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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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Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus
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34 37 N, 32 58 E
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total: 123 sq km
country comparison to the world: 223
note:
includes a salt lake and wetlands
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about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
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total: 47.4 km
border countries:
Cyprus 47.4 km
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56.3 km
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Current Weather
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
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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
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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
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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
country comparison to the world: 218
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English, Greek
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Akrotiri
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a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
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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
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Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document
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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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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government:
Administrator Major General Jamie GORDON (since October 2008); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense
elections:
none; the monarchy is hereditary; the administrator appointed by the monarch
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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the flag of the UK is used
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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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euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008)
note:
on 1 January 2008 Akrotiri and Dhekelia adopted the euro along with the rest of Cyprus
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British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base (2009)
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Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit
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