| Background: |
Following the
breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was
administered by the French until independence in 1946. In
the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to
Israel. Since 1976, Syrian troops have been stationed in
Lebanon, ostensibly in a peacekeeping capacity. In recent
years, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks
over the return of the Golan Heights. |
| Location: |
Middle East,
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
35 00 N, 38 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Middle East |
| Area: |
total:
185,180 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km
water: 1,130 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied
territory |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than North Dakota |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km,
Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 41 NM
territorial sea: 35 NM |
| Climate: |
mostly desert;
hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy
winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather
with snow or sleet periodically hitting Damascus |
| Terrain: |
primarily
semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains
in west |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum,
phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore,
rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
28%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 22% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
9,060 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
dust storms,
sandstorms |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution
from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum
refining; inadequate supplies of potable water |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental
Modification |
| Geography
- note: |
there are 42
Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.) |
| Population: |
16,728,808
note: in addition, there are about 38,200
people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200
Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000
Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576)
15-64 years: 56.87% (male 4,868,816; female
4,644,870)
65 years and over: 3.21% (male 261,036; female
275,450) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.54% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
30.64
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.21 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
33.8 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 68.77 years
male: 67.63 years
female: 69.98 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
3.95 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.01% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Arab 90.3%,
Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% |
| Religions: |
Sunni Muslim 74%,
Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian
(various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus,
Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) |
| Languages: |
Arabic
(official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely
understood; French, English somewhat understood |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.8%
male: 85.7%
female: 55.8% (1997 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form: Syria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as
Suriyah
local short form: Suriyah
former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt) |
| Government
type: |
republic under
military regime since March 1963 |
| Administrative
divisions: |
14 provinces (muhafazat,
singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al
Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr,
Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus |
| Independence: |
17 April 1946
(from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
17 April (1946) |
| Constitution: |
13 March 1973 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Islamic
law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July
2000); Vice Presidents Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since
11 March 1984) and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March
1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad
Mustafa MIRU (since 13 March 2000), Deputy Prime Ministers
Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Khalid RA'D
(since 13 March 2000), Muhammad NAJI 'UTRI (since 13 March
2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by popular vote
for a seven-year term; referendum/election last held 10 July
2000 - after the death of President Hafez al-ASAD, father of
Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held NA 2007); vice presidents
appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime
ministers appointed by the president
election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected
president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%
note: Hafiz al-ASAD died 10 June 2000; 20 June
2000 the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president
and presented his name to the People's Council 25 June 2000 |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
People's Council or Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 November-1 December
1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NPF 67%, non-NPF 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents
83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party
(part of the NPF alliance) receive one-half of the seats |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme
Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year
terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of
Cassation; State Security Courts |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
National
Progressive Front or NPF (includes the Ba'th Party, ASU,
Arab Socialist Party, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party,
ASP, SCP) [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Arab Socialist
Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary general of the party, and chairman of the National
Progressive Front after the death of Hafiz al-ASAD on 10
June 2000]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement or ASU [Sami
SOUFAN]; Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani KANNUT];
Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad al-ASAD]; Syrian
Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan KOUDSI]; Syrian
Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
conservative
religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in
Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective
political influence |
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Rustum al-ZU'BI
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313
FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No.
2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 333-2814
FAX: [963] (11) 224-7938 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal
horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, with two
small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered
in the white band; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a
plain white band, and of Iraq, which has three green stars
(plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered
in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which
has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band |
| Economy
- overview: |
Syria's
predominantly statist economy is on a shaky footing because
of Damascus's failure to implement extensive economic
reform. The dominant agricultural sector remains
underdeveloped, with roughly 80% of agricultural land still
dependent on rain-fed sources. Although Syria has sufficient
water supplies in the aggregate at normal levels of
precipitation, the great distance between major water
supplies and population centers poses serious distribution
problems. The water problem is exacerbated by rapid
population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water
pollution. Private investment is critical to the
modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export
sectors. Oil production is leveling off, and the efforts of
the nonoil sector to penetrate international markets have
fallen short. Syria's inadequate infrastructure, outmoded
technological base, and weak educational system make it
vulnerable to future shocks and hamper competition with
neighbors such as Jordan and Israel. The government
recognizes the need to open the economy to additional
domestic and foreign investment. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $50.9 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $3,100 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
29%
industry: 22%
services: 49% (1997) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
15%-25% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
4.7 million (1998
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 40%,
industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
20% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$2.25 billion
expenditures: $5.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
petroleum,
textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate
rock mining |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
17.94 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
57.64%
hydro: 42.36%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
16.684 billion
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley,
cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef,
mutton, eggs, poultry, milk |
| Exports: |
$4.8 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum 65%,
textiles 10%, manufactured goods 10%, fruits and vegetables
7%, raw cotton 5%, live sheep 2%, phosphates 1% (1998 est.) |
| Exports
- partners: |
Germany 21%,
Italy 12%, France 10%, Saudi Arabia 9%, Turkey 8% (1999
est.) |
| Imports: |
$3.5 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment 23%, foodstuffs/animals 20%, metal and metal
products 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10% (1998 est.) |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 11%, Italy
8%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, China 4% (1999 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$22 billion (2000
est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$199 million
(1997 est.) |
| Currency: |
Syrian pound (SYP) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Syrian pounds per
US dollar - 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
1.313 million
(1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: fair system currently undergoing
significant improvement and digital upgrades, including
fiber-optic technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio
relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean
region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave
radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey;
participant in Medarabtel |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 14, FM 2,
shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: |
4.15 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
44 (plus 17
repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
1.05 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.sy |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
20,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
2,750 km
standard gauge: 2,423 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 327 km 1.050-m gauge
note: rail link between Syria and Iraq replaced
in 2000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
41,451 km
paved: 9,575 km (including 877 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 31,876 km (1997) |
| Waterways: |
870 km (minimal
economic importance) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 1,304
km; petroleum products 515 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Baniyas, Jablah,
Latakia, Tartus |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 425,392 GRT/612,097
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 117, livestock
carrier 4, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports: |
100 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
24
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
76
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 63 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Syrian Arab Army,
Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air
Defense Forces, Police and Security Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
19 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 4,384,528 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 2,448,630 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
200,859 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$921 million
(FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may
understate actual spending |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
5.9% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Golan Heights is
Israeli occupied; dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over
Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern
Lebanon since October 1976 |
| Illicit
drugs: |
a transit point
for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western
markets |
|
