Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2002) | Akrotiri (2008) | |
Area | total: 5 sq km
land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island |
total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
Area - comparative | about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983 it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve. | 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 southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. |
Capital | - | name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia)
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 |
Climate | tropical | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
Coastline | 74.1 km | 56.3 km |
Constitution | - | Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands |
conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Economy - overview | no economic activity | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 3 m |
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Environment - current issues | NA | shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base |
Exchange rates | - | Cypriot pounds per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003) |
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 |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used | the flag of the UK is used |
Geographic coordinates | 12 14 S, 123 05 E | 34 37 N, 32 58 E |
Geography - note | Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983 | 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 |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (1998 est.) |
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Languages | - | English, Greek |
Legal system | the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply | 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 |
Location | Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia | peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Middle East |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force | Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit |
Natural hazards | surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards | - |
Natural resources | fish | - |
People - note | the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem | - |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh waster at Ashmore Reef's West Island |
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 |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | - |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM NA, FM 1, 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) |
Terrain | low with sand and coral | - |
Waterways | none | - |