It is its own independent country, just like the United States. Even so, British influences continue in the form of British tourists, a British military base, and the British custom of driving on the left side of the road!
Despite these continuing British influences, Cyprus is proud of its independence. In fact, back at the start of October, I had the chance to watch celebrations for Cyprus’s Independence Day, which marks the approximate day fifty-eight years ago that Cyprus gained its freedom from Great Britain in 1960. That means that I got to celebrate Cyprus’s fifty-eighth birthday! (That may sound old to you, but for a country, that is actually quite young, especially compared to the U.S., which gained its independence from Great Britain in 1776, making it over 200 years old.)
And all of those unusual modes of transportation I mentioned earlier--tanks, armored vehicles, ambulances, fire engines, police cars, fighter planes, helicopters, and marching—those were part of a fancy military parade to celebrate Cyprus’s Independence Day. Unlike at an American Fourth of July parade, there were no costumed figures tossing candy, waving sparklers, or smiling at the crowds. Instead, this parade consisted only of serious-faced soldiers, past and present, in uniform. One of my Cypriot friends, who once served in the Cypriot military, was even marching among them! It was a display of military power and skill, which is exactly what helped Cyprus gain its independence in the first place all those years ago.
