Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( SBA; ; ), is a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus. The areas, which include British military bases and installations, as well as other land, were retained by the British under the 1960 treaty of independence, signed by the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey and representatives from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, which granted independence to the Crown colony of Cyprus. The territory serves an important role as a station for signals intelligence and provides a vital strategic part of the United Kingdom communications gathering and monitoring network in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The territory is composed of two Base Areas. One is Akrotiri, or the "Western Sovereign Base Area" ("WSBA"), which includes two main bases at RAF Akrotiri and Episkopi, plus all of Akrotiri Village's district (including Limassol Salt Lake) and parts of eleven other village districts. The other area is Dhekelia Cantonment, or the "Eastern Sovereign Base Area" ("ESBA"), which includes a base at Ayios Nikolaos plus parts of twelve village districts.

The Sovereign Base Areas were created in 1960 by the London and Zurich Agreements, when Cyprus achieved independence from the British Empire. The United Kingdom desired to retain sovereignty over these areas, as this guaranteed the use of UK military bases on Cyprus, including RAF Akrotiri, and a garrison of the British Army. The importance of the bases to the British is based on the strategic location of the island, at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean, close to the Suez Canal and the Middle East; the ability to use the RAF base as staging post for military aircraft; and for training.

Answer this series of questions:

1. How many base areas comprise Akrotiri and Dhekelia?
2. What is in the Western one?
3. what is the Eastern Base?
4. When were they created?
5. Why did the UK want to maintain control of these areas?
6. What are included in the base areas?
7. what agreements set the bases aside for the British?
8. were any other agreements involved?
9. which ones?
10. why did the British want to keep military bases in the area

Numbered answers:
1. two
2. Western Sovereign Base Area ("WSBA")
3. Dhekelia Cantonment
4. in 1960
5. its a vital strategic part of their communications gathering and monitoring network
6. British military bases and installations
7. the 1960 treaty of independence
8. yes
9. the London and Zurich Agreements
10. it guaranteed the use of UK military bases on Cyprus