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. In recent years Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N 38 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 185,180 km²
Note: includes 1,295 km² of Israeli-occupied territory
Water: 1,130 km²
Land: 184,050 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than North Dakota

Land boundaries
Total: 2,253 km
Border countries: (5) Iraq 605 km; , Israel 76 km; , Jordan 375 km; , Lebanon 375 km; , Turkey 822 km

Coastline: 193 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 41 NM
Territorial sea: 35 NM

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

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 25.96%
Permanent crops: 4.08%
Other: 69.96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,130 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms

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

Population
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 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 2.45% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 15%-25%

Nationality
Noun: Syrian
Adjective: Syrian

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

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.6% (male 3,494,473; female 3,290,699)
15-64 years: 58.2% (male 5,238,026; female 4,991,588)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 274,744; female 296,010) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.7 years
Male: 19.6 years
Female: 19.9 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 2.45% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 29.54 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 5.04 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 31.67 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 31.43 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 31.89 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.39 years
Male: 68.18 years
Female: 70.67 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 76.9%
Male: 89.7%
Female: 64% (2003 est.)

Country name
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

Government type: republic under 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

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

National holiday: Independence 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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 Hafez 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%

Legislative branch
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)

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

Political parties and leaders: 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]

International organization participation: AFESD AL AMF CAEU ESCWA 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 NAM OAPEC OIC UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNRWA UPU WCO WFTU WHO WMO WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (acting) Imad MUSTAFA
In the us chancery: 2,215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us fax: [1] (202) 234-9,548
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-6,313
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Theodore H. KATTOUF
From the us embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
From the us telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342
From the us fax: [963] (11) 331-9,678

Flag description: 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 heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Economy overview: 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. External factors such as the international war on terrorism the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the war between the US-led coalition and Iraq probably will drive real annual GDP growth levels back below their 3.5% spike in 2002. A long-run economic constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth industrial expansion and increased water pollution.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.6% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 27%
Industry: 23%
Services: 50% (2000 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat barley cotton lentils chickpeas olives sugar beets; beef mutton eggs poultry milk

Industries: petroleum textiles food processing beverages tobacco phosphate rock mining

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 5.2 million (2000 est.)
By occupation: agriculture industry services NA (2002)

Unemployment rate: 20% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: 15%-25%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $6 billion
Expenditures: $7 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (2002 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.9% (2002 est.)

Exports: $6.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: crude oil 70% petroleum products 7% fruits and vegetables 5% cotton fiber 4% clothing 3% meat and live animals 2% (2000 est.)
Partners: Germany 19.1% Italy 17.5% Turkey 7.8% France 7.5% Lebanon 5.2% (2002)

Imports: $4.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 21% food and livestock 18% metal and metal products 15% chemicals and chemical products 10% (2000 est.)
Partners: Italy 8.3% Germany 7.4% China 5.7% South Korea 4.8% France 4.6% US 4.4% Turkey 4.1% (2002)

Debt external: $22 billion (2002 est.)

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds per US dollar - (Official rate): 11.23 (2002) 11.23 (2001) 11.23 (2000) 11.23 (1999) 11.23 (1998) (Free market rate): 49.65 (2001) 49.4 (2000) 51.7 (1999) 52 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 23.26 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 57.6%
Production by source hydro: 42.4%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 21.63 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 5.84 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 5.84 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 240.7 billion m³ (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.313 million (1997)
Mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system
General assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
Domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
International: 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

Internet
Country code: .sy
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 60,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Percent of gdp: 5.9% (FY00)

Airports: 92 (2002)
With paved runways total: 24
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 16
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 68
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 55 (2002)

Heliports: 7 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 2,743 km
Standard gauge: 2,425 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 318 km 1.050-m gauge (2002)

Waterways: 870 km (minimal economic importance)

Merchant marine
Total: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 450,135 GRT/645,296 DWT
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 1, Greece 2, Italy 1, Lebanon 10 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: bulk 13, cargo 109, container 2, livestock carrier 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1

Disputes international: 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; Turkey is quick to rebuff any perceived Syrian claim to Hatay province

Illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets