Morphou Bay

Morphou Bay (Greek: Κολπος Μορφου, Kolpos Morfou; Turkish: Güzelyurt Körfezi), is a part of the Mediterranean Sea, located on the North Western side of the island of Cyprus. It is named after the nearby inland town of Morphou (Greek: Μόρφου; Turkish: Güzelyurt). The bay forms the westernmost seaboard of the break-away Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which claims the bay as its own territorial waters. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has received diplomatic recognition only from Turkey, on which it is dependent economically, politically and militarily. The rest of the international community, including the United Nations and European Union, recognises the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the entire island, including Morphou Bay. It was here that Turkey began landing supplies and volunteers to assist the Turkish Cypriots when the intercommunal violence between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities started in December 1963. For more information on this topic, see the article for the village Kokkina (Greek: Κόκκινα; Turkish: Erenköy).

Morphou

Morphou (Greek: Μόρφου; Turkish: Omorfo or Güzelyurt) is a town in the northwestern part of Cyprus, under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. It is the administrative center of the Güzelyurt District of Northern Cyprus. Having been a predominantly Greek Cypriot community before the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the town is now inhabited by Turkish Cypriots. With a population of 18,000 people, the town is famous for its apples, vegetables, grapefruit and melons, for which a large proportion of the citrus fruits are exported and the remainder are turned into fruit juice and canned for local consumption and export. Morphou is also famous for its annual Orange Festival, which is a major event lasting two weeks.

History

Morphou was founded by Spartans who brought with them the worship of Aphrodite. In the Middle Ages, the city was referred to as Morphou but also Theomorphou. The Morphou area grew more than half of Cyprus citrus fruits. In 16th and 17th centuries, during Ottoman period, Morphou was famous for its export of linen.