A divided Cyprus - in pictures

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is marking its independence, 35 years on

• 

  Nicosia in Cyprus is the last divided capital city in Europe. Today marks the date in 1983 when the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared independence, nine years after Turkish forces landed on the island. The TRNC remains unrecognised by the international community, apart from Turkey. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  A shot of no-man’s-land in Nicosia from the Turkish side of the divided Cyprus capital. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Turkish Cypriot graves near Famagusta on the island's east coast. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Omeriye Mosque is the only Muslim place of worship open on the Greek side of Nicosia. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  A shot of no-man’s-land, taken from the Greek sector of Nicosia. Local people refer to this UN buffer area - established in 1964 and expanded 10 years later - as the "dead zone". Here ceasefire lines are sometimes just metres apart. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  The UN's Green Line cuts 180 kilometres across the island of Cyprus and divides the capital, Nicosia, in two. Cyprus has endured this partition since 1974. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Ledra Street is the only foot crossing between the Turkish and Greek sectors of Nicosia. Visitors will have their passports stamped with 90-day visas by TRNC officials upon entering Northern Cyprus. There is a building nearby that acts as a watchtower for general public and tourists. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Part of the UN's Green Line which cuts 180 kilometres across the island of Cyprus and divides its capital, Nicosia, in two. Visitors can walk down Nicosia's busy shopping streets, take a few turns, and be confronted by barricades dividing north from south. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Nicosia is dotted with memorials to past conflicts. The 1973 Liberty Monument in the city's Greek zone honours paramilitary fighters of Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, who fought British forces between 1955 and 1959. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Famagusta beach with abandoned hotels and buildings form a 'ghost town' since Turkish forces landed on the island in 1974. Declan McVeigh / The National

• 

  Much of Famagusta beach in eastern Cyprus and its ghost town remain off-limits. Turkey continues to station thousands of troops on the divided island. Declan McVeigh / The National

Today marks the date in 1983 when a third of Cyprus declared independence to become the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Founded seven years after Turkish troops landed on the island, days after the July 15 Greek Cypriot coup, this almost totally unrecognised state is part of a conflict which has blocked Turkey’s path to EU membership and led to warships being mobilised in the East Mediterranean.

Recognised only by Turkey, the TRNC will mark the day with military parades and speeches but the island’s ongoing partition and decades of political stalemate have left this corner of Europe with an intractable problem.