Broadcast media [time series]

British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area

Exchange rates [time series]

note: uses the euro

Climate [time series]

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Environment - current issues [time series]

hunting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base

Area [time series]

total: 123 sq km note: includes a salt lake and wetlands

Area - comparative [time series]

about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate [time series]

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Coastline [time series]

56.3 km

Geographic coordinates [time series]

34 37 N, 32 58 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 48 km border countries (1): Cyprus 48 km

Location [time series]

Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus

Map references [time series]

Middle East

Capital [time series]

name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and 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 etymology: "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 [time series]

history: 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: amended 1966

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Akrotiri etymology: named for the village that lies within the Western Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus

Dependency status [time series]

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Peter J.M. SQUIRES (since 1 September 2022); note - administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense and is also Commander, British Forces Cyprus (BFC); the chief officer, an appointed civilian, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Base Areas elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

the flag of the UK is used

Judicial branch [time series]

highest court(s): Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales) judge selection and term of office: see entry for United Kingdom subordinate courts: Resident Judges' Court; Courts Martial

Legal system [time series]

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

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

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

Background [time series]

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 smaller of the two is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area.

Military - note [time series]

defense is the responsibility of the UK; Akrotiri (aka the Western Sovereign Base Area) has a full Royal Air Force base, headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and the Episkopi Cantonment

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Birth rate [time series]

NA

Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]

NA

Current health expenditure [time series]

NA

Death rate [time series]

NA

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: NA youth dependency ratio: NA elderly dependency ratio: NA potential support ratio: NA

Drinking water source [time series]

improved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA unimproved: urban: NA rural: NA total: NA

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

NA

Languages [time series]

English, Greek major-language sample(s): ό ί έ , ί ή ώ ώ . (Greek) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Population [time series]

(2020) 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

Illicit drugs [time series]

NA