The varying geographical names in the island of Cyprus, situated on the main maritime passage way from Europe to the Holy Land for the past 30 centuries

摘要

The island of Cyprus could well claim to be the most visited and best cartographically documented island in the world due to its location on the main maritime passage way from Europe to the Holy Land and the end of the Silk Road to Europe. The island's strategic importance through its situation at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa explains Cyprus's turbulent history and the importance of its ports and cities. Since the Phoenicians (10th to 8th Century B.C.), Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Ptolemies, Romans, Byzantine, Arabs, English (Richard I the Lion Heart), Frankish (French), Genoese (partly), Venetian (Italian), Ottoman (Turkish) and English ruled the island. During these periods, the names of the cities, towns, villages, ports, mountains, hills, rivers, streams, creeks, ponds, lakes, capes and similar geographic places kept changing