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Syria
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 Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.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. In May 2007 Bashar al-ASAD was elected to his second term as President.
Location :
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Geographic Coordinates Center :
35 00 N, 38 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 35.73 |
| North | 37.32 |
| East | 42.39 |
| South | 32.31 |
Map references :
Middle East
Area :
| total | 185 180 | square km |
| land | 183 630 | square km |
| water | 1 550 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 2 253 | km |
| Iraq (iq) | 605 | km |
| Israel (il) | 76 | km |
| Jordan (jo) | 375 | km |
| Lebanon (lb) | 375 | km |
| Turkey (tr) | 822 | km |
Coastline :
193.00 km
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 | 200 | metres |
| highest point | 2 814 | metres |
Natural resources :
| asphalt | chrome and manganese ores |
| gypsum | hydropower |
| iron ore | marble |
| petroleum | phosphates |
| rock salt |
Land use :
| arable land | 24.80 | % |
| permanent crops | 4.47 | % |
| other | 70.73 | % |
Irrigated land :
13 330 square km
Total renewable water resources :
46 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| dust storms | torms |
current issues :
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Ship Pollution | Wetlands |
Population :
21 762 978
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.01 | % |
| Birth rate | 25.00 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.12 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 3.72 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 36.40 | % |
| 15-64 years | 59.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.70 | % |
Median age :
| total | 21.70 | years |
| male | 21.60 | years |
| female | 21.90 | years |
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 | 0.89 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 16.69 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 74.22 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 71.87 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 76.70 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.10 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 500 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 200 |
Religions :
| Sunni Muslim | 74.00 | % |
| other Muslim | 16.00 | % |
| Christian | 10.00 | % |
Languages :
| Arabic | |
| Kurdish | |
| Armenian | |
| Aramaic | |
| Circassian widely understood | |
| French | |
| English somewhat understood |
Literacy :
| total population | 79.60 | % |
| male | 86.00 | % |
| female | 73.60 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | SY |
| ISO Numeric | 760 |
| ISO3 | SYR |
| FIPS | SY |
| ccTLD | sy |
| English | Syria |
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
Capital :
| name | Damascus |
| geographic coordinates | 33 30 N, 36 18 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
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 |
| IOC | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | Interpol |
| LAS | MIGA |
| NAM | OAPEC |
| OIC | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNRWA |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO |
Independence :
1946-04-17
National holiday :
Independence Day
1946-04-17
Executive branch :
| President Bashar al-ASAD | Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 102 500 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 54 350 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.20 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 4 700 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 19.00 | % |
| industry | 34.00 | % |
| services | 47.00 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 17.00 | % |
| industry | 16.00 | % |
| services | 67.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 5 772 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 9.20 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 11.90 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.80 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 21.70 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 1 521 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 5 083 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 7 621 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 5.90 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 32.30 | % of GDP |
Budget :
| revenues | 9 020 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 13 140 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| barley | beef |
| chickpeas | cotton |
| eggs | lentils |
| milk | mutton |
| olives | poultry |
| sugar beets | wheat |
Industries :
| beverages | car assembly |
| cement | food processing |
| oil seeds crushing | petroleum |
| phosphate rock mining | textiles |
| tobacco |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 36 500 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 27 350 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 1 400 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 367 500 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 256 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 155 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 58 710 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 2 500 000 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 6 040 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 6 180 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Imports | 140 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 240 700 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
10 130 000 000 $
Partners :
| Iraq (iq) | 30.70 | % |
| Germany (de) | 9.80 | % |
| Lebanon (lb) | 9.60 | % |
| Italy (it) | 6.40 | % |
| France (fr) | 5.50 | % |
| Egypt (eg) | 5.40 | % |
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 5.10 | % |
Commodities :
| clothing | cotton |
| crude oil | fruit and vegetables |
| meat and live animals | minerals |
| petroleum products | textiles |
| wheat |
Value :
13 100 000 000 $
Partners :
| Saudi Arabia (sa) | 11.70 | % |
| China (cn) | 8.70 | % |
| Russia (ru) | 7.50 | % |
| Italy (it) | 5.90 | % |
| Egypt (eg) | 5.80 | % |
| UAE | 5.70 | % |
| Turkey (tr) | 4.30 | % |
| Iran (ir) | 4.20 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals and chemical products | electric power machinery |
| food and livestock | machinery and transportation equipment |
| metal and metal products | paper |
| plastics | yarn |
Currency-code :
SYP
Currency-name :
Syrian pound
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 3 633 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 7 056 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 2 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 44 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | sy | |
| Internet Hosts | 7 879 | |
| Internet Users | 3 565 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 29 | |
| Heliports | 7 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 3 101 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 1 997 | km |
| Roadways - total | 97 401 | km |
| Roadways - expressways | 1 103 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 19 490 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 77 911 | km |
| Railways | 2 052 | km |
| Waterways | 900 | km |
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