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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.sy

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

11 (2004)

Internet users [time series]

220,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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 - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

2,099,300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

400,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Syrian pound (SYP)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

SYP

Current account balance [time series]

$-72 million (2003)

Debt - external [time series]

$21.55 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$199 million (1997 est.)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

21.63 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

23.26 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Exports - commodities [time series]

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

Exports - partners [time series]

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 [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

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

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

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

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

0.9% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports [time series]

$4.845 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper

Imports - partners [time series]

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

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.5% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

13.6% of GDP (2003)

Labor force [time series]

4.97 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture, industry, services NA

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption [time series]

265,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

522,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

2.4 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line [time series]

20% (2003 est.)

Public debt [time series]

89% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]

$3.329 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate [time series]

20% (2002 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

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 [time series]

slightly larger than North Dakota

Climate [time series]

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 [time series]

193 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues [time series]

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geographic coordinates [time series]

35 00 N, 38 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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

Irrigated land [time series]

12,130 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Middle East

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 41 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

dust storms, sandstorms

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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 [time series]

Damascus

Constitution [time series]

13 March 1973

Country name [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

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 (Flag description) [time series]

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 [time series]

republic under military regime since March 1963

Independence [time series]

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

International organization participation [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Legal system [time series]

based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

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 [time series]

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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 parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

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 [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

5.9% (FY00)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

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

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

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

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

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

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 216,077 (2004 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Death rate [time series]

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

Ethnic groups [time series]

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

less than 500 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

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

Literacy [time series]

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

Median age [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

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 [time series]

2.4% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

3.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Transportation

Airports [time series]

93 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Heliports [time series]

7 (2003 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus

Railways [time series]

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

Waterways [time series]

900 km (not economically significant) (2002)