| Lefkoniko | |
|---|---|
| Λευκόνοικο (Greek) Geçitkale/Lefkonuk (Turkish) | |
| Lefkoniko Church | |
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Lefkoniko
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | De jure Cyprus De facto Northern Cyprus |
| District | Famagusta District |
| Municipality | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Lefkoniko (Greek: Λευκόνοικο, Turkish: Geçitkale/Lefkonuk) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus. It lies in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), in the northern third of the island.
During British administration Lefkoniko had a population around 4000 people, consisted of a Greek Cypriot majority and a Turkish Cypriot minority. In an anti-British demonstration schoolboys burned out the village post office. A collective fine was placed on the inhabitants of Lefkoniko. The governor of Cyprus ordered a 24-hour curfew on Lefkoniko until the fine was paid. [1]
As a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus the Greek Cypriot residents of Lefkoniko fled the and since then the town has been repopulated by Turkish Cypriots, mainly people from Kophinou, as well as other villages. In order to discourage settlers from Turkey, a large number of mud-houses were knocked down by the local village-council between 1975-77. Thus to this day, the village has an odd look, with many concrete houses standing from the early 1970s, with large spaces separating them. Pre-1974 population of the village was around 2500, current population is a little under 1500.
Lefkoniko is also the location of Lefkoniko airport, with a 3400m run-way, the longest on the island, used mostly for military purposes. The United States also has the right to use this airport to fly over for Middle East operations. Along with Ercan, it is recognized as a legal port of entry only by Turkey.