Syria
Syrian Arab RepublicAl Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
republic under military regime since March 1963
Syria as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 102 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between | Lebanon and Turkey
18 fieldsLand useshare of 185,180 sq 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 hitting Damascus
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
- signed, but not ratified:
- Desertification, Environmental Modification
Geography - note
there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1996 est.)
People
15 fieldsNote
Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years : 46% (male 3,839,369; female 3,654,350); 15-64 years: 51% (male 4,174,734; female 3,997,666) 65 years and over : 3% (male 234,127; female 237,653) (July 1997 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years :
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.04 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Government
Republic under military regime since March 1963; President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971); Prime Minister Mahmud ZUBI (since 1 November 1987), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981), and Rashid AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
21 fieldsLegislature, 83 seats, elected 24-25 August 1994one dot, one seat
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 (with Egypt)
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
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);
- 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;
- Vice Presidents 'Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since 11 March 1984), Rifaat al-ASAD (since 11 March 1984), and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Mahmud ZUBI (since 1 November 1987), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981), and Rashid AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
- election last held 2 December 1991 (next to be held NA December 1998);
- vice presidents appointed by the president;
- prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
- election results:
- Hafiz al-ASAD reelected president; percent of vote - Hafiz al-ASAD 99.98%
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 24-25 August 1994 (next to be held NA 1998)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - National Progressive Front 167, independents 83
Judicial branch
- Supreme Constitutional Court, justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president;
- High Judicial Council;
- Court of Cassation;
- State Security Courts
National Progressive Front includes
- the ruling Arab Socialist Renaissance (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), Yusuf FAYSAL;
- Arab Socialist Unionist Party, Safwan QUDSI;
- Democratic Socialist Union Party, Ahmad al-ASAD
Political pressure groups and leaders
- non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence;
- Communist party ineffective;
- conservative religious leaders;
- Muslim Brotherhood
International organization participation
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission :
- Ambassador Walid MUALEM
- chancery:
- 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 232-6313
Diplomatic representation from the US
- 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, 333-0788, 332-0783
Flag description
- 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
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1994)
Economy - overview
Sheltered from the pressures of the international marketplace for almost three decades, Syria's predominantly statist economy is on a weak footing because of Damascus's failure to implement extensive economic reform. After an economic rebound in the early 1990s in the wake of the Persian Gulf war, economic growth has slowed as the traditionally volatile economy has once again slumped.
Current account and budget deficits and inflation are increasing. The dominant agricultural sector remains underdeveloped, with roughly 80% of agricultural land still dependent on rain-fed sources. Although Syria has sufficient water supplies in the aggregate at normal levels of precipitation, the great distance between major water supplies and population centers poses serious distribution problems, and the water problem is exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution.
Unemployment remains a nagging problem because about 60% of the population is under the age of 20, ensuring a steady flow of job seekers into the already tight labor market. Private investment is critical to the modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export sectors, particularly because Damascus is saddled with a heavy foreign debt.
Oil production is leveling off, and the efforts of the nonoil sector to penetrate international markets have fallen short. Syria's inadequate infrastructure, outmoded technological base, and weak educational system hamper competition with neighbors such as Jordan and Israel. The dominant public sector continues to be plagued by labor, financial, and management problems, and much of the private sector is hobbled by a shortage of capital. The economic benefits of any peace treaty with Israel will depend in large part on the pace of economic reform.
Exports
- total value:
- $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- petroleum 56%, food and live animals 16%, textiles 16% (1994 est.)
- partners:
- EU 57% (Germany 17%, Italy 16%, France 11%), Lebanon 14%, Saudi Arabia 7% (1995 est.)
Imports
- total value :
- $5.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- machinery 25%, food and live animals 15%, transport equipment 12%, chemicals 8% (1994 est.)
- partners:
- EU 33% (Italy 9%, Germany 8%, France 4%), South Korea 4.5%, US 4%, Japan 3% (1995 est.)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
- domestic:
- coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
- international:
- 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
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 125 ships by type(1996 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Networkskm
Highways
- total:
- 39,243 km
- paved :
- 27,862 km (including 850 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 11,381 km (1995 est.)
Military
Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air | Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$875 million (1994 est.); note - based on official budget data that understate actual spending
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Golan Heights is Israeli occupied;
- Hatay question with Turkey;
- dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
- Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
Illicit drugs
a transit point for Lebanese and Turkish refined cocaine going to Europe and heroin and hashish bound for regional and Western markets TAJIKISTAN
Introduction
1 fieldCurrent issues
Tajikistan has experienced three changes of government since it gained independence in September 1991. The current president, Emomali RAHMONOV, was elected in November 1994, yet has been in power since 1992. The country is suffering through its fourth year of a civil conflict, with no clear end in sight.
Underlying the conflict are deeply rooted regional and clan-based animosities that pit a government consisting of people primarily from the Kulob (Kulyab), Khujand (Leninabad), and Hisor (Hissar) regions against a secular and Islamic-led opposition from the Gharm, Gorno-Badakhshan, and Qurghonteppa (Kurgan-Tyube) regions.
Government and opposition representatives have held periodic rounds of UN-mediated peace talks and agreed in September 1994 to a cease-fire which has been periodically extended. Russian-led peacekeeping troops are deployed throughout the country, and Russian-commanded border guards are stationed along the Tajikistani-Afghan border.
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Syria.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/syria/1997.