"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"
"text":"about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC"
},
"Land boundaries":{
"total":{
"text":"48 km"
},
"border countries":{
"text":"Cyprus 48 km"
}
},
"Coastline":{
"text":"56.3 km"
},
"Climate":{
"text":"temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters"
},
"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":{
"Population":{
"text":"approximately 18,195 on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 11,000 Cypriots and 7,195 Service and UK-based contract personnel and dependents (2020)"
"text":"<br>Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"hunting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base"
},
"Climate":{
"text":"temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters"
"text":"presented 3 August 1960, effective 16 August 1960 (The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960 serves as a basic legal document)"
},
"amendments":{
"text":"amended 1966"
}
},
"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 Major General Robert J. THOMSON (since 25 September 2019); 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 courts":{
"text":"Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales)"
"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."
"text":"British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area"
"text":"defense is the responsibility of the UK; Akrotiri (aka the Western Sovereign Base Area) has a full RAF base, headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and the Episkopi Cantonment"