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Europe
Page last updated: January 31, 2024
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 smaller of the two is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area.
Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus
34°37' N, 32°58' E
Middle East
Total: 123 km²
Note: includes a salt lake and wetlands
About 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Total: 48 km
Border countries (1): Cyprus 48 km
56.3 km
Temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
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
(2020) approximately 18,195 on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 11,000 Cypriots and 7,195 Service and UK-based contract personnel and dependents
English, Greek
Major-language sample(s):
Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Total dependency ratio: NA
Youth dependency ratio: NA
Elderly dependency ratio: NA
Potential support ratio: NA
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Improved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
Unimproved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: NA
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Hunting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base
Temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Akrotiri
Etymology: named for the village that lies within the Western Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus
A special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
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
Etymology: "Episkopi" means "episcopal" in Greek and stems from the fact that the site previously served as the bishop's seat of an Orthodox diocese
History: presented 3 August 1960, effective 16 August 1960 (The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960 serves as a basic legal document)
Amendments: amended 1966
Laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus; note - the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters
Chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)
Head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Peter J.M. SQUIRES (since 1 September 2022); note - administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense and is also Commander, British Forces Cyprus (BFC); the chief officer, an appointed civilian, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Base Areas
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense
Highest court(s): Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales)
Judge selection and term of office: see entry for United Kingdom
Subordinate courts: Resident Judges' Court; Courts Martial
The flag of the UK is used
Note: as a UK area of special sovereignty, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)
Note: uses the euro
British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
1 (2021)
Note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Defense is the responsibility of the UK; Akrotiri (aka the Western Sovereign Base Area) has a full Royal Air Force base, headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and the Episkopi Cantonment
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