Communications
Broadcast media [time series]
state-run television and radio broadcast networks; state operates 2 TV networks and a satellite channel; roughly two-thirds of Syrian homes have a satellite dish providing access to foreign TV broadcasts; 3 state-run radio channels; first private radio station launched in 2005; private radio broadcasters prohibited from transmitting news or political content (2007)
Internet country code [time series]
.sy
Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]
8,114 (2010) country comparison to the world: 133
Internet users [time series]
4.469 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 52
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology and expansion of the network to rural areas domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing with telephone subscribership reaching nearly 50 per 100 persons in 2009 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
Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]
3.871 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 41
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
9.697 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 66
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Central bank discount rate [time series]
5% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 88 5% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]
10.04% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 10.19% (31 December 2008 est.)
Current account balance [time series]
$649 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 $394 million (2009 est.)
Debt - external [time series]
$7.682 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 $7.359 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Syrian economic growth slowed to 1.8% in 2009 as the global economic crisis affected oil prices and the economies of Syria's key export partners and sources of investment. 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 began operations in 2009. 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, rising budget deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.
Electricity - consumption [time series]
27.35 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports [time series]
1.4 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - production [time series]
36.5 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Exchange rates [time series]
Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 46.456 (2010), 46.7082 (2009), 46.5281 (2008), 50.0085 (2007), 51.689 (2006)
Exports [time series]
$12.84 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 78 $11.76 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities [time series]
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners [time series]
Iraq 30.22%, Lebanon 12.21%, Germany 8.89%, Egypt 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.04%, Italy 4.55% (2009)
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$59.63 billion (2010 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$106.4 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 68 $102.4 billion (2009 est.) $97.48 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: 17.6% industry: 26.8% services: 55.6% (2010 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
$4,800 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 151 $4,700 (2009 est.) $4,600 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 5% (2009 est.) 4.3% (2008 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports [time series]
$13.57 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 $12.62 billion (2009 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]
Saudi Arabia 10.1%, China 9.95%, Turkey 6.97%, Egypt 6.44%, UAE 4.97%, Italy 4.93%, Russia 4.92%, Germany 4.38%, Lebanon 4.12% (2009)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 54
Industries [time series]
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
5.9% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 159 2.6% (2009 est.)
Investment (gross fixed) [time series]
16.6% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Labor force [time series]
5.527 million (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
agriculture: 17% industry: 16% services: 67% (2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]
$NA
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
6.18 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Natural gas - imports [time series]
140 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Natural gas - production [time series]
6.04 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]
240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Oil - consumption [time series]
252,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Oil - exports [time series]
155,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Oil - imports [time series]
58,710 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 80
Oil - production [time series]
400,400 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Oil - proved reserves [time series]
2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Population below poverty line [time series]
11.9% (2006 est.)
Public debt [time series]
29.8% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 28.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]
$17.96 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 $17.44 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of broad money [time series]
$161 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 43 $147.5 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit [time series]
$27.14 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $23.58 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of narrow money [time series]
$21.6 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 62 $19.53 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Unemployment rate [time series]
8.3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95 8.5% (2009 est.)
Geography
total: 185,180 sq km country comparison to the world: 88 land: 183,630 sq km water: 1,550 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]
total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)
Geographic coordinates [time series]
35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note [time series]
there are 41 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2010 est.)
Irrigated land [time series]
13,330 sq km (2003)
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: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005)
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: 24 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
dust storms, sandstorms volcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an unnamed volcano near the Turkish border have not erupted in centuries
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
Total renewable water resources [time series]
46.1 cu km (1997)
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
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 [time series]
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 first Friday in April; ends last Friday in October
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles (Chuck) F. HUNTER embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444 FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MOUSTAPHA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4585
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); 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 (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) 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%
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the current design dates to 1980 note: 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
Government type [time series]
republic under an authoritarian regime
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, 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, WTO (observer)
Judicial branch [time series]
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)
Legal system [time series]
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
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 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
National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]
name: "Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland) lyrics/music: Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL note: adopted 1936, restored 1961; between 1958 and 1961, while Syria was a member of the United Arab Republic with Egypt, the country had a different anthem
National holiday [time series]
Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan al-QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [As'ad HARDAN]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]) opposition parties not legally recognized: Communist Action Party [Fateh al-JAMOUS]; National Democratic Rally [Hasan ABDUL-AZIM, spokesman] (includes five parties - Arab Democratic Socialist Union Party [Hasan ABDUL-AZIM], Arab Socialist Movement, Democratic Ba'th Party [Ibrahim MAKHOS], Democratic People's Party [Riad al TURK], Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafez al HAFEZ]) Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Azadi Party [Kheirudin MURAD]; Future Party [Masha'l TAMMO]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes four parties); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes three parties); Yekiti Party [Fu'ad ALEYKO] other parties: Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
Arab Human Rights Organization in Syria or AHRO; Damascus Declaration Group (a broad alliance of secular, religious, and Kurdish opposition groups); National Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM and other small opposition groups in exile; formerly included the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood); Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression [Mazin DARWISH]; Syrian Human Rights Organization [Muhanad al-HASANI]; Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fayez FAWAZ]; Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Muhammad Riyad al-SHAQFAH] (operates in exile in London)
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
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.
Military
Manpower available for military service [time series]
males age 16-49: 5,766,853 females age 16-49: 5,540,828 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service [time series]
males age 16-49: 4,948,802 females age 16-49: 4,786,596 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]
male: 253,578 female: 241,777 (2010 est.)
Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Forces (includes Air Defense Command) (2008)
Military expenditures [time series]
5.9% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 11
Military service age and obligation [time series]
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 21 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2010)
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 36.4% (male 4,063,367/female 3,864,099) 15-64 years: 59.9% (male 6,628,644/female 6,406,864) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 372,172/female 427,832) (2010 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
24.44 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 67
Death rate [time series]
3.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 211
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
4.9% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 77
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.) country comparison to the world: 156
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
fewer than 200 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
fewer than 500 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 16.14 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 117 male: 18.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Languages [time series]
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 74.46 years country comparison to the world: 95 male: 72.1 years female: 76.96 years (2010 est.)
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.6% male: 86% female: 73.6% (2004 census)
Median age [time series]
total: 21.5 years male: 21.3 years female: 21.7 years (2010 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian
Net migration rate [time series]
-1.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 162
Population [time series]
22,198,110 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 51 note: approximately 19,100 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2008 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
1.954% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Religions [time series]
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
3.02 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 54% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-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 Shab'a 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
Illicit drugs [time series]
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
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
refugees (country of origin): 1-1.4 million (Iraq); 522,100 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)
Trafficking in persons [time series]
current situation: Syria is a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Syria again failed to report any law enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in addition, the government did not offer protection services to victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations; Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
104 (2010) country comparison to the world: 57
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
total: 29 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 59 (2010)
Heliports [time series]
7 (2010)
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 41 country comparison to the world: 77 by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 30, carrier 3, container 1 foreign-owned: 5 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 2, Romania 1) registered in other countries: 199 (Barbados 1, Belize 2, Bolivia 4, Cambodia 22, Comoros 6, Cyprus 1, Dominica 2, Georgia 35, Lebanon 3, Liberia 1, Libya 2, Malta 5, Moldova 3, North Korea 6, Panama 42, Saint Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Sierra Leone 20, Togo 5, unknown 8) (2010)
Pipelines [time series]
gas 3,101 km; oil 1,997 km (2009)
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
Baniyas, Latakia, Tartus
Railways [time series]
total: 2,052 km country comparison to the world: 72 standard gauge: 1,801 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)
Roadways [time series]
total: 97,401 km country comparison to the world: 45 paved: 19,490 km (includes 1,103 km of expressways) unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)
Waterways [time series]
900 km (navigable not economically significant) (2010) country comparison to the world: 69