"text":"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":{
"Location":{
"text":"Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"34 37 N, 32 58 E"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Middle East"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"123 sq km"
},
"note":{
"text":"includes a salt lake and wetlands"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC"
"text":"temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters"
},
"Environment - current issues":{
"text":"hunting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base"
},
"Geography - note":{
"text":"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"
}
},
"People and Society":{
"Languages":{
"text":"English, Greek"
},
"Population":{
"text":"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"
}
},
"Government":{
"Country name":{
"conventional long form":{
"text":"none"
},
"conventional short form":{
"text":"Akrotiri"
}
},
"Dependency status":{
"text":"a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia)"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"34 40 N, 32 51 E"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
},
"daylight saving time":{
"text":"+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October"
}
},
"Constitution":{
"text":"presented 3 August 1960, effective 16 August 1960; amended 1966 (The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, serves as a basic legal document) (2013)"
},
"Legal system":{
"text":"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"
},
"Executive branch":{
"chief of state":{
"text":"Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Michael WIGSTON (since 21 January 2015); note - administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense; the Chief Officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Bases"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense"
}
},
"Judicial branch":{
"highest court(s)":{
"text":"Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales)"
"text":"as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, \"God Save the Queen\" is official (see United Kingdom)"
}
}
},
"Economy":{
"Economy - overview":{
"text":"Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported."
},
"Exchange rates":{
"note":{
"text":"uses the euro"
}
}
},
"Communications":{
"Broadcast media":{
"text":"British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base (2009)"
},
"Radio broadcast stations":{
"text":"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":{
"text":"0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)"
}
},
"Military":{
"Military - note":{
"text":"defense is the responsibility of the UK; Akrotiri has a full RAF base, headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit"