Bouvet Island (2007) | Dhekelia (2008) | |
Area | total: 49 sq km
land: 49 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 130.8 sq km
note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves |
Area - comparative | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC | about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC |
Background | This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named. No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In 1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island the previous year. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters a nature reserve. Since 1977, it has run an automated meteorological station on the island. | 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. |
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 |
Climate | antarctic | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
Coastline | 29.6 km | 27.5 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: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island |
conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Dhekelia |
Dependency status | territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo | 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 (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | - |
Economy - overview | no economic activity; declared a nature reserve | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Olav Peak 935 m |
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Environment - current issues | NA | netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn |
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 Norway is used | the flag of the UK is used |
Geographic coordinates | 54 26 S, 3 24 E | 34 59 N, 33 45 E |
Geography - note | covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve | 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 |
Industries | - | none |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 103 km (approximately)
border countries: Cyprus 103 km (approximately) |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (93% ice) (2005) |
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Languages | - | English, Greek |
Legal system | the laws of Norway, 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 | island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) | on the southeast coast of Cyprus near Famagusta |
Map references | Antarctic Region | Middle East |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 4 nm | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Norway | includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway |
Natural hazards | NA | - |
Natural resources | none | - |
Population | uninhabited | 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 |
Radio broadcast stations | - | AM NA, FM 1 (located in Akrotiri), 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 | volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible | - |