Syria

Internet country code

.sy

Internet hosts

11 (2004)

Internet users

220,000 (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

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: 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

2,099,300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

400,000 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $6.106 billion expenditures: $7.397 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (2003 est.)

Currency

Syrian pound (SYP)

Currency code

SYP

Current account balance

$-72 million (2003)

Debt - external

$21.55 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$199 million (1997 est.)

Economy - overview

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.

Electricity - consumption

21.63 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

23.26 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

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)

Exports

$5.143 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Germany 20.9%, Italy 12.6%, UAE 7.6%, Lebanon 6.2%, Turkey 6%, France 5.4%, Croatia 4.8%, US 4.1% (2003)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $58.01 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 28.5% industry: 29.4% services: 42.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.9% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$4.845 billion f.o.b. (2003 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

Germany 7.2%, Italy 7.1%, China 6.3%, France 5.9%, Turkey 5.4% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

NA

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.5% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

13.6% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

4.97 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture, industry, services NA

Natural gas - consumption

5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

265,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

522,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

2.4 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

20% (2003 est.)

Public debt

89% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$3.329 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

20% (2002 est.)

Area

total: 185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Area - comparative

slightly larger than North Dakota

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

Elevation extremes

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

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 (February 2002 est.)

Irrigated land

12,130 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,253 km border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km

Land use

arable land: 25.22% permanent crops: 4.43% other: 70.35% (2001)

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 41 nm

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms

Natural resources

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Terrain

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

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

Capital

Damascus

Constitution

13 March 1973

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)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548

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) 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 election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% 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

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

Government type

republic under military regime since March 1963

Independence

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

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, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; 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) elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Political parties and leaders

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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Military branches

Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (including Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force

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)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 4,876,040 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,716,054 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 216,077 (2004 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 38% (male 3,524,406; female 3,319,323) 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.)

Birth rate

28.93 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

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.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.71 years male: 68.47 years female: 71.02 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 20 years male: 19.9 years female: 20.2 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

18,016,874 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.)

Population growth rate

2.4% (2004 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 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.)

Total fertility rate

3.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)

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; settled border dispute with Jordan in 2004

Illicit drugs

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 413,827 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004)

Airports

93 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 26 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.)

Heliports

7 (2003 est.)

Highways

total: 43,381 km paved: 10,021 km (including 877 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,360 km (1999)

Merchant marine

total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT by type: bulk 12, cargo 101, container 2, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Egypt 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, Lebanon 10, Romania 1 registered in other countries: 83 (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus

Railways

total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2003)

Waterways

900 km (not economically significant) (2002)