The two main nationalities on the island of Cyprus are Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
By legend the birthplace of the ancient Greek goddess of love Aphrodite, Cyprus's modern history has, in contrast, been dominated by enmity between its Greek and Turkish inhabitants.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup on the island which was backed by the Athens government.
The island was effectively partitioned with the northern third inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots. United Nations troops patrol the "Green Line" dividing the two parts. Reunification talks have proceeded slowly.
When the in-flight maps showed the EgyptAir jet was over the sea, Noha Saleh knew something was wrong. Saleh had been in Egypt for her mother's funeral and was taking a 30-minute domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo to catch a connection back to New York.
"We realized from the changes on the screen that we are not going to Cairo, we are crossing the sea," she told NBC News. "To go to Cairo we don't need to cross the sea." Read more at nbcnews.com.