2007 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% (male 3,592,915/female 3,384,722) 15-64 years: 59.7% (male 5,779,257/female 5,500,887) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 296,070/female 327,510) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

92 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3

total

26

under 914 m

2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m

54 (2006)

Area

land

184,050 sq km

note

includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

total

185,180 sq km

water

1,130 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than North Dakota

Background

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic, but in September 1961 the two entities separated and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel, and during the 1990s Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah. Geography Syria

Birth rate

27.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$9.42 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.82 billion (2006 est.)

revenues

$8.471 billion

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September

geographic coordinates

33 30 N, 36 18 E

name

Damascus

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

$-1.065 billion (2005 est.)

Death rate

4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$8.355 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia (2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael CORBIN

embassy

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

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

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; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shaba'a farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan; approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan

Economic aid - recipient

$180 million (2002 est.)

Economy - overview

The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 2.9% in real terms in 2006, led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and exports and led to higher budgetary and export receipts. Total foreign assets of the Central Bank and domestic banking system rose to about $20 billion in 2006, and the government strengthened the private sector foreign exchange rate by about 7 percent from the start of the year. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the past 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, weak investment, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.

Electricity - consumption

27.57 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Electricity - exports

0.2 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

29.64 billion kWh (2004 est.)

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%

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees foreign policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) oversees cultural policy

election results

Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%

elections

president approved by popular referendum for a seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held 10 July 2000 after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD (next to be held July 2007); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister and deputy prime ministers

head of government

Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005)

note

Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June; he was approved by a popular referendum on 10 July

Exports

$6.923 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Iraq 26.3%, Italy 9.9%, Germany 9.9%, Lebanon 9.1%, Egypt 5.1%, France 4.9%, Saudi Arabia 4.6% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 234-9548

[963] (11) 224-7938

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

25.5%

industry

22.1%

services

52.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$4,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.9% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$27.23 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$75.1 billion (2006 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 (August 2005 est.) People Syria

Government type

republic under an authoritarian, military-dominated regime

Heliports

7 (2006)

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

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

IDPs

305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2006)

Illicit drugs

a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$6.634 billion f.o.b. (2006 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

Saudi Arabia 11.6%, China 6.1%, Egypt 5.9%, Italy 5.8%, UAE 5.7%, Ukraine 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, Iran 4.2% (2005)

Independence

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

Industrial production growth rate

1.5% (2005)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

28.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

28.85 deaths/1,000 live births

total

28.61 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (2006 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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Internet country code

.sy

Internet hosts

66 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

1.1 million (2005) Transportation Syria

Investment (gross fixed)

22.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

13,330 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the President); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the President); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts - Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes); Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce)

Labor force

5.505 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

26%

industry

14%

services

60% (2003 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

24.8%

other

70.73% (2005)

permanent crops

4.47%

Languages

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

Legal system

based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; religious law is used in the family court system; 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 reserves half the seats for workers and peasants and declares the Ba'th Party the leading party of the state and it holds 135 seats

elections

last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)

Life expectancy at birth

female

71.7 years (2006 est.)

male

69.01 years

total population

70.32 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

females age 18-49

4,123,339 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

4,356,413

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

3,421,558 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

3,453,888

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

211,829 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

225,113

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

20.9 years (2006 est.)

male

20.6 years

total

20.7 years

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned

11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1)

registered in other countries

130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1, Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2006)

total

108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT

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 (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Nationality

adjective

Syrian

noun

Syrian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

7.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

7.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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 (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

265,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

285,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

420,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

2.5 billion bbl (2006 est.)

Pipelines

gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

note - legal parties include

National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH, deputy] (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary; Muhammad BAKHITAN, assistant secretary general]; Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general; Muhammad BAKHITAN, assistant secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]); illegal parties include: Kurdish Azadi Party [Khayr al-Din MURAD]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes four parties) [Abd al-Hamid DARWISH, secretary general]; Kurdish Democratic Front (includes three parties but no designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD [Ali MUHAMMAD]; Kurdish Future Movement; Kurdish Yekiti Party [Hasan SALEH]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZEM];

Political pressure groups and leaders

Damascus Declaration [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a broad

alliance of opposition groups including

Committee for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance; Kurdish Democratic Front; National Democratic Front; Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; (operates in exile in London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration but is not an official member)

Population

18,881,361

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 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

11% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate

2.3% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Baniyas, Latakia Military Syria

Public debt

38% of GDP (2006 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 (2005)

standard gauge

2,460 km 1.435-m gauge

total

2,711 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

600,000 (Iraq), 434,896 (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

$5.5 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

19,073 km

total

94,890 km

unpaved

75,817 km (2004)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Syrian Armed Forces

Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005)

Syrian pounds per US dollar - (public sector rate)

50 (2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), (parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut): NA (2005), NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2001), (official

rate for repaying loans)

11.25 (2004-06)

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

2.903 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3,128,470 (2005)

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

3.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Syria is a destination country for women from South and Southeast Asia and Africa for domestic servitude and from Eastern Europe and Iraq for sexual exploitation; women are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of exploitation and involuntary servitude including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and children are reportedly forced into sexual exploitation

tier rating

Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so

Unemployment rate

8% (2005 est.)

Waterways

900 km (not economically significant) (2005)