Introduction

Background: |  |
`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`
Map references: |  |
`Europe`
Area: |  |
`total: 123 sq km country comparison to the world: 222 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`
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`

People

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 comparison to the world: 218`
Languages: |  |
`English, Greek`
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): |  |
`NA`
Education expenditures: |  |
`NA`

Government

Country name: |  |
`conventional long form: none conventional short form: Akrotiri`
Dependency status: |  |
`a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus`
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`
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)`

Economy

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: |  |
`note: uses the euro`

Communications

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)`

Military

Military - note: |  |
`Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit`

PAGE LAST UPDATED ON APRIL 29, 2011