Northern Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is a self-declared state that comprises the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus. Northern Cyprus is considered by the international community as occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, but English is also widely spoken as a second language. North Cyprus location is at the crossroads of Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa. Closest neighboring locations are Turkey, South Cyprus, Lebanon, Greece, Egypt, Israel and Syria. Standing at the crossroads of three continents Cyprus has a vibrant history, a perfect climate and the warmest welcome in the Mediterranean. North Cyprus has a completely separate government and financial system, which does not use the Euro. In North Cyprus the banking system is functioning as usual and, thankfully, it is not affected by any financial problems unlike the greek part of Cyprus and other parts of Europe. The local currency is the Turkish Lira ( TurkLirasi, TL). Major credit cards are widely accepted.