The combined population of the Greek and Turkish sectors (2001 estimate) is 762,887. The overall population density is 82 persons per sq km (214 per sq mi). The principal city is Nicosia, the capital, which is divided into Greek Cypriot and Turkish zones. Lemesós (Limassol), Larnaca, and Famagusta are the chief ports.

The people of Cyprus represent two main ethnic groups, Greek and Turkish. The Greek Cypriots, who constitute about four-fifths of the population, descended from a mixture of aboriginal inhabitants and immigrants from the Peloponnese who colonized Cyprus starting about 1200 BC and assimilated subsequent settlers up to the 16th century. About one-sixth of the population are Turkish Cypriots, descendants of the soldiers of the Ottoman army that conquered the island in 1571 and of immigrants from Anatolia brought in by the sultan's government. Since 1974 additional immigrants from Anatolia have been brought in to work vacant land and increase the total labour force.