View the Pictorial here - Rotaract Club Nicosia Aspelia

Cyprus Flag
Typical Dish: Souvla
Cyprus Location
Postal stamp
Nicosia Map
Famous Star
Distinguished Souvenir
Touristic place:
Venetian Walls and the Three Gates
The Capital: Nicosia
Famous City: Limassol
Cyprus Flag
Cyprus is the only country to display its land area on its official flag. The background of the flag is white that
represents peace. In the middle, there is the map of the island that has the copper colour to represent the historical
attachment of Cyprus to this metal. Under the island's map there are olive tree's branches. The branches of the olive
tree represent peace as well.
Cyprus Location
The third-largest island in the Mediterranean and the third most populated, Cyprus is situated in the eastern part of
the Mediterranean Sea, about 75 km south of Turkey, 105 km and 108km west of Syria and Lebanon, 350 km north
of Egypt and 280 km far to the nearest greek island Kastelorizo.
It measures 240 km long from end to end and 100 km wide at its widest point. The highest peak is Mount Olympus at
6,406 ft (1,953 m). Cyprus covers an area of 9,250 sq km. of which 3,355 sq km. are occupied by Turkey since 1974.
Nicosia Map
Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia, is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. It is
located a little north east of the center of the country and south of the Kyrenia Mountains, on the banks of Pedieos
River and it has the population of about 309,000 people. Sophisticated and cosmopolitan, Nicosia combines its
historic past with the amenities of a modern city. Nicosia is consistently ranked as one of the richest cities in the world
in per capita income terms. In the past few years Nicosia has seen remarkable progress regarding its infrastructure
with the most remarkable being the central Eleftheria square currently in progress.
Typical dish: Souvla
The most popular dish in Cyprus, It consists of large pieces of meat cooked on a long skewer over a charcoal
barbecue. It differs from the popular Greek dish souvlaki, in that meat cuts are much larger and slow cooked for
a much longer period at a greater distance from the hot charcoal. Traditional souvla is made from the neck and
shoulder of lamb or pork.
After it is sizzling, it is raised away from the charcoal so that it cooks at a slower rate. The process takes
between 90 minutes and 3 hours depending on the type of meat, size and heat of fire. Salt, aromatics (such as
oregano), oil, and wine are sprinkled or brushed on the meat once the cooking process is well under way. That
way the meat stays juicy and does not brown too quickly.
Postal Stamp
2012 Refugee Fund Stamp
All mail dispatched out of Cyprus must carry the Refugee Fund stamp (current value €0,02cents) in order to be
posted officially. The very first Refugee Fund stamp was issued in October 1974 (originally a 1971
commemorative issue overprinted 5m to 10m Refugee Fund).
New issues have been released on a fairly regular basis and since 10th January 1977 all have been of the same
design depicting a person squatting in front of a stretch of coiled barbed wire. Only the colour has changed over
time, most recently changing from a greyish purple colour to the recent light turquoise green mint colour issued
in 2012.
Touristic place: Venetian Walls and the Three Gates
One of the most historic and, thus, recognized touristic marks in Nicosia are the Venetian walls [pic 1] and the three
gates, which lead inside the fortified city:
- Kyrenia Gate. (Porta del Proveditore) [pic 2]
- Famagusta Gate (Porta Giuliani) [pic 4]
- Paphos Gate (Porta San Domenico) [pic 3]
The walls were constructed by Italian military engineers Giulio Savorgnano and Franscesco Barbaro in 1567 when
Cyprus was under the government of the Republic of Venice. The walls were constructed as part of fortification plan
of Nicosia in order to protect the inhabitants from imminent Ottoman attack.
This Venetian fortification complex has a circumference of 3 miles, and contains eleven pentagon-shaped bastions
named after eleven families, pillars of the Italian aristocracy of the town, who donated funds towards the construction
of the walls and the three gates, Porta San Domenico (Paphos Gate), Porta Guiliana (Famagusta Gate), and Porta
del Proveditore (Kyrenia Gate).
Our Club’s logo is accompanied by these walls, precisely because we are a Nicosia Club and because these walls
are part of our history and of our identity.
Famous Star
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; (In Greek: Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου) is to date the most
famous Cypriot star. George Michael was born in England by Cypriot parents. He rose to fame in the 1980’s as a
member of the Pop duo WHAM. He later went on to have a successful solo career. He has sold more than 100
million records worldwide, has won numerous awards and is considered as one of the best-selling artists.
Famous Souvenir
The famous Cyprus souvenir anyone can get at a price of 1 or 2 EURO simply in any Cypriot bank – the famous
cruciform idol from the Chalcolithic period (3000 BC) is depicted on the back side of these coins. This is the
characteristic example of the island’s prehistoric art which represents Cyprus’s antiquity, culture and civilization: a
statue of the “Idol of Pomos”, a cross-shaped idol, dating back to the Cypriot Chalcolithic period (3000 -2500 B.C.)
which was found in Pomos, a village in the district of Pafos, hence its name.
The sculpture represents a woman with her arms spread. The outstretched form of the arms of the "Idol of Pomos"
are believed to refer to its function as a fertility symbol. Large numbers of this kind of sculptures were found in
Cyprus. The size of similar statues or idols could vary enormously: from a few centimeters to statues of 1.5 m.
Smaller versions were worn as amulets around the neck or worn as charms.
Nowadays the statue can be seen on display in the Cyprus Archeological Museum in Nicosia.
Distinguished Souvenir
The famous Cyprus souvenir anyone can get at a price of 1 or 2 EURO simply in any Cypriot bank – the famous
cruciform idol from the Chalcolithic period (3000 BC) is depicted on the back side of these coins. This is the
characteristic example of the island’s prehistoric art which represents Cyprus’s antiquity, culture and civilization: a
statue of the “Idol of Pomos”, a cross-shaped idol, dating back to the Cypriot Chalcolithic period (3000 -2500 B.C.)
which was found in Pomos, a village in the district of Pafos, hence its name.
The sculpture represents a woman with her arms spread. The outstretched form of the arms of the "Idol of Pomos"
are believed to refer to its function as a fertility symbol. Large numbers of this kind of sculptures were found in
Cyprus. The size of similar statues or idols could vary enormously: from a few centimeters to statues of 1.5 m.
Smaller versions were worn as amulets around the neck or worn as charms.
Nowadays the statue can be seen on display in the Cyprus Archeological Museum in Nicosia.
The Capital: Nicosia
Nicosia is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. After the collapse of the Berlin
Wall, Nicosia remained the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a
Green Line. Population city 310,355 - 239,277 (south part), 71,078 (north part). The historical centre is clearly present
inside the walls, but the modern city has grown beyond. Presently, the main square of the city is Eleftheria (Freedom)
Square, with the city hall, the post office and the library. The square which is currently under renovation, connects the
old city with the new city where one can find the main shopping streets such as the prestigious Stasikratous Street,
Themistokli Dervi Avenue and Makarios Avenue.
Famous City: Limassol
Limassol, which was built between the ancient cities of Amathus and Kourion, is the second largest city of Cyprus and
also is the largest city in geographical size and the biggest municipality on the island. The city was inhabited since the
very old times. Graves that were found there date back to 2.000 B.C. and others date back to the 8th and 4th century
B.C.
Limassol is the biggest Cypriot port in the Mediterranean transit trade and has become one of the most important
tourism, trade and service-providing centres in the area. It is today the largest ship management service centre in
Europe with more than 60 ship management companies located in the city as due to the Cyprus Shipping Tax
System, it makes it very attractive for ship management companies to have their main offices in Limassol.
Rotaract Club of Nicosia Aspelia: Group Photo
Row up from left to right: Marianna Trokkoudes (Rotarian), Stephan Peter (Rotarian), Loris Stavrinides, Gopinath
Sheregar, Natalia Glebova, Christina Kassinou, Kevork Mehdessian (DG 2450), Stella Kassianides, Evangelia
Nicolaides, Alexandra Papadopoulou, Antonis Yemenaris, Marilia Paraschou, Stephanos Trokkoudes.
Row down from left to right: Katerina Nicolaides (Rotarian), Margarita Paraskevaidou, Adonis Panagidis, Olga
Panfilova, Elena Arotis, Irina Linica, Charis Michael, Constantina Kakouli, Chrysanthi Danou, Caterina Kalavas
(Rotarian) and Eleni Zapiti (Rotarian).
Our club was chartered on July 27th 2010. The uniqueness of our club is that it is the only Rotaract club in Cyprus
with members from different countries where the official language used is English. This has not been a problem for
us, but rather an advantage as we have a lot to gain from diversity. Our goal is to have members from various
professional and academic backgrounds.