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Background:
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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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Location:
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peninsula on the
southwest coast of Cyprus |
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Geographic coordinates:
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34 37 N, 32 58 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.7 times the size
of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
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Coastline:
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56.3 km |
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Climate:
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temperate; Mediterranean
with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
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Environment - current issues:
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shooting around the salt
lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only
remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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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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Languages:
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English, Greek |
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Country name:
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conventional long
form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri |
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Dependency status:
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overseas territory of UK;
administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British
Forces Cyprus |
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Capital:
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name: Episkopi
Cantonment; also serves as capital of 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 |
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Constitution:
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Sovereign Base Areas of
Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960
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Legal system:
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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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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas territory
of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas territory
of the UK) |
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Flag description:
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the flag of the UK is
used |
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Economy - overview:
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Economic activity is
limited to providing services to the military and their families located
in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. |
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Currency (code):
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Cypriot pound (CYP); euro
(EUR) after 1 January 2008 |
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Exchange rates:
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Cypriot pounds per US
dollar - NA (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174
(2003) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM NA, FM 1, shortwave NA
(British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2
service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0 (British Forces
Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to
Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006) |
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Military - note:
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Akrotiri has a full RAF
base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support
Unit |
Information gathered from the Central Intelligence Agency |
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