Nicosia District

Nicosia District

Επαρχία Λευκωσίας (Greek)
Lefkoşa Kazası (Turkish)
Nicosia District Επαρχία Λευκωσίας (Greek); Lefkoşa Kazası (Turkish)
District
	Location of the district in Cyprus
Country	Cyprus
Capital	Nicosia
Area
• District	2,710.0 km2 (1,046.3 sq mi)
Population (2021)
• District	350,824
• Rank	1st
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
• Urban	244,200
• Rural	~82,780
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Post code	1000-2999
Area code	+357 22

The Nicosia District,^[b] or simply Nicosia^[c] (also Lefkosia^[d] and Lefkoşa^[e]), is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia. The de-facto TRNC-controlled northern part of the district is the Lefkoşa District of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

TRNC-controlled areas of the Larnaca District of the Republic of Cyprus are administered as part of Nicosia District, while western parts of the Nicosia District under de facto TRNC control are administered as part of the new Güzelyurt and Lefke Districts.^[3]

History

Under Lusignan rule, at least the latter part and then during the Venetian period, the Kingdom of Cyprus was divided into eleven provinces called in French contrées and in Italian contrade. The area around Nicosia was the province of Vicomté (literally the domain of a Viscount). It covered the eastern half of the present District of Nicosia, what would later become the Nahiehs of Dagh and Deyirmenlik (orange on map). The western half of the present district formed the province of Pendaïa (Pendagia). One significant difference in the borders was that Vicomté extended closer to the sea, encroaching upon the Pentadaktylos foothills in the present Kyrenia District.^[4]

Under Ottoman Turkish rule, Nicosia was one of the six cazas into which the island was divided. The Caza of Nicosia, also known as the Caza of Deyirmenlik, was divided into two nahiehs - Dagh (Orini) and Deyirmenlik (Kythrea).^[5] The caza was headed by a Kaimakan. When the British took control of Cyprus in 1878, these administrative units were retained. A British officer styled a Commissioner (later District Officer) was appointed for the caza of Nicosia, while the Turkish Kaimakan was initially retained with certain of his functions.^[6]^[7]

The Nahiehs of Lefka and Morphou were previously in the Caza of Kyrenia.^[5] But by 1881, the Nahiehs of the Caza of Nicosia were:^[8]

Lefka
Morphou
Dagh
Deyirmenlik

The town of Nicosia, previously separate, came under the Nahieh of Deyirmenlik (Greek: Kythrea) in the British period.

Population

The population of Nicosia Caza or District in 1881 was as follows:^[8]

Nahieh	Population 1881
Morphou	11306
Kythrea	24043
Dagh	10446
Lefka	10505
TOTAL	56300

At the most recent census the population of the district was as follows:^[9]^[10]

Area	Population 2011
Nicosia District (Cyprus government sector)	326980
Nicosia District (Turkish occupied sector)	94824
Morphou District (Turkish occupied sector)	30037
TOTAL	451841

The total figure above includes 1,599 for the communities of Melouseia, Tremetousia and Arsos in Larnaca District and Afania in Famagusta District.^[10]

Thus, the population of Nicosia District has increased eight-fold since 1881.

Settlements

According to Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus per the Statistical Service of Cyprus (2015), Nicosia District has 12 municipalities and 162 communities.^[11] Municipalities are written with bold.

Notes

^ Including de facto Northern Cyprus and UN buffer zone.
^ Greek: Επαρχία Λευκωσίας, romanized: Eparkhía Lefkosías [/éparxía lefkosías/]; Turkish: Lefkoşa Kazası
^ /ˌnɪkəˈsiːə/
^ Greek: Λευκωσία, romanized: Lefkosía; pronounced [lɛfko'siɐ]
^ Turkish: pronounced [lefkoʃa]

References

^ http://www.cystat.gov.cy/mof/cystat/statistics.nsf/classifications_en/classifications_en?OpenForm Cyprus Statistical Service Classifications] — Degree of Urbanization.
^ "CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING 2021: PRELIMINARY RESULTS BY DISTRICT AND MUNICIPALITY/COMMUNITY" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-03-10.
^ KKTC 2011 Nüfus ve Konut Sayımı [TRNC 2011 Population and Housing Census] (PDF), TRNC State Planning Organization, 6 August 2013
^ L’ Ile de Chypre. Sa Situation Presente et ses Souvenirs du Moyen Age, by Louis de Mas Latrie, pub. Firmin-Didot et Cie, Paris. 1879; map and pp. 148-151
^ ^a ^b History of Cyprus, by George Hill, Cambridge University Press, 1952, vol IV, p.7
^ Our Home in Cyprus, by Mrs. Scott-Stevenson, publ. Chapman and Hall Ltd, London, 1880; p. 73
^ Report by Her Majesty's High Commissioner for the Year 1879, Accounts and papers. Great Britain. Parliament. Session 1880. publ. by House of Commons, London, 2006
^ ^a ^b Census of Cyprus 1881, pr. Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1884
^ "Census of Cyprus 2011". Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
^ ^a ^b Census organised by the Turkish Cypriots in the occupied area http://www.devplan.org/Nufus-2011/nufus%20ikinci_.pdf retrieved October 2013
^ "Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus per the Statistical Service of Cyprus, 2015". Statistical Service of Cyprus. Archived from the original on 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2018-08-04.