CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Syria


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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. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory water: 1,130 sq km land: 184,050 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 41 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 4.43% other: 70.35% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification !| Geography - note:
 * Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
 * 35 00 N, 38 00 E
 * Middle East
 * total: 185,180 sq km
 * slightly larger than North Dakota
 * total: 2,253 km
 * 193 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * 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
 * primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
 * lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
 * petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
 * arable land: 25.22%
 * 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)
 * dust storms, sandstorms
 * deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
 * there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.)
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!| 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 (July 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 5,421,133; female 5,163,669) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 281,795; female 306,548) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 19.9 years female: 20.2 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 30.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 30.82 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 68.47 years female: 71.02 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Syrian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.)
 * 18,016,874
 * 0-14 years: 38% (male 3,524,406; female 3,319,323)
 * total: 20 years
 * 2.4% (2004 est.)
 * 28.93 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
 * total: 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 69.71 years
 * 3.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
 * less than 500 (2003 est.)
 * less than 200 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Syrian(s)
 * Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
 * Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
 * Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: 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: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003) 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 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 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: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342 FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic
 * republic under military regime since March 1963
 * Damascus
 * 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
 * 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
 * Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
 * 13 March 1973
 * based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * 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)
 * unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
 * Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
 * 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 Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]); Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]
 * conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [lader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]
 * 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
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 29.4% services: 42.1% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $7.397 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Syria's predominantly statist economy lately has been growing more slowly than its 2.4% annual population growth rate. Recent legislation allows private banks to operate in Syria, although a private banking sector will take years and further government cooperation to develop. Factors, including the war between the US-led coalition and Iraq, probably drove real annual GDP growth levels back below 1% in 2003 following growth of 3.5% in 2001 and 4.5% in 2002. A long-run economic constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution.
 * purchasing power parity - $58.01 billion (2003 est.)
 * 0.9% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $3,300 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 28.5%
 * 13.6% of GDP (2003)
 * 20% (2003 est.)
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 1.5% (2003 est.)
 * 4.97 million (2003 est.)
 * agriculture, industry, services NA
 * 20% (2002 est.)
 * revenues: $6.106 billion
 * 89% of GDP (2003)
 * wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
 * petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
 * NA
 * 23.26 billion kWh (2001)
 * 21.63 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 522,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 265,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 2.4 billion bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-72 million (2003)
 * $5.143 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
 * Germany 20.9%, Italy 12.6%, UAE 7.6%, Lebanon 6.2%, Turkey 6%, France 5.4%, Croatia 4.8%, US 4.1% (2003)
 * $4.845 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
 * Germany 7.2%, Italy 7.1%, China 6.3%, France 5.9%, Turkey 5.4% (2003)
 * $3.329 billion (2003)
 * $21.55 billion (2003 est.)
 * $199 million (1997 est.)
 * Syrian pound (SYP)
 * SYP
 * Syrian pounds per US dollar - (Official rate): 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), 11.225 (1999), (Free market rate): 49.65 (2001), 49.4 (2000), 51.7 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network 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 !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 2,099,300 (2002)
 * 400,000 (2002)
 * general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
 * AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
 * 4.15 million (1997)
 * 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
 * 1.05 million (1997)
 * .sy
 * 11 (2004)
 * 1 (2000)
 * 220,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 10,021 km (including 877 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,360 km (1999) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: foreign-owned: Egypt 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, Lebanon 10, Romania 1 registered in other countries: 83 (2004 est.) by type: bulk 12, cargo 101, container 2, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 3 !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.) !| Heliports:
 * total: 2,711 km
 * total: 43,381 km
 * 900 km (not economically significant) (2002)
 * gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)
 * Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
 * total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT
 * 93 (2003 est.)
 * total: 26
 * total: 66
 * 7 (2003 est.)
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (including Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force
 * 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)
 * males age 15-49: 4,876,040 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 2,716,054 (2004 est.)
 * males: 216,077 (2004 est.)
 * $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
 * 5.9% (FY00)
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