Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Sovereign base areas of the ‌United Kingdom

Anthem
God Save the Queen

Cyprus

→

Capital

Episkopi

Status

Sovereign base areas

Administrator

- From 2008

Jamie Gordon

History

- August 16, 1960

Treaty of Establishment

Area

254 km²

Population

- 2010

14,500

Density

57/km²

Currency

Euro

British Cyprus

v

The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are two military bases that were retained by the United Kingdom as part of its sovereign territory when the Republic of Cyprus gained independence in 1960. Even if both Cyprus and the United Kingdom are members of the European Union, the base areas technically remain outside the EU. Besides British military personnel and their families, only Cypriot nationals are allowed residence on the base areas. Cypriot nationals residing inside the base areas gained rights as citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, when it was established in 1960.

Background

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the United Kingdom retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. The larger is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.^[1]

Economy

Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.^[2]