Morphou (Cyprus)
Facts and figures
Origin of Link: 1995, with the London Borough of Barnet- Location: Cyprus - Town Council based in Limmasol since Turkish occupation
- Area: 4,000 ha
- History: Became a municipality in 1896
- Population Size: 12,000 (in exile)
- Political Make-up
- Council: 4 Democ Rally, 3 Comm, 3 Democ party, 1 Socialist
Morphou in detail
Barnet Council agreed to establish a formal municipal link with Morphou in Cyprus in March 1995, following informal contacts made in 1994 by the then Mayor and the chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee. The link was formed for the purposes of furthering goodwill between the two communities through the exchange of views and ideas and by personal contact among the citizens of the two towns.
Morphou was founded by Greeks from Laconia (Sparta) and was established as a municipality in 1896. Morphou is home to the church of St Mamas which is one of the most representative Byzantine-style churches in Cyprus, the ancient theatre of Soli and the Toumba of Skouros where important archaeological remains were found.
It is situated in the north-west part of Cyprus, 5km from the sea. Morphou is within the northern part of Cyprus which has been Turkish-occupied since 1974.
The inhabitants of Morphou were forced to abandon their town following the Turkish occupation and the Council of Morphou has since been in exile in Limassol.
The population of Morphou is approximately 12,000 (in exile) and it covers an area of 4,000 hectares, mainly occupied by orange plantations.
Morphou has three other twin towns - Sparta, Hermoypolis and Kalavryta.
By maintaining the links between Barnet and Morphou, the residents of the borough are furthering goodwill between the two communities and showing support for those Greek Cypriots who have been forced to live in exile.
A Friends of Morphou Group Steering Committee was established just before Christmas 1996. It is the role of this committee to establish a Friends organisation and develop links between youth, arts and cultural organisations in Barnet and Morphou.
Further information
Friends of Morphou contact:
- Chairman, Mr Andreas Karaolis, Tel: 020 8445 9977, Email: andreas@nfcypriots.org
