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Background:
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 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. |
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Location:
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Middle East,
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey |
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Map references:
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Middle
East |
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Area:
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total:
185,180 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied
territory
water: 1,130 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger
than North Dakota |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375
km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km |
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Coastline:
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193 km |
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Climate:
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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 in Damascus |
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Terrain:
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primarily
semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains
in west |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock
salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land:
25.96%
permanent crops: 4.08%
other: 69.96% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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12,130 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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dust storms,
sandstorms |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution
from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate
potable water |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
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Geography - note:
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there are 42
Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) |
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Population:
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18,016,874 (July
2002 est.)
note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze
and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers
(February 2003 est.) (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
38% (male 3,524,406; female 3,319,323)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 5,421,133; female 5,163,669)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 281,795; female 306,548)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 20
years
male: 19.9 years
female: 20.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.4% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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28.93
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.96 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
30.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 30.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 30.82 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 69.71 years
male: 68.47 years
female: 71.02 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.01% (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab 90.3%,
Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim
74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian
(various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al
Qamishli, and Aleppo) |
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Languages:
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Arabic
(official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely
understood; French, English somewhat understood |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9%
male: 89.7%
female: 64% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form: Syria
local short form: Suriyah
former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah |
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Government type:
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republic under
military regime since March 1963 |
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Capital:
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Damascus |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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17 April 1946
(from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
17 April (1946) |
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Constitution:
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13 March 1973 |
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Legal system:
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based on Islamic
law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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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 Naji al-UTRI
(since 10 September 2003), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen.
Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Farouk al-SHARA (since 13
December 2001), Dr. Muhammad al-HUSAYN (since 13 December
2001)
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 Hafiz 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
note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June
2000, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president
and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June 2000
election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president;
percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
People's Council or Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%,
independents 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83;
note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part
of the NPF alliance) receives one-half of the seats
elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA
2007) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year
terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of
Cassation; State Security Courts |
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Political parties and leaders:
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National
Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance
(Ba'th) Party (governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary general], Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad
al ASAD], Syrian Communist Party [leader NA], Unionist
Socialist Party [leader NA], Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani
QANNUT], and Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Sami SUFAN])
[President Bashar al-ASAD, chairman]; Syrian Arab Socialist
Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf
FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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conservative
religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in
Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective
political influence |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2,
Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342
FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678 |
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Economy - overview:
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Syria's
predominantly statist economy has been growing, on average,
more slowly than its 2.4% annual population growth rate,
causing a persistent decline in per capita GDP. Recent
legislation allows private banks to operate in Syria, although
a private banking sector will take years and further
government cooperation to develop. Factors including the war
between the US-led coalition and Iraq probably drove real
annual GDP growth levels back below 1% in 2003 following
growth of 3.5% in 2001 and 4.5% in 2002. A long-run economic
constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid
population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water
pollution. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $58.01 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.9% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $3,300 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
25.9%
industry: 27%
services: 47.1% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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20% (2003 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.5% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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5.2 million (2000
est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture,
industry, services NA |
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Unemployment rate:
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20% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$4.3 billion
expenditures: $8.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $3.6 billion (2004 est.) |
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Industries:
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petroleum,
textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock
mining |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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23.26 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
57.6%
hydro: 42.4%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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21.63 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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522,700 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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265,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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5.84 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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5.84 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, barley,
cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton,
eggs, poultry, milk |
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Exports:
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$5.143 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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crude oil,
petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber,
clothing, meat and live animals, wheat |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany 17.5%,
Italy 15.9%, Turkey 7.1%, France 6.8%, UAE 6.6%, Lebanon 4.8%
(2002) |
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Imports:
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$4.845 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and
transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and
livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical
products, plastics, yarn, paper |
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Imports - partners:
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Italy 8.1%,
Germany 7.4%, China 5.6%, South Korea 4.6%, France 4.4%, US
4.3%, Turkey 4% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$21.5 billion
(2003 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$199 million
(1997 est.) |
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Currency:
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Syrian pound (SYP) |
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Currency code:
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SYP |
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Exchange rates:
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Syrian pounds per
US dollar - (Official rate): 11.23 (2003), 11.23 (2002), 11.23
(2001), 11.23 (2000), 11.23 (1999), (Free market rate): 49.65
(2001), 49.4 (2000), 51.7 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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2,099,300 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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400,000 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic
technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
network
international: country code - 963; 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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 14, FM 2,
shortwave 1 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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44 (plus 17
repeaters) (1995) |
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Internet country code:
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.sy |
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Internet hosts:
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11 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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220,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
2,743 km
standard gauge: 2,425 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 318 km 1.050-m gauge (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
43,381 km
paved: 10,021 km (including 877 km of expressways)
unpaved: 33,360 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
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870 km (minimal
economic importance) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 2,300 km; oil
2,183 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Baniyas, Jablah,
Latakia, Tartus |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 122
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT
foreign-owned: Egypt 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 1,
Lebanon 10, Romania 1
registered in other countries: 83 (2003 est.)
by type: bulk 12, cargo 101, container 2, livestock
carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll
on/roll off 1 |
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Airports:
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93 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 26
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 16
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 3 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 67
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 55 (2003 est.) |
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Heliports:
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7 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Syrian Arab Army,
Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (including Air Defense
Command), Police and Security Force |
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Military manpower - military age:
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19 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 4,876,040 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 2,716,054 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
216,077 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$858 million
(FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may
understate actual spending |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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5.9% (FY00) |
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Disputes - international:
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Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan
Heights; Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon since
October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects
regulating upper Euphrates waters |
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Illicit drugs:
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a transit point
for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western
markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls, bank
privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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