Spain vs. Akrotiri
Introduction
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Background | Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy, and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently, Spain has emerged from a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008, posting four straight years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen, but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the Eurozone's fourth largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region. | By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area. |
Geography
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Location | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France | Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus |
Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 4 00 W | 34 37 N, 32 58 E |
Map references | Europe | Middle East |
Area | total: 505,370 sq km land: 498,980 sq km water: 6,390 sq km note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera | total: 123 sq km note: includes a salt lake and wetlands |
Area - comparative | almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries | total: 1,952.7 km border countries (5): Andorra 63 km, France 646 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1224 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km and Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera | total: 48 km border countries (1): Cyprus 48 km |
Coastline | 4,964 km | 56.3 km |
Climate | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast | temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters |
Environment - current issues | pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification | hunting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base |
Geography - note | strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde | British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land |
Demographics
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Population | 47,260,584 (July 2021 est.) | approximately 18,195 on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 11,000 Cypriots and 7,195 Service and UK-based contract personnel and dependents (2020) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.4% (2020 est.) | NA |
Languages | Castilian Spanish (official nationwide) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking area of Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d'Aran) along with Catalan, <5,000 speakers); note - Aragonese, Aranese Asturian, Basque, Calo, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. | English, Greek major-language sample(s): ?? ?a???sµ?? ??ß??? ?ed?µ????, ? apa?a?t?t? p??? ßas???? p????f?????. (Greek) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. |
Government
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local long form: Reino de Espana local short form: Espana etymology: derivation of the name "Espana" is uncertain, but may come from the Phoenician term "span," related to the word "spy," meaning "to forge metals," so, "i-spn-ya" would mean "place where metals are forged"; the ancient Phoenicians long exploited the Iberian Peninsula for its mineral wealth | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Akrotiri etymology: named for the village that lies within the Western Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus |
Capital | name: Madrid geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0) etymology: the Romans named the original settlement "Matrice" after the river that ran through it; under Arab rule it became "Majerit," meaning "source of water"; in medieval Romance dialects (Mozarabic) it became "Matrit," which over time changed to "Madrid" | name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia) 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 |
Constitution | history: previous 1812; latest approved by the General Courts 31 October 1978, passed by referendum 6 December 1978, signed by the king 27 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 amendments: proposed by the government, by the General Courts (the Congress or the Senate), or by the self-governing communities submitted through the government; passage requires three-fifths majority vote by both houses and passage by referendum if requested by one tenth of the members of either house; proposals disapproved by both houses are submitted to a joint committee, which submits an agreed upon text for another vote; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in Congress and simple majority vote in the Senate; amended 1992, 2011 | 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) amendments: amended 1966 |
Legal system | civil law system with regional variations | 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 |
Executive branch | chief of state: King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014); Heir Apparent Princess LEONOR, Princess of Asturias (daughter of the monarch, born 31 October 2005) head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ Perez-Castejon (since 2 June 2018); Vice President (and Minister of the President's Office) Maria del Carmen CALVO Poyato (since 7 June 2018) cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes as president the leader of the party or coalition with the largest majority of seats, who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies; election last held on 10 November 2019 (next to be held November 2023); vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the president election results: percent of National Assembly vote - NA note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding | chief 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 branch | highest courts: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo (consists of the court president and organized into the Civil Room, with a president and 9 judges; the Penal Room, with a president and 14 judges; the Administrative Room, with a president and 32 judges; the Social Room, with a president and 12 judges; and the Military Room, with a president and 7 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional de Espana (consists of 12 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary Power, a 20-member governing board chaired by the monarch that includes presidential appointees, lawyers, and jurists confirmed by the National Assembly; judges can serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Assembly, executive branch, and the General Council of the Judiciary, and appointed by the monarch for 9-year terms subordinate courts: National High Court; High Courts of Justice (in each of the autonomous communities); provincial courts; courts of first instance | highest 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; Courts Martial |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Santiago CABANAS Ansorena (since 17 September 2018) chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100 FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670 email address and website: emb.washington@maec.es http://www.exteriores.gob.es/embajadas/washington/en/pages/inicio2.aspx consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Conrad TRIBBLE (since 20 January 2021) note - also accredited to Andorra embassy: Calle de Serrano, 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: 8500 Madrid Place, Washington DC 20521-8500 telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200 FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303 email address and website: askACS@state.gov https://es.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Barcelona | embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Flag description | three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe; the triband arrangement with the center stripe twice the width of the outer dates to the 18th century note: the red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre | the flag of the UK is used |
National anthem | name: "Himno Nacional Espanol" (National Anthem of Spain) lyrics/music: no lyrics/unknown note: officially in use between 1770 and 1931, restored in 1939; the Spanish anthem is the first anthem to be officially adopted, but it has no lyrics; in the years prior to 1931 it became known as "Marcha Real" (The Royal March); it first appeared in a 1761 military bugle call book and was replaced by "Himno de Riego" in the years between 1931 and 1939; the long version of the anthem is used for the king, while the short version is used for the prince, prime minister, and occasions such as sporting events | note: as a UK area of special sovereignty, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) |
Economy
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Economy - overview | After a prolonged recession that began in 2008 in the wake of the global financial crisis, Spain marked the fourth full year of positive economic growth in 2017, with economic activity surpassing its pre-crisis peak, largely because of increased private consumption. The financial crisis of 2008 broke 16 consecutive years of economic growth for Spain, leading to an economic contraction that lasted until late 2013. In that year, the government successfully shored up its struggling banking sector - heavily exposed to the collapse of Spain's real estate boom - with the help of an EU-funded restructuring and recapitalization program. Until 2014, contraction in bank lending, fiscal austerity, and high unemployment constrained domestic consumption and investment. The unemployment rate rose from a low of about 8% in 2007 to more than 26% in 2013, but labor reforms prompted a modest reduction to 16.4% in 2017. High unemployment strained Spain's public finances, as spending on social benefits increased while tax revenues fell. Spain's budget deficit peaked at 11.4% of GDP in 2010, but Spain gradually reduced the deficit to about 3.3% of GDP in 2017. Public debt has increased substantially - from 60.1% of GDP in 2010 to nearly 96.7% in 2017. Strong export growth helped bring Spain's current account into surplus in 2013 for the first time since 1986 and sustain Spain's economic growth. Increasing labor productivity and an internal devaluation resulting from moderating labor costs and lower inflation have improved Spain's export competitiveness and generated foreign investor interest in the economy, restoring FDI flows. In 2017, the Spanish Government's minority status constrained its ability to implement controversial labor, pension, health care, tax, and education reforms. The European Commission expects the government to meet its 2017 budget deficit target and anticipates that expected economic growth in 2018 will help the government meet its deficit target. Spain's borrowing costs are dramatically lower since their peak in mid-2012, and increased economic activity has generated a modest level of inflation, at 2% in 2017. | Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported. |
Exchange rates | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.82771 (2020 est.) 0.90338 (2019 est.) 0.87789 (2018 est.) 0.7525 (2014 est.) 0.7634 (2013 est.) | note: uses the euro |
Transportation
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Airports | total: 135 (2020) | total: 1 (2020) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 102 (2020) over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 23 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2017) |
Military
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Military - note | Spain joined NATO in 1982, but refrained from participating in the integrated military structure until 1996 | defense is the responsibility of the UK; Akrotiri (aka the Western Sovereign Base Area) has a full RAF base, headquarters for British Forces Cyprus, and the Episkopi Cantonment |
Telecommunications
Spain | Akrotiri | |
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Broadcast media | a mixture of both publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations; overall, hundreds of TV channels are available including national, regional, local, public, and international channels; satellite and cable TV systems available; multiple national radio networks, a large number of regional radio networks, and a larger number of local radio stations; overall, hundreds of radio stations (2019) | British Forces Broadcast Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite TV service as well as BFBS radio broadcasts to the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area |
Source: CIA Factbook