Nicosia

Nicosia (nĭkəsē`ə), Gr. Levkosia, Turkish Lefkoşa, city (1992 pop. 177,410), capital of Cyprus, on the Pedieos River in the central plain of the island. It is also the center of an administrative district, part of which is in the Turkish sector. Nicosia, the country's largest city, is an agricultural trade center and has textile, leather, pottery, plastic, and other manufactures. Copper mines are nearby. Known as Ledra or Ledrae in antiquity, it was the residence of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus from 1192, became a Venetian possession in 1489, and fell to the Turks in 1571. The tombs of the Lusignans are in the former Church of St. Sophia (13th cent.), now a mosque. There also are remnants of the Venetian fortifications and museums with notable collections of antiquities. Nicosia was the scene of bitter strife in the period just prior to Cypriot independence (1960), and since the Turkish invasion (1974) part of the city's northern sector has been inside the boundary of the United Nations' buffer zone. The name is also spelled Nikosia.

---

Nicosia

 Greek Lefkosia Turkish Lefkosa

City (pop., 2004 est.: Greek sector, 219,200; 1996: Turkish sector, 39,973), capital of Cyprus. Lying on the Pedieos River, it is bordered by mountains to the north and south. It was a kingdom in the 7th century BC and has been the capital of the island since the 10th century AD. It came successively under the control of the Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans; the British held it from 1878 until 1960. During the 20th century the city grew beyond the existing circular Venetian walls. The population in the surrounding area is engaged mainly in agriculture. A UN buffer zone has separated the city's Greek and Turkish sectors since 1974.