This map of Cyprus, published in 1965, was drawn by Greek painter Spyros Vasiliou at the request of the Greek government of Giórgos Papandréou. This copy is in English, but the map was also printed in Greek.
Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, and since then there has been conflict between the Turkish and Greek populations living on the island. This triggered a threat of invasion by Turkey in 1964, to which Greece responded by deploying 10,000 troops to the island.
This map was published in this context, with a clear propagandistic interest on the part of Papandreou. The map resembles the many tourist maps of the time, but is accompanied by a text describing Cyprus as a Greek island with the right to self-determination.
In addition, in the lower left corner, there is a map showing the distribution of Greeks (80 %) and Turks (18 %) on the island. Accompanying this small map is a biased statement that reads: “Democracy means that the majority rules and the rights of the minority are respected,” implying that the Greeks should rule the island.
If you would like to read more about pictorial maps, I recommend reading this article.


