Dhekelia [key], Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, or Eastern Sovereign Base Area, British military base (2004 est. pop. 7,200), c.51 sq mi (131 sq km), SE Cyprus, on Larnaca Bay; an overseas territory of Great Britain. Dhekelia, which consists of two separate areas connected by a roadway, is located between Larnaca and Famagusta; the larger portion surrounds three small Cypriot enclaves. The base serves as a staging area for United Nations troops stationed in the Cyprus buffer zone. The residents are all military personnel or other British citizens. Dhekelia and Akrotiri remained under British sovereignty under the terms of the 1960 treaty that granted Cyprus independence.
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