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Dhekelia Government Profile

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Country nameconventional long form: none

conventional short form: Dhekelia
Dependency statusa special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capitalname: 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

etymology: "Episkopi" means "episcopal" in Greek and stems from the fact that the site previously served as the bishop's seat of an Orthodox diocese
Constitutionhistory: presented 3 August 1960, effective 16 August 1960 (The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, serves as a basic legal document); amended 1966 (2021)
Legal systemlaws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus; note - the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters
Executive branchchief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Administrator Major General Robert J. THOMSON (since 25 September 2019); note - administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense; the chief officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Bases

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense
Judicial branchhighest courts: Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales)

judge selection and term of office: see entry for United Kingdom

subordinate courts: Resident Judges' Court; military courts
Diplomatic representation in the USnone (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the USnone (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag descriptionthe flag of the UK is used
National anthem

note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)


Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021