2005 Edition

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 37.4% (male 3,556,795/female 3,350,267) 15-64 years: 59.3% (male 5,601,971/female 5,333,799) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 288,868/female 317,052) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Airports

92 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

26 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.)

Area

land

184,050 sq km

total

185,180 sq km

water

1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Area - comparative

slightly larger than North Dakota

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. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights. Geography Syria

Birth rate

28.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$9.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.67 billion (2004 est.)

revenues

$6.58 billion

Capital

Damascus

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 in Damascus

Coastline

193 km

Constitution

13 March 1973

Country name

conventional long form

Syrian Arab Republic

conventional short form

Syria

former

United Arab Republic (with Egypt)

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah

local short form

Suriyah

Currency (code)

Syrian pound (SYP)

Currency code

SYP

Current account balance

$1.1 billion (2003)

Death rate

4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$4 billion (excludes military debt and debt to Russia) (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY

embassy

Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus

FAX

[963] (11) 331-9678

mailing address

P. O. Box 29, Damascus

telephone

[963] (11) 333-1342

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA

FAX

[1] (202) 234-9548

telephone

[1] (202) 232-6313

Disputes - international

Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan

Economic aid - recipient

$180 million (2002 est.)

Economy - overview

Real GDP growth rose to 2.3 percent in 2004, a slight increase from 2003 when the predominantly statist economy suffered from disruptions caused by the war in Iraq and other developments in the region. Annual real GDP growth has averaged 2.3 percent for the last seven years. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports and pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution.

Electricity - consumption

24.32 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

26.15 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

57.6%

hydro

42.4%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Hermon 2,814 m

lowest point

unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Syrian pounds per US dollar - (official rate)

11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), (parallel market rate in Amman and Beirut) NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2002), 49.4 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

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)

election results

Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% 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

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 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003)

Exports

$6.086 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat

Exports - partners

Italy 22.7%, France 18%, Turkey 12.9%, Iraq 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Syria

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980 Economy Syria

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

25%

industry

31%

services

44% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.3% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$60.44 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

35 00 N, 38 00 E

Geography - note

there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) People Syria

Government type

republic under military regime since March 1963

Heliports

7 (2004 est.) Military Syria

Highways

paved

6,489 km (including 1,001 km of expressways)

total

45,697 km

unpaved

39,208 km (2002)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

less than 500 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Illicit drugs

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 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$5.042 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper

Imports - partners

Turkey 9.4%, Ukraine 8.7%, China 7.8%, Russia 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, US 4.7%, South Korea 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2004)

Independence

17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

Industrial production growth rate

7% (2002 est.)

Industries

petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining

Infant mortality rate

female

29.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

29.76 deaths/1,000 live births

total

29.53 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.1% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Internet country code

.sy

Internet hosts

11 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

220,000 (2002) Transportation Syria

Investment (gross fixed)

16.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

12,130 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts

Labor force

5.12 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 30%, industry 27%, services 43% (2002 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km

total

2,253 km

Land use

arable land

25.22%

other

70.35% (2001)

permanent crops

4.43%

Languages

Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Legal system

based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

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)

Life expectancy at birth

female

71.38 years (2005 est.)

male

68.75 years

total population

70.03 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

64% (2003 est.) Government Syria

male

89.7%

total population

76.9%

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 4,356,413 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 3,453,888 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

225,113 (2005 est.)

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

41 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

20.51 years (2005 est.)

male

20.24 years

total

20.37 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 8, cargo 105, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned

12 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Jordan 2, Lebanon 7, Romania 1)

registered in other countries

73 (2005)

total

120 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT

Military branches

Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

5.9% (FY00) Transnational Issues Syria

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Nationality

adjective

Syrian

noun

Syrian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

240.7 billion cu m (2004)

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms

Natural resources

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

240,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

285,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

525,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

2.5 billion bbl (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [leader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]

Population

18,448,752 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 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

20% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate

2.34% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Baniyas, Latakia

Public debt

32% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

4.15 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

251 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)

standard gauge

2,460 km 1.435-m gauge

total

2,711 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004)

refugees (country of origin)

413,827 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))

Religions

Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$5 billion (2004 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: 0.91 male(s)/female

total population

1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network

general assessment

fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology

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

Telephones - main lines in use

2,099,300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

400,000 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

1.05 million (1997)

Terrain

primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west

Total fertility rate

3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

20% (2002 est.)

Waterways

900 km (not economically significant) (2002)