Dhekelia: Information from Answers.com

Introduction

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

Location:	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: NA
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

People

Population:	no indigenous personnel note: approximately 2,200 resident military personnel; there are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military personnel or civilian staff on both the bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus citizens work on the base but do not live there
Languages:	English, Greek

Government

Country name:	conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Dhekelia
Dependency status:	overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capital:	name: Episkopi Cantonment; 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
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

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):	Cypriot pound (CYP)
Exchange rates:	Cypriot pounds per US dollar - 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003), 0.6107 (2002)

Military

Military - note:

includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway

	Outline of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
	Postal Orders of the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area
	Ormidhia

		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
		Statistics. The World Factbook 2005 is prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency. Read more