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INTRODUCTION
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. |
GEOGRAPHY
Location: | |
| Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus | |
Geographic Coordinates: | |
| 34 37 N, 32 58 E | |
Area: | |
| Total: 123 sq km Note: includes a salt lake and wetlands | |
Area - Comparative: | |
| About 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | |
Land Boundaries: | |
| Total: 47.4 km Border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km | |
Coastline: | |
| 56.3 km (Rank: 180) | |
Climate: | |
| Temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters | |
Environment - Current Issues: | |
| Hunting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base | |
Geography - Note: | |
| British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land | |
Languages: | |
| English, Greek | |
Population: | |
| Approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK-based contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents | |
Country Name: | |
| Conventional long form: none Conventional short form: Akrotiri | |
Capital: | |
| Name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia) Geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October | |
Dependency Status: | |
| A special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus | |
Constitution: | |
| Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document | |
Legal System: | |
| The Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus | |
Executive Branch: | |
| Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) Head of government: Administrator Air Vice Marshall Graham STACEY (since 4 November 2010); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense; the Chief Officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Bases Elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; the administrator appointed by the monarch | |
Judicial Branch: | |
| The Court headed by a resident judge and senior judges from the UK as needed; note - the laws of the Sovereign Base Areas are kept as close as possible to the laws of the Republic of Cyprus | |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: | |
| None (overseas territory of the UK) | |
Diplomatic Representation From the US: | |
| None (overseas territory of the UK) | |
Flag Description: | |
| The flag of the UK is used | |
National Anthem: | |
| Note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) | |
Affiliation: | |
| (UK Sovereign Base Area) | |
Economy - Overview: | |
| Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. | |
Exchange Rates: | |
| Convert Euro to Any Currency Note: uses the euro | |
Broadcast Media: | |
| British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base (2009) | |
Radio Broadcast Stations: | |
| AM NA, FM 1, shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006) | |
Television Broadcast Stations: | |
| 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006) | |
Military - Note: | |
| Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit | |
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