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.

peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus
34 37 N, 32 58 E
Middle East
total: 123 sq km ; note: includes a salt lake and wetlands
about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
total: 47.4 km ; border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km
56.3 km

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters








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

British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus
about 7,000 Cypriots now live in Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas ; note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base, but do not live there
















English, Greek



conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area ; conventional short form: Akrotiri

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




Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960
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

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





the flag of the UK is used
none (overseas territory of the UK)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus




Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.













































Cypriot pound (CYP)

Cypriot pounds per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)





AM NA, FM 1, shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)























Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit




