The Kyrenia District, or simply Kyrenia, is one of the six

districts of Cyprus Cyprus is Administrative division, divided into six districts (; ), whose Capital (political), capitals share the same name. The districts are subdivided into Municipalities of Cyprus, municipalities and communities. The districts of Cyprus ar ...

. Its capital city is Kyrenia. It is the smallest of Cyprus's districts, and is the only one controlled in its entirety by the unrecognised de facto state of

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

, where the same territory is administered as the ''de facto'' Girne District, a distinct entity. It is bordered on the south by

Nicosia District The Nicosia District, or simply Nicosia (also Lefkosia and Lefkoşa), 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 ...

and on the east and south-east by Famagusta District. It includes much of the north coast, with the towns of Kyrenia, Lapethos and Karavas. Also the

Kyrenia Mountains The Kyrenia Mountains (; ) is a long, narrow mountain range that runs for approximately along the northern coast of the island of Cyprus. It is primarily made of hard crystalline limestone, with some marble. Its highest peak is Mount Selvili, ...

, which overlook the coast, with the prominent castles of St. Hilarion and Buffavento. Unlike the portions of Nicosia, Famagusta and

Larnaca Larnaca, also spelled Larnaka, is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. With a district population of 155.000 in 2021, it is the third largest city in the country after Nicosi ...

under Occupied Cyprus' control, which are variously partitioned into five of its six districts, the boundaries of Cyprus's ''de jure'' Kyrenia District are coterminous with Northern Cyprus' ''de facto'' Girne District. A district administration-in-exile exists in the

Republic of Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third lar ...

-controlled part of the island, near Ledra Palace, while the TRNC district has a ''

kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by #Names, many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been reta ...

''.

History

Under

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

and Venetian rule, Kyrenia District was known as the contrée (French) or contrade (Italian ) of Cérines, which was one of the eleven provinces of the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. I ...

. At that time, the province of Nicosia, known as the Vicomté, extended closer to the sea, encroaching upon the Pentadaktylos foothills in the present Kyrenia District.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 Under Ottoman Turkish rule, Kyrenia was one of the six cazas into which the island was divided. The Caza of Kyrenia, was divided into three nahiehs – Kyrenia, Lefka and Morphou.History of Cyprus, by George Hill, Cambridge University Press, 1952, vol IV, p.7 The caza was headed by a Kaimakan. When the British took control of Cyprus in 1878, these administrative units were retained. But by 1881, Kyrenia Caza was reduced to one nahieh, namely Kyrenia, which covered roughly the same as its present area.Census of Cyprus 1881, pr. Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1884 A British officer styled a Commissioner (later District Officer) was appointed for the Caza, while the Turkish Kaimakan was initially retained with certain of his functions. In 1881 the Caza and Nahieh of Kyrenia had a population of 13,266, (Greek 75%, Turkish 20%), representing 7% of the population of Cyprus.Cyprus Gazette 3 March 1882, publ.Government of Cyprus, Nicosia, 1882; p. 151 By 1960 the population had grown to 31,015 (Greek 79%, Turkish 14%, Maronite 6%).Census of Population and Agriculture 1960, pub.Printing Office of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, 1960; Vol.1, Table IV The Maronite population was almost entirely located in the villages of Kormakiti, Asomatos and Karpaseia.

Settlements

According to ''Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus'' per the Statistical Service of Cyprus (2015), Kyrenia District has 3 municipalities and 44 communities. Municipalities are written with bold.

Agridaki Agridaki (; ) is a village in Cyprus, located 1 km east of Larnakas tis Lapithou. Agridaki is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. Before the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the village was inhabited by Greek Cypriots. They fl ...

Lapithos Lapithos or Lapethos (; ) is a town in Cyprus. ''De facto'', it is under the control of Northern Cyprus. Archeologists claim that Lapithos was founded by the Achean brothers Praxandros and Cepheus. According to Strabo, the ancient settlement o ...

Larnakas tis Lapithou

Notes

References

{{Authority control Districts of Cyprus