The population of TRNC is around 200 000. The language of the TRNC is Turkish and the community adheres to Islam. Lefkosa, the thousand-year-old capital of Cyprus is better known to foreigners by its mediaeval name, Nicosia. It lies just to the north of the geographical centre of the island at an elevation of 160 metres and is the seat of government as well as the main business centre. The city's origins go back in history as the earliest human settlements found in the vicinity of the modern city date back to the 3rd millennium BC. The first inhabitants were attracted by what was then a rich river. Today's dried up stony river bed is a far cry of its former bygone glory. It was only about 1000 years ago that Lefkosa (Nicosia) became the capital of Cyprus at a time when the island's rulers were forced to withdraw inland in order to protect themselves from the raiding Saracens, who were marauding the coastal towns. Ever since it has remained the capital sharing the country's fate through the centuries.