"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 larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"34 59 N, 33 45 E"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Middle East"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"130.8 sq km"
},
"note":{
"text":"area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC"
"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"
"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"
"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); amended 1966 (2016)"
"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)"
"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 Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported."
},
"Industries":{
"text":"none"
},
"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 Dhekelia Sovereign Base (2009)"