As you already know, there are Greek Cypriots and there are Turkish Cypriots and generally these two groups are quite easy to distinguish between: They are rarely seen together because there is a border between them.

Greeks

The Greek Cypriots are generally friendly and helpful when asked. But it have heard it being said that they can be arrogant, especially in comparison to Greeks from the mainland who can be really nice (outside of Athens). This I think is more hearsay and perhaps drawn from the fact that they are generally wealthier, personally I have met friendlier peoples in different countries but in my experience Greek Cypriots are easier to talk to than northern Europeans.

One taxi driver I remember was with a typically macho young Greek Cypriot, with long hair and tuned-up Mercedes and riding with him was a funny experience. He was joking about his life and his wife AND he under-charged! Shop keepers, small hotel owners and restaurant owners all seemed to serve with a smile, so what’s the use of worrying whether they are actually being friendly?

As a population, the Greek Cypriots are the most religious people in the European Union (The religion here is Greek Orthodox, a branch of Christianity not so far from Catholicism) but, I cannot say that this religious fervor is noticeable as you tour the island. Perhaps I was not watching the local people for long enough and had my attention drawn to the, not so religious, foreigners – of whom there are plenty!

Ex-Pats

Overall, however, I cannot say that I remember the Greeks that much, which is the point: There are a lot of foreigners in the south. It was not long ago (1960) that Greece was part of the British Empire.. and a lot of quaintly British routes have been put down there.

There is a very good understanding of the English language, they drive on the left, there are two giant size British Military bases and there are a great number of British ex-pats (over 30 000 = approx 5% of the population).

In addition, many Greek Cypriots who have lived in London since the seventies and the time of the troubles there, have now returned. When this is all combined with a very large number of British tourists, for who the tourist attractions in the coastal resort towns is mostly geared, then it often seems quite British - except for the long sunny days.

In recent years this, the closest Mediterranean island to Russia, has seen an influx of wealthy Russians (buying real estate) and poorer Russians (doing the dirty work for the wealthy ones) and it is not unusual to see signposts and advertisements in Russian. Apparently 50 000 Russians now live and work in Cyprus.. and the locals really cannot believe what is happening. There is a real estate boom that is mainly attributed to them and the prices being paid are rocketing upwards.

Another influence is Israeli, Cyprus is just a short hop from Israel and Cyprus is a popular holiday destination.. not so much for the sunshine (which Israelis themselves are plenty accustomed to) but for the better beaches.

There are ex-pats in the north too, but the property market there is subdued due to a fear that one day the Greek Cypriots will return to that part of the island to take back the land that is theirs.. which is more than half of it. So there are fewer Brits, much less Russians and virtually no Greeks.

Turks

In contrast, the influence in the north is nicely Turkish, such that it actually feels like you are in a foreign country, which is surely some of the point of tourism. The people of the north are either Turks relocated by the Turkish government from Turkey to increase the Turkish influence (only 1 in 5 Cypriots are Turks) or Turkish Cypriot.

The jury is out on whether, in fact, the Turkish is Cyprus are friendlier than the Greeks. One thing is for sure is that they are more eager for your custom in the north, probably because there are less tourists.