|
Dhekelia
Europe:: Dhekelia
(UK sovereign base area)
|
|
|
Background:
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Location:
|
|
Eastern Mediterranean, on the
southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
|
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
|
34 59 N, 33 45 E
|
|
|
Map references:
|
|
Europe
|
|
|
Area:
|
|
total: 130.8
sq km
22
note:
area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
|
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
|
about three-quarters the
size of Washington, DC
|
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
|
total: 103
km (approximately)
border countries:
Cyprus 103 km (approximately)
|
|
|
Coastline:
|
|
27.5 km
|
|
|
Climate:
|
|
Current Weather
temperate; Mediterranean
with hot, dry summers and cool winters
|
|
|
Environment - current issues:
|
|
netting and trapping of
small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn
|
|
|
Geography - note:
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
Population:
|
|
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
19
|
|
|
Languages:
|
|
English, Greek
|
|
|
|
Country name:
|
|
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Dhekelia
|
|
|
Dependency status:
|
|
a special form of UK
overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the
Commander, British Forces Cyprus
|
|
|
Capital:
|
|
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:
|
|
Sovereign Base Areas of
Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960,
functions as a basic legal document
|
|
|
Legal system:
|
|
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:
|
|
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 monarchy is hereditary; the
administrator appointed by the monarch
|
|
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
|
none (overseas territory
of the UK)
|
|
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
|
none (overseas territory
of the UK)
|
|
|
Flag description:
|
|
the flag of the UK is
used
|
|
|
|
Economy - overview:
|
|
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:
|
|
none
|
|
|
Exchange rates:
|
|
euros (EUR) per US dollar
- 0.7338 (2009), 0.6827 (2008)
note:
on 1 January 2008, Dhekelia and Akrotiri adopted
the euro along with the rest of Cyprus
|
|
|
|
| Communications
::Dhekelia |
Radio broadcast stations:
|
|
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:
|
|
0 (British Forces
Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to
Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)
|
|
|
|
Military - note:
|
|
includes Dhekelia Garrison and
Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway
|
|
|
|
|
Back to Countries in Europe
Back to All Travel to Destinations Homepage
|
|
|
