1981 Edition

Area

41,440 km2; 10% arable, 43% meadows and pastures, 20% waste or urban, 24% forested, 3% inland water

186,480 km2 (including 1,295 km2 of Israeli-occupied territory); 48% arable, 29% grazing, 2% forest, 21% desert

Coastline

193 km

Land boundaries

1,884 km

2,196 km (1967) (excluding occupied area 2,156 km)

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

35 nm

Ethnic divisions

total population — 69% German, 19% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other; Swiss nationals— 74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other

90.3% Arab; 9.7% Kurds, Armenians, and other

Labor force

2.6 million, about one-tenth foreign workers, mostly Italian; 16% agriculture and forestry, 47% industry and crafts, 20% trade and transportation, 5% professions, 2% in public service, 10% domestic and other; approximately 0.2% unemployed in September 1980

2.2 million; 32% agriculture, 29% industry (including construction), 39% miscellaneous services; majority unskilled; shortage of skilled labor

Language

Swiss nationals — 74% German, 20% French, 4% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other; total population — 69% German, 19% French, 10% Italian, 1% Romansch, 1% other

Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian; French and English widely understood

Literacy

98%

about 40%

Nationality

noun — Swiss (sing. & pi.); adjective — Swiss

noun — Syrian(s); adjective — Syrian

Organized labor

20% of labor force

5% of labor force

Population

6,407,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate -0.3%

9,423,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.4%

Religion

53% Protestant, 46% Roman Catholic

74% Sunni Muslim, 16% Alawites, Druze, and other Muslim sects, 10% Christians of various sects

Branches

bicameral parliament has legislative authority; federal council (Bundesrat) has executive authority; justice left chiefly to cantons

executive powers vested in President and Council of Ministers; legislative power rests in the People's Assembly; seat of power is the Ba'th Party Regional (Syrian) Command

Capital

Bern

Damascus

Communists

about 5,000 members

mostly sympathizers, numbering about 5,000

Elections

held every four years; next elections 1983 Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut Hubacher, president; Radical Democratic Party (FDP), Yann Richter, president; Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Hans Wyer, president; Swiss People's Party (SVP), Fritz Hofmann, chairman; Communist Party (PdA), Armand Magnin, chairman; National Action Party (N.A.), Hans Zwicky, chairman Voting strength (1979 election): 25.5% FDP, 25.5% SPS, 22.0% CVP, 11.5% SVP, 4.0% LdU, 4.0% LPS, 1.5% PdA, 1.5% EVP, 4.5% others

People's Assembly election November 1981; presidential election February 1978 Political parties and leaders: ruling party is the Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Ba'th) Party; the "national front" cabinet is dominated by Ba'thists but includes independents and members of the Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP), Arab Socialist Union (ASU), Socialist Unionist Movement, and Syrian Communist Party (SCP)

Government leader

Fritz HONEGGER, President (1982, rotates annually)

President Hafiz al-ASSAD

Legal system

civil law system influenced by customary law; constitution adopted 1874, amended since; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; legal education at Universities of Bern, Geneva, and Lausanne, and four other university schools of law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; constitution promulgated in 1973; legal education at Damascus University and University of Aleppo; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction SYRIA (Continued)

Member ftf

ADB, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ELDO (observer), ESRO, FAO, GATT, IAEA, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMCO, IPU, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, OECD, UN (permanent observer), UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Member of

Arab League, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, IPU, ISCON, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO

National holiday

1 August

Independence Day, 17 April

Official name

Swiss Confederation

Syrian Arab Republic

Other parties

Landesring (LdU); Republican Movement (Rep); Liberal Party (LPS); Evangelical People's Party (EVP); Maoist Party (POSH/PSA)

Other political or pressure groups

non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence; Communist Party ineffective; greatest threat to Assad regime lies in factionalism in the military; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood

Political subdivisions

23 cantons (3 divided into half cantons)

13 provinces and city of Damascus administered as separate unit

Suffrage

universal over age 20

universal at age 18

Type

federal republic

republic; under leftwing military regime since March 1963

Agriculture

dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient; food shortages — fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter), grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat; caloric intake, 3,190 calories per day per capita (1969-70)

main crops — cotton, wheat, barley and tobacco; sheep and goat raising; self-sufficient in most foods in years of good weather

Aid

donor: bilateral economic aid committed (ODA and OOF), $860 million (1970-79)

Budget

receipts $8.33 billion, expenditures $8.87 billion, deficit $0.54 billion (1980)

1981 — revenues $3.5 billion (excluding Arab aid payments), expenditures $7.8 billion

Electric power

15,000,000 kW capacity (1980); 48.162 billion kWh produced (1980), 7,610 kWh per capita SYRIA SWITZERLAND (Continued)

1,971,500 kW capacity (1980); 3.638 billion kWh produced (1980), 406 kWh per capita

Exports

$29.27 billion (f.o.b., 1980); principal itemsmachinery and equipment, chemicals, precision instruments, metal products, textiles, foodstuffs

$2.11 billion (f.o.b., 1980); petroleum, textiles and textile products, tobacco, fruits and vegetables, cotton

Fiscal year

calendar year

calendar year

GDP

$12.9 billion (1980), $960 per capita; real GDP growth rate 9.7% (1980)

GNP

$90.31 billion (1980), $14,270 per capita; 61% consumption, 26% investment, 13% government, —0.9% net foreign balance; real growth rate 0.4% (1980)

Imports

$35.174 billion (c.i.f., 1980); principal itemsmachinery and transportation equipment, metals and metal products, foodstuffs, chemicals, textile fibers and yarns

$4.01 billion (f.o.b., 1980); machinery and metal products, textiles, fuels, foodstuffs

Major industries

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments

textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco; petroleum— 166,000 b/d production (1980), 220,000 b/d refining capacity

Major trade partners

60% EC, 23% other developed, 4% Communist, 12% LDCs

exports — Italy, Romania, US, USSR; imports — Iraq, West Germany, Italy, France

Monetary conversion rate

US$1. 00= 1.96 Swiss francs (1981 average)

3.925 Syrian pounds=US$l (official rate; a parallel market was established in April 1981 with the rate determined by the government guided by supply and demand)

Shortages

practically all important raw materials except hydroelectric energy

Airfields

80 total, 71 usable; 41 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,660 m, 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 14 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

53 total, 49 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 rh

Civil air

83 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased out

14 major transport aircraft

High'ways

62,145 km total (all paved), of which 18,620 km aie canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn)

Highways

16,939 km total; 12,051 km paved, 2,625 km gravel or crushed stone, 2,263 km improved earth

Inland waterways

65 km; Rhine River-Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Constanz; in addition, there are 12 navigable lakes ranging in size from Lake Geneva to Hallwilersee

672 km; of little importance

Major ground units

no active combat units

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1982, $2,018 million; 20.1% of proposed central government budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $2,389 million; 31% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,656,000; 1,435,000 fit for military service; 50,000 reach military age (20) annually

males 15-49, 2,040,000; 1,145,000 fit for military service; about 102,000 reach military age (19) annually

Pipelines

314 km crude oil; 1,046 km natural gas

1,304 km crude oil; 515 km refined products

Ports

1 major (Basel), 2 minor (all inland)

3 major (Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas), 2 minor

Railroads

5,098 km total; 2,895 km government owned (SBB), 2,822 km standard gauge (1.435 m); 73 km narrow gauge (1.00 m); 1,339 km double track, 99% electrified; 2,203 km nongovernment owned, 710 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,418 km meter-gauge (1.00 m), 75 km 0.790meter gauge, 100% electrified

1,543 km total; 1,281 km standard gauge, 262 km narrow gauge (1.050 m)

Telecommunications

excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 4.45 million telephones (70.0 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 200 FM, and 1,125 TV stations; 1 satellite station with 2 Atlantic Ocean antennas DEFENSE FORCES

good international and fair domestic service; 193,000 telephones (2.3 per 100 popl.); 9 AM, no FM, and 21 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean satellite station DEFENSE FORCES