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| 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. |
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| Area |
total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
| Area - comparative |
about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Climate |
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
| Coastline |
56.3 km |
| Environment - current issues |
shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base |
| Geographic coordinates |
34 37 N, 32 58 E |
| Geography - note |
British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base Area land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land |
| Land boundaries |
total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
| Location |
Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus |
| Map references |
Middle East |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
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 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Executive branch |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch |
| Flag description |
the flag of the UK is used |
| 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 |
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| Currency (code) |
euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound (CYP) formerly used |
| 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 |
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003) |
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| 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) |
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| Military - note |
Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit |
