Akrotiri and Dhekelia

34°35′N 32°59′E

Akrotiri and Dhekelia
British Overseas Territory
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Flag Emblem
Location of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (red)
Location of Akrotiri (left) and Dhekelia (right) in pink on Cyprus (pink, grey, and beige)
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Treaty of Establishment	16 August 1960
Capital	Episkopi Cantonment
Largest civilian settlement	Akrotiri
Official languages	English
Common languages	Greek Turkish
Government	De facto stratocratic dependency under a constitutional monarchy
• Monarch	Charles III
• Administrator	Major-General Robert Thomson ex officio
Government of the United Kingdom
• Minister	James Cleverly
Area
• Total	256[1] km2 (99 sq mi)
Population
• 2020[2] estimate	18,195[2] (not ranked)
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Driving side	left
Calling code	357
UK postcode	BFPO 57 / BF1 2AT (Akrotiri) BFPO 58 / BF1 2AU (Dhekelia)
Geopolitical Entities and Codes (GEC)	AX

Akrotiri and Dhekelia are two British overseas territories that border the Republic of Cyprus. They are used as military bases by the United Kingdom. The bases were kept by the United Kingdom after Cyprus changed from being a colony in the British Empire, to being an independent republic. The United Kingdom kept them because of the important location of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.

Military bases

The smallest of the bases is known as Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area or even the Western Sovereign Base Area.^[2]