. Lapta, is situated in an area of Northern Cyprus that has the most rainfall, on the Girne Mountains, and is covered with a thick layer of vegetation; in addition to this, because it is situated on a slope that faces the sea, it is open o the moderate climate influences of the sea. According to the last census in 1996, the population of Lapta is made up of 1860 men and 1726 women- Equalling to a total of 3586 inhabitants. The latest counts conducter by Lapta"s municipality, however, have revealed a number of over 6000 inhabitants and a amount of approximately 2000 houses, including those belonging to foreigners. Lapta"s natural beauty and unique flora has led many British, German and other foreign visitors to select it as a place to live. Furthermore, an aver age of 22000 tourist stays at lodging establishments of the area every year. Its vicinity to the north shore and the high earnings of its population also play an important role. The majority of Lapta"s residents are civil servants and workers. Others are employed in tourism, or work in livestock breeding, farming, fishing and other small industrial establishments and trades.Cyprus"s first hotel is Günnasir Hotel, which was opened in Lapta in 1924. ?t was a 3-storey building with 14 rooms, and was constructed by Hüseyin Günnasir, a Turkish entrepreneur, who had great financial troubles building the hotel and was thus forced to sell it. The ministry responsible for housing issue of the time bought the hotel, to avoid it being bought by the Greeks. Nowadays, it still belongs to the ministry, but remains vacant.The development of tourism took place during the II. World War. It was during this period that many wealthy families from Nicosia started to move to Lapta. It was the safest place to be, thus, the local high school war constructed and run in Lapta for 4 or 5 years. The gaming house and mental hospital were also moved to Lapta. The ?sland"s most privileged and wealthy families sent their children to the school in Lapta and thus the town soon attained a very fine reputation. Its beauty and uniqueness resounded throughout the land. At the time, Lapta had many rivers and rich vegetation, including fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, it was by the sea side, had clear waters and fresh air. Word about Lapta started to spread and thus it was opened to tourism. Bamboo umbrellas were fabricated and placed on the beaches of Lapta. They were rented out to those coming there for the summer. Soon, restaurants, hotels and other establishments were built and Lapta turned into what it is now.Lapta, with many rivers and a large amount of mulberry trees has a large amount of silkworms. These insects feed on mulberry leaves and grow abundantly in Lapta. In the 1960"s they were bred by Lapta"s Greek and Turkish Cypriot residents, as they were used to produce silk in small establishments in Lapta. Generally, two types of threads can be obtained from the worm; pure silk and another impure thread. The impure thread is thich and can be used to knit sweaters. Silk is a very fine thread and may be used to produce a very soft and fine fabric. At the end of the 1960"s, after the increase in the production of artificial fabrics, silkworm breeding slowly decreased. Nowadays, it is almost non-existent. However, if one believed there was a market for silk worm breeding, there are many mulberry trees in Lapta. The mulberry tree is a very resistant tree; it does not dry out when cut and heals itself. However, there are only very few people interested in silkworm breeding today.Lapta"s bitter oranges, oranges, lemons and tangerines were very famous. Lapta"s sweet oranges ripened 20 days earlier than those from other regions and its lemons an entire month earlier. In 1906, when the Ottomans fought in the Balkan War, the Ottoman Empire erected customs boundaries around Istanbul. The highest taxes had to be paid by "Cypriot Lemonade and Orange Jam Makers". This shows the importance the Lapta region had for the Ottoman Empire. If we look at Lapta today, we sadly realize that most citrus tree areas have been replaced by cement buildings and houses. Growing citrus fruit is not as profitable as it used to be, thus, the area used for cultivation has decreased. Lapta"s Turks and Greeks used to make handicrafts, baskets and pliable shopping bags out of bamboo, myrtle twigs and date leaves. These plants grew abundantly in Lapta"s river beds and so they were used to produce beautiful handiworks. They were then sold on the entire island. Lapta"s blacksmiths and their products were very famous in the past. The older generation of Cyprus still talks about the "special Lapta pocketknife". The best ?ron ploughts were made by Turkish and Greek blacksmiths in Lapta. The best sickles, knives, pocketknives, choppers and axes were made in Lapta. Iron was also forged to produce decorative ornaments. These blacksmiths were abundant in Lapta and their handiworks were sold on the entire island. However, also this profession, just like the wickerwork, has become almost extinct. During British rule, the island experienced a plague of mice, damaging the villagers gardens. Thus, the British officials brought a large snake- type to the island.They were released in the regions of Poli, Paphosü Akatu and Lapta.
Northern Cyprus Hotels They soon reproduced and grew up to a size of 3.5 meters. However, there are no such snakes in Lapta today. Furthermore, camels and mules were important pack animals in the 1920"s. they disappeared in the 1960"s. Lapta was constructed on a lime stone mine. The town is elevated at two points, the first elevation is by the Ayi Anastasia Church and the second is next to the municipality. These yellow stones can be found all along the coastline reaching from Lapta to Kar??yaka.