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Cyprus Highly Developed Communications

The Infrastructure in Cyprus is described to be highly developed, compared to the population of the island.  

Travel
Travel and transport in and outside Cyprus is fast, efficient and economical, due to its contemporary road network, extensive port facilities and two international airports. The International airports are located in the coastal areas of Larnaca and Paphos, in order to facilitate the passengers from all over Cyprus and also the foreign travelers, who tend to accommodate in the coastal areas. Both the airports are designed and constructed to be up to date with all the required facilities and services, and also to abide by the rules and specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Cyprus’s airports provide flight services from and to several destinations in Europe and the Middle East, along with transitional flights to distant destinations, in cooperation with foreign airlines. Larnaca is the larger of the two airports, that has been relocated and construction of an all new facility has just set to begin.
Limassol and Larnaca are Cyprus busiest ports, occupied twenty four hours per day, to manage with the sizable import and export activity on the island. The port in Limassol is the largest one, even though considerable infrastructure is adequate to provide easy and effective operations at each coastal port facility. The ports are also used to carry out cruises in the Mediterranean and mini cruises between the other coastal areas of the island.

Road network
The English rule left Cyprus with a quite developed road network. The Republic of Cyprus has always been concerned about the public road works in order to enhance the network and the roads condition, even at the most isolated villages on the island. Currently there are 12,280 km of paved roads in the area of the Republic of Cyprus, with the data referring to the Turkish occupied North unofficially reporting 5,300 km of paved and 840 km of unpaved roads. The main arteries that connect the cities are in very good condition and are constantly refreshed, while the Nicosia – Limassol highway is already being under the process of widening with an extra lane added for both streams. The quality of the roads in the countryside can also be found in a good condition.

Transportation

As far as public transportation is concerned, there have not been made any big steps yet, mainly because the distances are too short for a metro station and the railway that had 120 Km in length and stations at 3.2 km intervals has ceased function since 1951. The population on the island cannot cover the cost of such works, even years after the use. Bus services have been underactive, due to poor funding and formerly used only by the retirees, or to transfer pupils from small villages to peripheral schools. Consequently, the number of private cars has soared, during the last years, from under 180,000 in 1990 to peak 372,945 in 2006. The problem of traffic congestion and the increase of the fumes in the urban centers made the Government to reconsider on investing in the public transportations. In 2006, the Ministry of Transport initiated a 470 million Euro (USD700 million) plan to raise the public transportations use from 2% to 10% gradually by 2015. In mid-2009 the House of Representatives voted certain plans to extend the current 14 km bus network to 40 km. Among the thoughts of the Government lie suggestions including a tram line connecting Nicosia with its suburbs. All the towns are serviced by taxi companies with transportation within the region of the town and its suburbs, while there are companies that offer minibus routes between the major towns.

Telecommunications
The Government has invested into transforming the island into a major telecommunications centre in the region. Cyprus has established a widespread telecommunications network, both cable and satellite, which ranks amongst the best in the world, Building on its technologically advanced infrastructure.

Professional Services
Cyprus is well known for its mature professional services sector and is aiming to become a services center in the region. An important fact proving the above, is that The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales, approved Cyprus, as the first country in the world, to be able to qualify Chartered Accountants locally, without the need to work in the UK, as the profession standards are of a high level.   

Financial Services
The level of expenses on financial and professional service provision is very low, compared to other EU countries. For example regarding the professional service recurring costs, the rates are estimated at the 40 % compared to the respective Western European rates. Government services and Tax authorities are considered to be quite friendly in Cyprus, with professional approach and effectiveness. Banking and financial services in Cyprus are highly developed offering several multilingual and efficient services, in logical terms, both to the consumers and the companies.

The local infrastructure is ideal for any business person who wants to establish a company in Cyprus, as transportation and telecommunication promotes tasks to be done quickly and the benefits in the financial, banking and services fields promote your company’s economic interests. High Infrastructure development is also a sign of prosperity for all the residents in Cyprus, as the main aim is to up-lift the standard of living in Cyprus.

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