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  Dhekelia
(UK sovereign base area)
 
Flag of Dhekelia
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 Introduction
 Geography
 People
 Government
 Economy
 Communications
 Transportation
 Military
 Transnational Issues

This page was last updated on 14 May 2009


Map of Dhekelia




Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order

   Introduction    Dhekelia Top of Page
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 larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.
   Geography    Dhekelia Top of Page
Location:
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Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
Geographic coordinates:
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34 59 N, 33 45 E
Map references:
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Middle East
Area:
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total: 130.8 sq km
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
Area - comparative:
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about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
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total: 103 km (approximately)
border countries: Cyprus 103 km (approximately)
Coastline:
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27.5 km
Climate:
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temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
Environment - current issues:
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netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn
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
   People    Dhekelia Top of Page
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
Languages:
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English, Greek
   Government    Dhekelia Top of Page
Country name:
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conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Dhekelia
Dependency status:
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a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capital:
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name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri
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
Constitution:
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Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document
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
Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Major General Jamie GORDON (since October 2008); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
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the flag of the UK is used
   Economy    Dhekelia Top of Page
Economy - overview:
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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:
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none
Exchange rates:
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euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008)
note: on 1 January 2008, Dhekelia and Akrotiri adopted the euro along with the rest of Cyprus
   Communications    Dhekelia Top of Page
Radio broadcast stations:
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AM NA, FM 1 (located in Akrotiri), shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
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0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

   Military    Dhekelia Top of Page
Military - note:
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includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway

This page was last updated on 14 May 2009


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