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Lefkara is a small town situated in the Larnaca district, ten kilometers northwest of Kofinou/Geçitkale and 30 kilometers northeast of Limassol, located on the foothills of the Troodos mountain. Lefkara is divided into two administrative parts: Kato (Lower) Lefkara and Pano (Upper) Lefkara. This small town is one of the oldest municipalities, established as a municipality in 1883. It is claimed that the name Lefkara is derived from a combination of the Greek words "lefka" (white) and "ori" (mountains). 

 

 

As may be seen in the above chart, the village had a mixed population from the Ottoman period, although Greek Cypriots always constituted a majority. Although the population of the village increased significantly throughout the first half of the twentieth century, there was a sharp decline in 1960. It is known that many persons from Lefkara, both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot, migrated overseas during the 1950s.

Displacement:

Although no one was displaced in the emergency years of the 1950s, all the Lefkara Turkish Cypriots were displaced in December 1963. They all sought refuge in the Kofinou(360) enclave. Apart from thirty persons who went back to the village in 1968, most stayed in Kofinou(360) until 1974, when they were again displaced. In the autumn of 1974, almost all of the Turkish Cypriots from the village fled to the northern part of the Cyprus divide, by then under Turkish control. Those who were left behind and could not flee were eventually transferred by UNFICYP to the north in August 1975 upon their request. Most of the Turkish Cypriots of Lefkara were resettled in Agios Theodoros/Çayırova(125), a village in the Famagusta district. The total number of the Turkish Cypriot displaced persons from this village is estimated to be around 400 (361 in 1960).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original Greek Cypriot villagers. The last Cypriot census of 2001 put the total population at 1,039.  

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Websites:

• http://www.cyprus-village.com/ (for the villages)
• http://news.karpasha.com/
• http://human-rights-archaeology.blogspot.com/
• http://kypros.org/Occupied_Cyprus/ (for the villages in the north)