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Map of Dhekelia
Introduction Dhekelia
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.
Geography Dhekelia
Location:
 Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
Geographic coordinates:
 34 59 N, 33 45 E
Map references:
 Middle East
Area:
 total: 130.8 sq km
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:
 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
People Dhekelia
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
Languages:
 English, Greek
Government Dhekelia
Country name:
 conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area
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 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
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 Dhekelia
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
Currency (code):
 euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound (CYP) formerly used
Exchange rates:
 euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)
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 Dhekelia
Military - note:
 includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008