World Factbook
Dhekelia
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Capital
name
Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri
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
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
geographic coordinates
34 40 N, 32 51 E
Constitution
history
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
Country name
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Dhekelia
Legal system
laws 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
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Senior Judges' Court (consists of several visiting judges from England and Wales)
subordinate courts
Resident Judges' Court; military courts
judge selection and term of office
see entry for United Kingdom
National anthem
note: as a United Kingdom area of special sovereignty, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)
Executive branch
chief of state
King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)
head of government
Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Peter J.M. SQUIRES (since 1 September 2022); note - the administrator reports to the British Ministry of Defense and is also Commander, British Forces Cyprus (BFC); the chief officer, an appointed civilian, is responsible for the day-to-day running of the civil government of the Sovereign Base Areas
elections/appointments
the monarchy is hereditary; administrator appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Ministry of Defense
Flag description
the flag of the UK is used
Dependency status
a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US
none (overseas territory of the UK)