Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Akrotiri and Dhekelia (/ˌækrˈtɪəri ənd diˈkliə/), officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA), is a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus. The areas, which include British military bases and installations formerly part of the Crown colony of Cyprus, were retained by the British under the 1960 treaty of independence signed by the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey and representatives from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The territory serves an important role as a station for signals intelligence and provides a vital strategic part of the United Kingdom surveillance-gathering network in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Seal of Akrotiri
Seal of Dhekelia
Location of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (red)
Location of Akrotiri (left) and Dhekelia (right) in pink on Cyprus (pink, grey, and beige)
Treaty of Establishment16 August 1960
CapitalEpiskopi Cantonment
Largest civilian settlementAkrotiri
Official languagesEnglish
Common languages
GovernmentDe facto stratocratic dependency under a constitutional monarchy
 Monarch
Charles III
 Administrator
Air Vice-Marshal Peter Squires ex officio
Government of the United Kingdom
The Lord Benyon
Area
 Total
254 km2 (98 sq mi)
Population
 2020 estimate
18,195 (not ranked)
CurrencyEuro (EUR, )
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
  Summer (DST)
UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Driving sideleft
Calling code+357
Postal codes in Cyprus
UK postcode
4640 (Akrotiri)
7502 (Dhekelia)
BFPO 57 / BF1 2AT (Akrotiri)
BFPO 58 / BF1 2AU (Dhekelia)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.