Akrotiri [key], Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, or Western Sovereign Base Area, British air force base (2004 est. pop. 6,300), 47 sq mi (123 sq km), located on a peninsula on the SW Cyprus coast; an overseas territory of Great Britain. In addition to the military facilities, whose residents are exclusively military personnel and other British citizens, Akrotiri includes a salt lake and wetlands. Great Britain retains full sovereignty and jurisdiction over Akrotiri and Dhekelia under an arrangement that dates from the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960.
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