Background: Following World War I France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new 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. 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. 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 Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.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.

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N 38 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 185,180 km²
Rank: 88
Land: 183,630 km²
Water: 1550 km²
Note: includes 1295 km² of Israeli-occupied territory
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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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: 24.8%
Permanent crops: 4.47%
Other: 70.73% (2005)

Irrigated land: 13,330 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 46.1 km³ (1997)

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms

Geography
Note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)

Population: 20,178,485
Rank: 57
Note: in addition about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 2.129% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 50
Below poverty line: 11.9% (2006 est.)

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% other Muslim (includes Alawite Druze) 16% Christian (various denominations) 10% Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus Al Qamishli and Aleppo)

Age structure
0-14 years: 35.9%
15-64 years: 60.8% (male 6,285,866/female 5,980,029)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 318,646/female 358,992) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.7 years
Male: 21.6 years
Female: 21.9 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.129% (2009 est.)
Rank: 50

Birth rate: 25.9 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 65

Death rate: 4.61 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 198

Net migration rate: NA (2009 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 54% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 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 Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes 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(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 25.87 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 84
Male: 26.13 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 25.59 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.19 years
Rank: 131
Male: 69.8 years
Female: 72.68 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.12 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 67

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 160
People living with hivaids: fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 151
Deaths: fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Deaths rank: 117

Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (1999)
Rank: 109

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79.6%
Male: 86%
Female: 73.6% (2004 census)

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 an authoritarian military-dominated regime

Capital
Name: Damascus
Geographic coordinates: 33 30 N 36 18 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins 1 April; ends 30 September

Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (muhafazat singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia) Al Qunaytirah Ar Raqqah As Suwayda' Dar'a Dayr az Zawr Dimashq Halab Hamah Hims Idlib Rif Dimashq (Damascus) 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 a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; Islamic law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD ; Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees foreign policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) oversees cultural policy
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)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president approved by popular referendum for a second seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held on 27 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2014); the president appoints the vice presidents prime minister and deputy prime ministers
Election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.6%

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPF 172 independents 78

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)

Political parties and leaders
Legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar al-ASAD Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] Party [President Bashar al-ASAD]; 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 Nationalist Party [Ali QANSU]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL])
Opposition parties not legally recognized: Arab Democratic Socialist Union Party [Hasan Abdul AZIM]; Arab Socialist Movement; Democratic Ba'th Party [Ibrahim MAHKOS]; National Democratic Front [Hasan Abdul AZIM spokesman] (includes five parties - Arab Democratic Socialist Union Party [Hasan Abdul AZIM] Arab Socialist Movement Democratic Ba'th Party [Ibrahim MAHKOS] People's Democratic Party [Riad al TURK] Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafeez al HAFEZ]); People's Democratic Party; Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafeez al HAFEZ]
Kurdish parties: Azadi Party [Kheirudin MURAD]; Future Party [Masha'l TAMMO]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes four parties); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes three parties); Yekiti Party [Hasan SALEH Fu'ad ALEYKO]
Other parties: Nahda Party [Abdul Aziz al MISLET]; Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]

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 ITSO ITU LAS MIGA NAM OAPEC OIC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNRWA UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MOUSTAPHA
In the us chancery: 2,215 Wyoming Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-6,313
In the us fax: [1] (202) 265-4,585
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Maura CONNELLY
From the us embassy: Abou Roumaneh Al-Mansour Street No. 2 Damascus
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 29 Damascus
From the us telephone: [963] (11) 3,391-4,444
From the us fax: [963] (11) 3,391-3,999

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 an Arabic inscription 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 overview: The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 2.4% in real terms in 2008 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 led to higher budgetary and export receipts. Damascus has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years including cutting lending interest rates opening private banks consolidating all of the multiple exchange rates raising prices on some subsidized items most notably gasoline and cement and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange - which is set to begin operations in 2009. In October 2007 for example Damascus raised the price of subsidized gasoline by 20% then instituted a rationing system in 2008. In addition President ASAD signed legislative decrees to encourage corporate ownership reform and to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bills and bonds for government debt. Nevertheless the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production high unemployment and inflation rising budget deficits and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture rapid population growth industrial expansion and water pollution.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 66
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 85

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 146
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.5%
Industry: 26.9%
Services: 54.6% (2008 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 cement oil seeds crushing car assembly

Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (2008 est.)
Rank: 100

Labor force: 5.593 million (2008 est.)
Rank: 69
By occupation agriculture: 19.2%
By occupation industry: 14.5%
By occupation services: 66.3% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9% (2007 est.)
Rank: 116

Population below poverty line: 11.9% (2006 est.)

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

Budget
Revenues: $11.23 billion
Expenditures: $12.85 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt: 32% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 81

Inflation rate consumer prices: 12.2% (2007 est.)
Rank: 195

Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 101

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA% (31 December 2008)

Stock of domestic credit: $15.19 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 41

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $402 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 112

Exports: $11.75 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 79
Commodities: crude oil minerals petroleum products fruits and vegetables cotton fiber textiles clothing meat and live animals wheat
Partners: Iraq 30.9% Germany 9.8% Lebanon 9.7% Italy 6.4% France 5.5% Egypt 5.4% Saudi Arabia 5.1% (2008)

Imports: $12.27 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 78
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment electric power machinery food and livestock metal and metal products chemicals and chemical products plastics yarn paper
Partners: Saudi Arabia 11.7% China 8.7% Russia 6.4% Italy 5.9% Egypt 5.8% UAE 5.8% Turkey 4.3% Iran 4.2% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.507 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 76

Debt external: $6.633 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 96

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 46.5281 (2008 est.) 50.0085 (2007) 51.689 (2006) 50 (2005) 48.5 (2004)
Note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03 are the parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut; the official rate for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during 2004-06

Electricity
Production: 36.5 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 59
Consumption: 27.35 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 61
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 1.4 billion kWh (2007)

Natural gas
Production: 6.04 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 47
Consumption: 6.18 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 56
Exports: 0 m³
Exports rank: 109
Imports: 140 million m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 64
Proven reserves: 240.7 billion m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 42

Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.633 million (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 42
Mobile cellular: 7.056 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 71

Telephone system
General assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades including fiber-optic technology
Domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing with telephone subscribership reaching 40 per 100 persons in 2008;
International: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to Egypt Lebanon and Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq Jordan Lebanon and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel

Internet
Country code: .sy
Hosts: 7,879 (2009)
Hosts rank: 125
Users: 3.565 million (2008)
Users rank: 54

Military expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 12

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)

Airports: 104 (2009)
Rank: 58
With paved runways total: 29
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 16
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 75
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 15
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 59 (2009)

Heliports: 7 (2009)

Pipelines: gas 2,900 km; oil 2000 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 2,052 km
Rank: 72
Standard gauge: 1801 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 97,401 km
Rank: 43
Paved: 19,490 km (includes 1103 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)

Waterways: 900 km (not economically significant) (2008)
Rank: 69

Merchant marine
Total: 77
Rank: 58
By type: bulk carrier 5 cargo 65 carrier 4 container 1 petroleum tanker 1 roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: 7 (Jordan 2 Lebanon 3 Romania 2)
Registered in other countries: 196 (Barbados 1 Bolivia 2 Cambodia 48 Comoros 4 Cyprus 2 Dominica 2 Georgia 49 Hong Kong 1 North Korea 1 Lebanon 2 Libya 2 Malta 6 Moldova 1 Panama 32 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13 Sierra Leone 18 Slovakia 2 Togo 2 unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Latakia Tartus

Disputes international: Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1000-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 Shabaa 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 1-1.4 million (Iraq); 522,100 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
Idps: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)

Illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates hashish and cocaine bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering