{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "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": "note: includes a salt lake and wetlands" }, "Area - comparative": { "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)" }, "Languages": { "Languages": { "text": "English, Greek" }, "major-language sample(s)": { "text": "
Το Παγκόσμιο Βιβλίο Δεδομένων, η απαραίτητη πηγή βασικών πληροφοριών. (Greek)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information." } }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "NA" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "NA" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "NA" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "NA" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "NA" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "NA" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "NA" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "NA" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "NA" } }, "Birth rate": { "text": "NA" }, "Death rate": { "text": "NA" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "NA" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: NA" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: NA" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: NA" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: NA" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: NA" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: NA" } }, "Current Health Expenditure": { "text": "NA" }, "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "NA" }, "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": { "text": "NA" }, "HIV/AIDS - deaths": { "text": "NA" }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "NA" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "NA" } }, "Environment": { "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" }, "Climate": { "text": "temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "none" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Akrotiri" }, "etymology": { "text": "named for the village that lies within the Western Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus" } }, "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" }, "etymology": { "text": "\"Episkopi\" means \"episcopal\" in Greek and stems from the fact that the site previously served as the bishop's seat of an Orthodox diocese" } }, "Constitution": { "history": { "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)" }, "judge selection and term of office": { "text": "see entry for United Kingdom" }, "subordinate courts": { "text": "Resident Judges' Court; Courts Martial" } }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "text": "none (overseas territory of the UK)" }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { "embassy": { "text": "none (overseas territory of the UK)" } }, "Flag description": { "text": "the flag of the UK is used" }, "National anthem": { "text": "

note: as a UK area of special sovereignty, \"God Save the Queen\" is official (see United Kingdom)

" } }, "Economy": { "Economic 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": { "text": "

note: 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 Area" } }, "Transportation": { "Airports": { "total": { "text": "1 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "1 (2017)" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military - note": { "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" } } }