The Turkish invasion of Cyprus occurred on July 20, 1974. The Turkish army invaded Cyprus under the pretext of protecting Turkish Cypriots and occupied 36% of Cyprus.
After the war, a large number of Greek Cypriots living in northern Cyprus fled to the south; the northern Greek population originally accounted for 80% of the total northern population. After the war, the northern Greek population declined rapidly. At the same time, the Turks living in the south moved to the north controlled by the Turkish side. In 1983, Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus established the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Cyprus has since split, the southern territories controlled by the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. Turkey forces forced migration of local Greek residents in Cyprus in second invasion
Greek military government disintegrates after war, Greek government loses control of Eastern Mediterranean