Map of Cyprus. Sovereign base areas are in pink, the traditional colour on maps for British possessions.

The Sovereign Base Areas are military bases located on territory in which the United Kingdom is sovereign, but which are separated from the ordinary British territory. The Armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majesty's Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

The two current Sovereign Base Areas are located adjacent to the Republic of Cyprus which was formerly ruled by the United Kingdom. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Cyprus

Main article: Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Akrotiri and Dhekelia are UK Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) in Cyprus, a former British Crown Colony. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom British Forces Cyprus are stationed there to defend them, and they contain a British listening post, and the only fully fledged RAF station in the Mediterranean (since Gibraltar does not have any aircraft permanently based there), RAF Akrotiri. British Forces Cyprus ( BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK sovereign base areas of Dhekelia and Akrotiri on Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar Royal Air Force Station Akrotiri, more commonly known as RAF Akrotiri, is a large Royal Air Force station and military Airbase In addition to the garrison, the UK makes a contribution to the United Nations force in Cyprus. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security In total, some 3,500 British personnel are based in Cyprus.

Civilian laws are enacted by the British civilian authorities, but are patterned on those of the Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Many Cypriots work in the SBAs, mainly for the British authorities or as farmers, or for a few local businesses. But only those Cypriots with a local connection are permitted to live there, such as those who live in Akrotiri village or in the outskirts of villages neighbouring the bases. Also the villages of Xylotymvou and Ormidhia are exclaves of the Republic of Cyprus surrounded by Dhekelia SBA. Xylotymvou (Ξυλοτύμβου is a village in Larnaca District in south-eastern Cyprus. Ormidhia { Greek: Ορμήδεια) is a village in Larnaca District in south-eastern Cyprus. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía

The Sovereign Bases in Cyprus are an overseas territory, but instead of having a Governor, like other such territories, it has an Administrator, who, while appointed by the Queen, is responsible to the Ministry of Defence, not to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom An Administrator ( Administrator of the Government, Officer Administering the Government) in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Ministry of Defence ( MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting The Administrator is concurrently Commander British Forces Cyprus. There is a Sovereign Base Area call sign radio prefix, ZC4, which is completely distinct from that of Cyprus, which typically uses 5B. In Broadcasting and Radio communications a call sign (also known as a callsign or call letters, or abbreviated as a call, or otherwise For amateur radio purposes they are considered to be one separate entity. Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a Hobby and a service in which participants called "hams" use various types of Radio communications The SBA covers an area of 98 square miles (250 km²) of Cyprus (47. 5 at Akrotiri and 50. 5 at Dhekelia),however, the UK government does not own it all. The Ministry of Defence, owns only 20% with 60% privately owned and intensively farmed and the remaining 20% being SBA crown land (including forests, roads, rivers and Akrotiri Salt Lake). The Ministry of Defence ( MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters

Ireland

Main article: Treaty Ports (Ireland)

Three former Sovereign Base Areas were located adjacent to the Irish Free State which was formerly part of the United Kingdom. After the Irish War of Independence when the Irish Free State won independence in 1922 three deep water Treaty Ports at Lough Swilly, Berehaven The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located These ports are now located inside the Republic of Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. After the independence of the Irish Free State in 1922, three deep-water Treaty Ports, at Berehaven, Queenstown (modern Cobh) and Lough Swilly, were retained by the United Kingdom, a condition of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by Castletownbere (Baile Chaisleáin Bhéarra is a town in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Lough Swilly ( Loch Súilí in Irish) in Ireland is a Fjord -like body of water lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty The ports remained under the control of the UK until Anglo-Irish Free Trade Agreement in 1938, when they were returned to Irish sovereignty. The Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement was signed on 25 April 1938 by Ireland and the United Kingdom. Éire (ˈeːrʲə) is the Irish name for the island of Ireland and of the state of the same name.

Some in Britain (including Sir Winston Churchill) considered the handover a short-sighted decision, since the supply lines at the Battle of the Atlantic were stretched until the Allies established bases in Iceland following the British occupation in 1940. The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous Military campaign of World War II, (though some say it was a series of naval Military campaigns In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( However, the ports had been neglected by the Admiralty and would not have been ready for war without considerable expenditure of time and money. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ^[1]

References

See also

• British overseas territories
• Crown dependency
• Sovereign Base Areas Police
• Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU) RMP/RAF Police

External links

• Sovereign Base Areas Administration websites
• On British Anti-submarine Defence Plans in Ireland