Fun Facts
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- The oldest wine in the world, the sweet dessert wine commandaria, has been produced in Cyprus for 5,000 years. King Richard the Lionheart of England had it served at his 12th-century wedding and proclaimed it “the wine of kings and the king of wines;” King Phillipe of France called it the Apostle of Wines back in 1223. It’s been recognized as the oldest produced wine label in the world by Guinness World Records.
- The mouflon, a species of wild sheep, is the national symbol of the country and can only be found on the island… though not in the wild. Said to have been hunted down to a mere 15 remaining sheep by the 1930s, they now number in the thousands, but only in protected herds.
- Cyprus is one of the best dive destinations in the world, home to Zenobia, one of the top 10 shipwrecks to explore, receiving 40,000 visitors every year.
- Haloumi, a briny cheese that’s popular in Greek and Middle Eastern food, is a traditional Cypriot product. Like champagne, it can only truly be called haloumi if it’s made in Cyprus.
- Are you a cat person or a dog person? This is an island for cat people. It’s said that there are more cats on Cyprus than people… the legend goes that the island had a snake problem, so Saint Helen of Constantinople sent a couple of boatloads of cats to deal with it. They ended up liking it so much, they stayed…