Strategic Islands

[davidbfpo]

Cyprus is a strategic island in the Eastern Mediterranean, first of all it is a divided island, with the Republic of Cyprus (a Commonwealth and an EU member) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17217956

With two British territories - really military & intelligence bases - since 1960, known as the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a polite term for being British territory, which cover one hundred square miles (the island has 3,572 sq miles or 3% of the land area) and sometimes a source of tension with Cyprus:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrotiri_and_Dhekelia

The USA has been known to use the SBA facilities, in the past for aircraft overflying the Middle East, such as the U2.

With one of the UN's longest serving missions, UNFICYP, since 1964, manning a buffer zone (3% of he land area) between the two republics and with main contributions from:Argentina, Slovakia and the UK (plus nine others):http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm...raphic&lang=l1

UNFICYP has been commanded since January 2011 by a Chinese PLA General:http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm...raphic&lang=l1

Greece has a small presence (a battallion) and two hundred advisers with the Greek-Cypriot National Guard; whilst Turkey has based forty-three thousand soldiers in the north (since 1974).

The island has long been regarded as a "place of interest" to Middle Eastern nations, notably for intelligence and trade. More recently Russia has extensive commercial interests and yesterday following a ministerial statement on exiting its Syrian facility, The Guardian reported:

Neighbouring Cyprus has, however, made its ports available to the Russian fleet. Cypriot media have reported that the government may allow Russia to use its base at Paphos to host military aircraft.

Link:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...ersonnel-syria

Anyone aware of a similar island with such a variety of "presences"? I exclude the UN in New York!