As can be seen from the chart above, Vokolida was historically a Greek Cypriot village. In the Ottoman census of 1831, Christians constituted the only inhabitants of the village. Although the population of the village showed a slight increase during the first half of the 20th century, a significant drop was recorded after 1946.
Displacement:
Most of the village’s inhabitants were displaced in 1974, as in August of that year they fled from the advancing Turkish army to the southern part of the island. However, some 31 persons attempted to remain in the village and were enclaved there until August 1976, when they were transferred to the southern part of the divide. Currently, like the rest of the displaced Greek Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots of Vokolida are scattered throughout the island’s south, with small pockets in towns. The number of the Greek Cypriots who were displaced after the 1974 war was around 350 (336 in 1973 census).
Current Inhabitants:
This village was mainly used for the settlement of Turkish nationals from Turkey in 1976 and 1977, mostly from Osmaniye, Adana and Küllü in southern Anatolia. Although the population of the village was only 290 in 1996, by the time of the 2006 census, the number of inhabitants had risen to 514. The reason for this noticeable increase is the current construction boom in the hotel sectors. During the last five years, many international and Turkish companies have bought property and invested in the vicinity of the village, and many of the workers on these sites are being lodged by their employers in Vokolida/Bafra. The current explosion in the tourism sector also means a large transient population in the village. The hotels that have already been constructed have a total bed capacity of 3000, while ongoing construction of new, large resorts on the coast will increase that number to 10,000.
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