Polis was a mixed town until 1975. As may be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Muslims (Turkish Cypriots) constituted 55% of the population and hence the majority. However, the second British census of 1891 shows that by the end of the 19th century the Turkish Cypriot percentage had fallen to 46%, slightly lower than of their Greek Cypriot neighbors. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the Greek Cypriot population increased more than that of the Turkish Cypriots. The 1960 census put the Greek Cypriot share of the population at almost 60%.
Displacement:
No one was displaced during the emergency years of the late 1950s. The first displacement occurred during the intercommunal conflict that began in late 1963. On 14 February 1964, due to the intercommunal fighting, all the Turkish Cypriots of Prodromi(334) and Polis took refuge in the Turkish Cypriot secondary school, where they were besieged. This situation remained basically unchanged until 1968. By the time Richard Patrick visited the area in 1971, the Polis and Prodromi(334) Turkish Cypriots had slightly increased their area and built some refugee housing, but Patrick still describes it as an overcrowded space: “The Turkish sector of Polis has been reduced to a very small congested strip of land astride the Polis-Ktima highway. The quarter measures a few hundred yards square.” He also reported that 70% of the population living in this small enclave consisted of displaced persons from Polis and Prodromi.
The situation continued with little improvement until July 1974, when Greek Cypriot forces launched an attack on the Turkish Cypriot quarter, after the Turkish Cypriots refused to surrender their guns. The fighting continued for one day. Eventually, most of the Turkish Cypriot Fighters fled the quarter and sought refuge in nearby Pelathousa(330) village. Following the ceasefire agreement in late August, some of the civilians also fled Polis. They mainly sought refuge in the nearby village of Gialia(307) and later crossed the mountains to go to the north. The rest of the Polis Turkish Cypriots who were enclaved in the village were evacuated to the north under UNFICYP escort on 22 August 1975. They were mainly resettled in the towns, Morphou/Güzelyurt(072), Famagusta(140), Kyrenia(236) and Nicosia(074). The number of Polis Turkish Cypriots who were displaced after 1974 was around 720 (714 in the 1973 census).
Current Inhabitants:
Currently, Polis is mainly occupied by its original Greek Cypriot inhabitants and some displaced Greek Cypriots from the northern part of the island. According to the 2001 census, there are 1,262 persons residing in the town of Polis. However, the total population of the municipality of Polis is 1,847, including the villages of Prodromi(334) and Latsi. In recent years, many foreign workers from Eastern Europe, most working in the construction and tourism sectors, have also begun to live in this rapidly expanding small town.
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