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| Akrotiri |

Introduction | Akrotiri

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 | Akrotiri

Location: | Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus
Geographic coordinates: | 34 37 N, 32 58 E
Map references: | Middle East
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
Climate: | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
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
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

People | Akrotiri

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
Languages: | English, Greek

Government | Akrotiri

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
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-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
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

Economy | Akrotiri

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.
Currency (code): | euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound (CYP) formerly used
Exchange rates: | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Communications | Akrotiri

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 | Akrotiri

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

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008