Statistical information Syria 1993Syria

Map of Syria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Syria in the World

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Syria - Introduction 1993
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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. Talks with Israel over the return of the Golan Heights have recently been revived.


Syria - Geography 1993
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Location:
Middle East, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Turkey and
Lebanon


Geographic coordinates

Map referenceAfrica, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 185,180 km²
Land: 184,050 km²

Land boundaries:
total 2,253 km, Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km,
Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km


Coastline: 193 km
Contiguous zone: 41 nm
Territorial sea: 35 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast

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

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum
Land use

Land use
Arable land: 28%
Permanent crops: 3%
Forest and woodland: 3%
Other: 20%

Irrigated land: 6,700 km² (1989)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


Syria - People 1993
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Population: 14,338,527 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 3.76% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Syrian(s)
Adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Languages:
Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian,
French widely understood


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


Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.76% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 44.08 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 6.44 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Current issues note: there are 38 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 43.9 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 66.12 years
Male: 65.07 years
Female: 67.22 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.75 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 64%
Male: 78%
Female: 51%
By occupation: miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry and construction 32%; note - shortage of skilled labor (1984)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Syria - Government 1993
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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 leftwing military regime since March 1963

Capital: Damascus

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


Dependent areas

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

National holiday: National 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president, three vice presidents, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab)

Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of Cassation, State Security Courts

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO


Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Walid MOUALEM
In the us chancery: 2,215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 232-6,313
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS
From the us embassy: Abu Rumaneh, Al Mansur Street No. 2, Damascus
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
From the us telephone: 963 (11) 333,052 or 332,557, 330,416, 332,814, 332,315, 714,108, 337,178, 333,232
From the us fax: 963 (11) 718,687

Flag descriptionflag of Syria: 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 symbolic eagle centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


Syria - Economy 1993
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Economy overview: Syria's state-dominated Ba'thist economy has benefited from the oil production and improved agricultural performance. The Gulf war of early 1991 provided Syria an aid windfall of nearly $5 billion dollars from Arab, European, and Japanese donors. These inflows more than offset Damascus's war-related costs and will help Syria cover some of its debt arrears, restore suspended credit lines, and initiate selected military and civilian purchases. In 1992 the government spurred economic development by loosening controls on domestic and foreign investment while maintaining strict political controls. For the long run, Syria's economy is still saddled with a large number of poorly performing public sector firms and industrial and agricultural productivity is poor. A major long-term concern is the additional drain of upstream Euphrates water by Turkey when its vast dam and irrigation projects are completed by mid-decade.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 9% (1991 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $2,300 (1991 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 27% of GDP and one-third of labor force; all major crops (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas) grown mainly on rain-watered land causing wide swings in production; animal products - beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk; not self-sufficient in grain or livestock products

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

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 6% (1991 est.), accounts for 18% of GDP

Labor force
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1989)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $5.4 billion; expenditures $7.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.9 billion (1991 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum 45%, farm products 11%, textiles, phosphates 5% (1990)
Partners:
USSR and Eastern Europe 44%, EC 34%, Arab countries 17%,
US/Canada 1% (1990)


Imports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: foodstuffs and beverages 21%, machinery 15%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 7%, petroleum products (1990)
Partners: EC 42%, USSR and Eastern Europe 13%, other Europe 13%, US/Canada 11%, Arab countries 6% (1990)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (#S) per US$1 - 22.0 (promotional rate since 1991), 22.0 (official rate since 1991), 42.0 (official parallel rate since 1991), 11.2250 (fixed rate 1987-90)


Syria - Energy 1993
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Electricity
Production: 3,205,000 kW capacity; 11,900 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Syria - Communication 1993
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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Syria - Military 1993
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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Syria - Transportation 1993
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 104
Usable: 100
With permanentsurface runways: 24
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 21
With runways 1220-2439 m: 3

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 1,304 km, petroleum products 515 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 870 km; minimal economic importance

Merchant marine:
41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 117,247 GRT/183,607
DWT; includes 36 cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 3 bulk


Ports and terminals


Syria - Transnational issues 1993
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Disputes international:
separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line;
Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; periodic disputes with Iraq over Euphrates water rights; ongoing dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976


Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: a transit country for Lebanese and Turkish refined cocaine


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