DHEKELIA

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 larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.

Geography ::DHEKELIA
Location:

Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
Geographic coordinates:

34 59 N, 33 45 E
Map references:

Europe
Area:

total: 130.8 sq km
country comparison to the world: 222
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
Area - comparative:

about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:

total: 103 km (approximately)
border countries: Cyprus 103 km (approximately)
Coastline:

27.5 km
Climate:

Current Weather
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Environment - current issues:

netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn
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 ::DHEKELIA
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
country comparison to the world: 220
Languages:

English, Greek

Government ::DHEKELIA
Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Dhekelia
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); located in Akrotiri
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 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
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 ::DHEKELIA
Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Industries:

none
Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008)
note: on 1 January 2008, Dhekelia and Akrotiri adopted the euro along with the rest of Cyprus

Communications ::DHEKELIA
Broadcast media:

British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Dhekelia Sovereign Base (2009)

Military ::DHEKELIA
Military - note:

includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway