Need a GPS for North Cyprus Car Hire

GPS users traveling to North Cyprus are going to be disappointed when they discover that their GPS systems might work in the country but is sorely out of date. If you’ve visited Cyprus before you probably received a paper map from the car hire North Cyprus company you rented from. That is because there is no current GPS map of North Cyprus available for these systems. You may be able to find GPS maps of the entire island on your favorite locator but old road names and missing streets are going to take a little while longer.

There are rumors circulating around about the government of North Cyprus and most major GPS companies being in negotiations about getting current maps developed and uploaded to this service. The map of the whole island nation can currently be found in Pocket Navigator 6. Some PDAs with GPS capability will also allow you to scan a paper map of the country into the PDA but it still will not give you anything more than the major roadways that are there.

There is some dissension in the ranks, however, between the Cyprus government and GPS systems, not over getting the North Cyprus information loaded but over the place names that are currently being used in North Cyprus. North Cyprus is the Turkish part of the island while Cyprus is the Greek area. While the two sides have co-existed peacefully for some time, there is still a question about North Cyprus using Turkish place names for their GPS system.

The Ministry of Education and Culture are all for the ban basing their reasoning on the fact that the Greek place names have shaped the whole island for centuries and that they will ban the sale of any GPS receivers that are using maps that display the Turkish names. The Ministry even pointed out that according to the UN and UNESCO the names of places are part of a nation’s cultural heritage and should not be renamed lightly.

Visitors to North Cyprus who plan on getting a car hire have little to worry about as the so-called ban of GPS systems would be in violation of the EU free market laws. They will not be able to easily ban the sale of GPS systems regardless of the place names used on the Cyprus maps and they will not be able to stop vacationers to North Cyprus – or even Cyprus itself – from using GPS systems that include the Turkish place names. Most of the current systems come preloaded with the Turkish information already included. A current GPS map of North Cyprus would definitely help car hirers coming to the island. Many people rely on their GPS systems and an updated one would make travel considerably easier and more enjoyable.

It is interesting to note that despite the Cypriot government trying to ban these devices the North Cyprus government could be looking for ways to getting their maps updated and loaded into the GPS systems currently out there. Additionally, not many governments complain about what’s put in a device. They usually complain about the device itself. There is no word as to how long it could take to get the maps up and running on all GPS devices, and vacationers should keep in mind that the paper map of North Cyprus from the car hire company is really the best way to get around.