Location:
Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Area:
total:130.8 sq km
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves
country comparison to the world:223
Area - comparative:
about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total:108 km
border countries (1):Cyprus 108 km
Coastline:
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; several small Cypriot enclaves exist within the Sovereign Base Area (SBA); of the SBA land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land
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
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:
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); amended 1966 (2016)
Legal system:
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
Judicial branch:
highest courts: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; military courts
Executive branch:
chief of state:Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government:Administrator Major General James ILLINGWORTH (since 14 March 2017); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense
elections/appointments:the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense
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
National anthem:
note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, \"God Save the Queen\" is official (see United Kingdom)