rule of the powerful empire, it was a respite.
More than 300 years of rule also came to an end, and finally Turkey leased it to the British, turning it into a British colony, and for so many years Cyprus did not fully become independent, and has been devastated by other powerful countries.
Around 1960, when the world was in turmoil for independence, Cyprus decided to become independent and establish its own independent government and state, which was governed by Turks and Greeks in the territory.
In that year, the Republic of Cyprus was established, with the Hila and Turkish communities forming a coalition government of the country, with the Greek assigning the presidency and the Turkish vice-president, and establishing 1 October as the national day of each year.
The country was independent, but because of the two different races, it could not be completely integrated, and it was only a few years later, in 1963, because of the discord, the two communities had a serious armed conflict.
Seven years after the declaration of independence, the conflict between the two communities broke out, and the Turks were unwilling to take up the deputy position, trying to seize the administrative power of Cyprus, and finally established a completely different "government" from the original regime, and officially put Cyprus on the road of division.
However, it was another 7 years after the division began, and in 1974, Cyprus was already in political turmoil, and the Cypriot military group staged another coup d'état, also trying to seize power of the government, which made Cyprus completely chaotic after years of war.
In the course of this coup, Turkey also made a surprising move to move into the small country of Cyprus, moving all ethnic Turks to the northern side of the island, occupying 37% of the island's land area for the Turkish people living on it.
The most excesses they did were to drive all the Greeks from the territory and send them to the southern side of the island, which is now South Cyprus, and a catastrophe of population migration that shocked the world occurred.
Countless people died and disappeared during the migration, and Cyprus was completely divided, forming two regimes, North and South Cyprus, which were originally one country, but were like two countries at odds.
The two countries were opposed, the Turkish government helped their people to form Northern Cyprus, while the Greeks and the original Cypriot government formed South Cyprus in the south.
Nicosia, the former capital of Cyprus, became the common capital of both South and North Cyprus because it was located on the border between the two countries.
However, despite the antagonism, there is no international recognition of the existence of Northern Cyprus, and it is only the Turkish government that hides that other countries still believe that this is the Republic of Cyprus.
Due to the different ethnic beliefs of the rulers of the two governments, although they coexisted peacefully under the mediation of the United Nations, they still did not intermarry with each other, and due to the development of the times, the two sides also had the idea of merging, but also because of the difference in religious beliefs and other aspects, such a merger was not successful.
Source:
Xinhua News Agency: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1640272894547038626&wfr=spider&for=pc
Close-up: The capital divided by the Green Line - Nicosia
Shanxi Evening News: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1745322903301170398&wfr=spider&for=pc
Capital Story. One city, many capitals
People's Daily: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1606518284122386505&wfr=spider&for=pc
Cyprus "five more and four less", can you guess it?