Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The 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 Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.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.
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Geographic coordinates
35 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references
Middle East
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
Land boundaries
total
2,253 km
border countries
Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline
193 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
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
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point
Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Natural resources
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)
Population
19,314,747
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 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
36.5% (male 3,633,562/female 3,423,435)
15-64 years
60.1% (male 5,952,275/female 5,664,236)
65 years and over
3.3% (male 303,346/female 337,893) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
21.1 years
male
20.9 years
female
21.2 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
2.244% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
27.19 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
4.74 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.061 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.051 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.898 male(s)/female
total population
1.049 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
27.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male
27.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female
27.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
70.61 years
male
69.27 years
female
72.02 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.31 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
less than 500 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Syrian(s)
adjective
Syrian
Ethnic groups
Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
Capital
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 1 April; ends 30 September
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
Independence
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National holiday
Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Constitution
13 March 1973
Legal system
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
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
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%
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 on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch
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)
Political parties and leaders
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]; 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 QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSU]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]); illegal parties: Kurdish Azadi Party [Khayr al-Din MURAD]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [Abd al-Hamid DARWISH] (includes four parties); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes three parties but no designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD [Ali MUHAMMAD]; Kurdish Future Movement; Kurdish Yekiti Party [Hasan SALEH]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZEM]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Damascus Declaration [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a broad alliance of opposition groups including: Committee for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance; Kurdish Democratic Front; National Democratic Front; Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; (operates in exile in London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration but is not an official member)
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael CORBIN
embassy
Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address
P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone
[963] (11) 3391-4444
FAX
[963] (11) 224-7938
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
Economy - overview
The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 2.9% in real terms in 2006 led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and exports and led to higher budgetary and export receipts. Total foreign assets of the Central Bank and domestic banking system rose to about $20 billion in 2006, and the government strengthened the private sector foreign exchange rate by about 7% from the start of the year. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years, including cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized items, most notably, gasoline and cement. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports, weak investment, high unemployment, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$77.66 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$24.26 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$4,100 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
24%
industry
18%
services
58% (2005 est.)
Labor force
5.505 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
26%
industry
14%
services
60% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate
12.5% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line
11.9% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
22.1% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$8.7 billion
expenditures
$9.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.82 billion (2006 est.)
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners
Saudi Arabia 12.1%, China 7.7%, Egypt 6.1%, UAE 5.9%, Italy 4.8%, Ukraine 4.7%, Germany 4.7%, Iran 4.4% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$5.5 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$8.355 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$180 million (2002 est.)
Currency (code)
Syrian pound (SYP)
Currency code
SYP
Exchange rates
Syrian pounds per US dollar - 51.689 (2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002)
note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03 are the parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut; the official rate for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during 2004-06,
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
2.903 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
3.128 million (2005)
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
Radio broadcast stations
AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios
4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions
1.05 million (1997)
Internet country code
.sy
Internet hosts
66 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1 (2000)
Internet users
1.1 million (2005)
Airports
92 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
26
over 3,047 m
6
2,438 to 3,047 m
15
914 to 1,523 m
3
under 914 m
2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
66
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
914 to 1,523 m
11
under 914 m
54 (2006)
Heliports
7 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006)
Railways
total
2,711 km
standard gauge
2,460 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge
251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
94,890 km
paved
19,073 km
unpaved
75,817 km (2004)
Waterways
900 km (not economically significant) (2005)
Merchant marine
total
108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned
11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1)
registered in other countries
130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1, Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Baniyas, Latakia
Military branches
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
4,356,413
females age 18-49
4,123,339 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
3,453,888
females age 18-49
3,421,558 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
225,113
females age 18-49
211,829 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
5.9% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international
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 Shaba'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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin)
700,000 - 1.2 million (Iraq), 434,896 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs
305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2006)
Trafficking in persons
current situation
Syria is a destination country for women from South and Southeast Asia and Africa for domestic servitude and from Eastern Europe and Iraq for sexual exploitation; women are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of exploitation and involuntary servitude including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and children are reportedly forced into sexual exploitation
tier rating
Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so
Illicit drugs
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
