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Europe :: Dhekelia
(UK sovereign base area)
page last updated on November 15, 2012
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Introduction ::Dhekelia
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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.
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Geography ::Dhekelia
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Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
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34 59 N, 33 45 E
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total: 130.8 sq km
country comparison to the world: 223
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
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about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
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total: 103 km (approximately)
border countries: Cyprus 103 km (approximately)
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27.5 km
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temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters
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netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn
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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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People and Society ::Dhekelia
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English, Greek
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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
country comparison to the world: 220
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Government ::Dhekelia
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Dhekelia
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a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
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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
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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
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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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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice Marshall Graham STACEY (since 4 November 2010); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; the administrator appointed by the monarch
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see Akrotiri
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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the flag of the UK is used
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note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)
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Economy ::Dhekelia
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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.
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note: uses the euro
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Communications ::Dhekelia
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British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Dhekelia Sovereign Base (2009)
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Military ::Dhekelia
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includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway
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