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Akrotiri reference map
Note -- This Akrotiri reference map and supplemental information have been modified and reformatted from the CIA World Factbook -- available in the public domain.
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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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peninsula
on the southwest coast of Cyprus |
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Geographic coordinates:
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34
37 N, 32 58 E |
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Map references:
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Middle
East |
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Area:
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total:
123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
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Area - comparative:
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about
0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
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Coastline:
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56.3
km |
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Climate:
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temperate;
Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
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Environment - current issues:
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shooting
around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green
turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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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 |
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Languages:
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English,
Greek |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the
Commander, British Forces Cyprus |
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Capital:
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name:
Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia
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 |
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Constitution:
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Sovereign
Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16
August 1960 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air
Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the
British Ministry of Defense
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
the administrator is appointed by the monarch |
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Diplomatic representation in the
US:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from
the US:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Flag description:
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the
flag of the UK is used |
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Economy - overview:
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Economic
activity is limited to providing services to the military and their
families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be
imported. |
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Currency (code):
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Cypriot
pound (CYP); euro (EUR) after 1 January 2008 |
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Exchange rates:
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Cypriot
pounds per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686
(2004), 0.5174 (2003) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM
NA, FM 1, shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS)
provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and
Nicosia) (2006) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0
(British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel
satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006) |
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Military - note:
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Akrotiri
has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and
Episkopi Support Unit |
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This page was last
updated on 12 February, 2008
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