Syria

Syrian Arab RepublicAl Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah

republic under leftwing military regime since March 1963

Syria as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalDamascus

Area185,180 sq km

LocationMiddle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Populationas each edition published it

15.45 million July 1995 est. · 12.48m in 1990

Population growth% a year

3.71% 1995 est. · 3.76% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 19.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

66.81 years 1995 est. · 66.12 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.55 children per woman 1995 est. · 6.7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

41.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 38 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$5,000 1994 est. · $2,300 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

4% 1994 est. · 9% in 1993

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 185,180 sq km

arable land 28%permanent crops 3%meadows and pastures 46%forest and woodland 3%other 20%irrigated 10,000 sq km (1992)

Area

185,180sq km

land area: 184,050 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than North Dakotanote: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Coastline

193km

contiguous zone: 41 nmterritorial sea: 35 nm

Land boundaries

2,253km

total · Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km

Location

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

International disputes

separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line;
Golan Heights is Israeli occupied;
Hatay question with Turkey;
ongoing dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976

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 hits Damascus

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

Environment

current issues:: deforestation;
overgrazing;
soil erosion;
desertification;
water pollution from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum refining;
inadequate supplies of potable water
natural hazards:: dust storms, sandstorms
international agreements:: party to - Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Desertification, Environmental Modification

Note

there are 42 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1994 est.)

People

15 fields

Population

15,451,917

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 3.71% (1995 est.)

Note

note: in addition, there are 31,000 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 16,500 Arabs (15,000 Druze and 1,500 Alawites) and 14,500 Jewish settlers (August 1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

43.21Death

6.07Net migration

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years66.81

65.67 · 68.01

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy64%

78% · 51%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Labor force

4.3million

(1994 est.)by occupation: miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry and construction 32%; note - shortage of skilled labor (1984)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 48% (female 3,639,776; male 3,826,154)
15-64 years:: 49% (female 3,691,862; male 3,854,989)
65 years and over:: 3% (female 219,251; male 219,885) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

41.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Syrian(s)
adjective:: Syrian

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

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

Languages

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

Government

Republic under leftwing military regime since March 1963; President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971 see note); Prime Minister Mahmud ZU'BI (since 1 November 1987)

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Names

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)

Type

republic under leftwing military regime since March 1963

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)

Legal system

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

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971 see note);
Vice Presidents 'Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM, Rif'at al-ASAD, and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984);
election last held 2 December 1991 (next to be held NA December 1998);
results - President Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected for a fourth seven-year term with 99.98% of the vote;
note - President ASAD seized power in the November 1970 coup, assumed presidential powers 22 February 1971, and was confirmed as president in the 12 March 1971 national elections
head of government:: Prime Minister Mahmud ZU'BI (since 1 November 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981); Deputy Prime Minister Rashid AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

unicameral

People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab):: elections last held 24-25 August 1994 (next to be held NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (250 total) National Progressive Front 167, independents 83

Judicial branch

Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of Cassation, State Security Courts

National Progressive Front includes

the ruling Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Ba'th) Party, Hafiz al-ASAD, President of the Republic, Secretary General of the party, and Chairman of the National Progressive Front;
Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP), 'Abd al-Ghani KANNUT;
Arab Socialist Union (ASU), Jamal ATASSI;
Syrian Communist Party (SCP), Khalid BAKDASH;
Arab Socialist Unionist Movement, Sami SOUFAN;
and Democratic Socialist Union Party, leader NA

Other political or pressure groups

non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence;
Communist party ineffective;
conservative religious leaders;
Muslim Brotherhood

ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Walid MUALEM
chancery:: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 232-6313

FAX

[1] (202) 234-9548

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS
embassy:: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street No. 2, Damascus
mailing address:: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone:: [963] (11) 333-2814, 714-108, 333-3788

FAX

[963] (11) 224-7938

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

Economy

In 1990-93 Syria's state-dominated Ba'thist economy | benefited from the Gulf war, increased oil production, good weather, | and economic deregulation.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$5,000

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

16.3%

(1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

7.5%

(1993 est.)

Installed generating capacity, 4,160,000 kW

Electricity production

13.2 billionElectricity consumption per capita

865 (1993)

Overview

In 1990-93 Syria's state-dominated Ba'thist economy benefited from the Gulf war, increased oil production, good weather, and economic deregulation. Economic growth averaged roughly 10%. The Gulf war provided Syria an aid windfall of nearly $5 billion dollars from Arab, European, and Japanese donors.

However, the benefits of the 1990-93 boom were not evenly distributed and the gap between rich and poor is widening. A nationwide financial scandal and increasing inflation were accompanied by a decline in GDP growth to 4% in 1994. For the long run, Syria's economy is still saddled with a large number of poorly performing public sector firms, and industrial productivity remains to be improved.

Oil production is likely to fall off dramatically by the end of the decade. Unemployment will become a problem for the government when the more than 60% of the population under the age of 20 enter the labor force.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $74.4 billion (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: petroleum 53%, textiles 22%, cotton, fruits and vegetables, wheat, barley, chickens
partners:: EC 48%, former CEMA countries 24%, Arab countries 18% (1991)

Imports

$4 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

commodities:: foodstuffs 21%, metal products 17%, machinery 15%
partners:: EC 37%, former CEMA countries 15%, US and Canada 10% (1991)

External debt

$19.4 billion (1993 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 30% of GDP and one-third of labor force;
all major crops (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas) grown mainly on rain-watered land causing wide swings in production;
animal products - beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk;
not self-sufficient in grain or livestock products

Illicit drugs

a transit country for Lebanese and Turkish refined cocaine going to Europe and heroin and hashish bound for regional and Western markets

Economic aid

recipient: no US aid; about $4.2 billion in loans and grants from Arab and Western donors 1990-92 as a result of Gulf war stance

Currency

1 Syrian pound (#S) = 100 piastres

Exchange rates

Syrian pounds (#S) per US$1 - 11.2 (official fixed rate), 26.6 (blended rate used by the UN and diplomatic missions), 42.0 (neighboring country rate - applies to most state enterprise imports), 46.0 - 53.0 (offshore rate) (yearend 1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 107 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

31,569Railroads

1,998Inland waterways

870

Highways: paved: 24,308 km (including 670 km of expressways) · unpaved: 7,261 km · Railroads: broad gauge: 1,766 km 1.435-m gauge · narrow gauge: 232 km 1.050-m gauge · Inland waterways: ; minimal economic importance

Railroads

total:: 1,998 km
broad gauge:: 1,766 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:: 232 km 1.050-m gauge

Highways

total:: 31,569 km
paved:: 24,308 km (including 670 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 7,261 km

Inland waterways

870 km; minimal economic importance

Pipelines

crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km

Ports

Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus

Merchant marine

total:: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 233,701 GRT/364,714 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 10, cargo 68, vehicle carrier 2

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

512,600 telephones;
37 telephones/1,000 persons;
fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber optic technology

local:: NA
intercity:: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international:: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik earth station;
1 submarine cable;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey