Syria

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)

republic under military regime since March 1963

Syria as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 118 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
Position35 00 N, 38 00 E
Area185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
LocationMiddle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
2001

Every edition of Syria

Populationas each edition published it
16.73 million 12.48m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.54% 2001 est. · 3.76% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 19.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
68.77 years 2001 est. · 66.12 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.95 children per woman 2001 est. · 6.7 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
33.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 2001 est. · 38 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$3,100 2000 est. · $2,300 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3.5% 2000 est. · 9% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

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. In recent years, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.

Geography

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

18 fields
Coastline
193km
contiguous zone: 41 NM territorial sea: 35 NM
Irrigated land
9,060sq km
(1993 est.)

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

Land boundaries

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

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

Land use

arable land: 28% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 43% forests and woodland: 3% other: 22% (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms

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, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note

there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.)

People

18 fields

Per 1,000 population(2001 est.)

Birth
30.64Death
5.21Net migration
0

Population

16,728,808 note: in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576) 15-64 years: 56.87% (male 4,868,816; female 4,644,870) 65 years and over: 3.21% (male 261,036; female 275,450) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate

2.54% (2001 est.)

Sex ratio

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: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 68.77 years male: 67.63 years female: 69.98 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.95 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups

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 widely understood;
  • French, English somewhat understood

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.8% male: 85.7% female: 55.8% (1997 est.)

Government

Republic under military regime since March 1963; President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

67%
NPF 67%non-NPF 33%

People's Council or Majlis al-shaab, 250 seatsone dot, one seat

NPF 167independents 83

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)

Government type

republic under military regime since March 1963

Capital

Damascus

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 Mustafa MIRU (since 13 March 2000), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Khalid RA'D (since 13 March 2000), Muhammad NAJI 'UTRI (since 13 March 2000) 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 Hafez al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held NA 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 10 June 2000; 20 June 2000 the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council 25 June 2000

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 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, non-NPF 33%;
  • seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83;
  • note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receive one-half of the seats

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

  • National Progressive Front or NPF (includes the Ba'th Party, ASU, Arab Socialist Party, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party, ASP, SCP) [President Bashar al-ASAD];
  • Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general of the party, and chairman of the National Progressive Front after the death of Hafiz al-ASAD on 10 June 2000];
  • Arab Socialist Unionist Movement or ASU [Sami SOUFAN];
  • Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani KANNUT];
  • Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad al-ASAD];
  • Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan KOUDSI];
  • Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • conservative religious leaders;
  • Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen);
  • non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence

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 Rustum al-ZU'BI chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313

FAX

[1] (202) 234-9548

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 333-2814

FAX

[963] (11) 224-7938

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 heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Economy

Syria's predominantly statist economy is on a shaky footing because of Damascus's failure to implement extensive economic reform.

32 fields
Real growth rate
3.5%
(2000 est.)industrial production growth: NA%
Unemployment rate
20%
(2000 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

21%
Germany
7%
12%
Italy
8%
10%
France
11%
9%
Saudi Arabia
8%
Turkey
5%
China
4%
Exports $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)Imports $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)(1999 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production
17.94 billion (1999)Electricity consumption
16.684 billion (1999)

Economy - overview

Syria's predominantly statist economy is on a shaky footing because of Damascus's failure to implement extensive economic reform. 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.

The water problem is exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. Private investment is critical to the modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export sectors. 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 make it vulnerable to future shocks and hamper competition with neighbors such as Jordan and Israel. The government recognizes the need to open the economy to additional domestic and foreign investment.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $50.9 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 29% industry: 22% services: 49% (1997)

Labor force

4.7 million (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.)

Budget

revenues: $2.25 billion expenditures: $5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 57.64% hydro: 42.36% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Agriculture - products

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

Exports

$4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum 65%, textiles 10%, manufactured goods 10%, fruits and vegetables 7%, raw cotton 5%, live sheep 2%, phosphates 1% (1998 est.)

Imports

$3.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment 23%, foodstuffs/animals 20%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10% (1998 est.)

Debt - external

$22 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$199 million (1997 est.)

Currency

Syrian pound (SYP)

Exchange rates

Syrian pounds per US dollar - 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

10 fields
Fixed lines
1.313 million
(1997) · country code .sy

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: 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 users

20,000 (2000)

Transportation

10 fields

Railways

total: 2,750 km standard gauge: 2,423 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 327 km 1.050-m gauge note: rail link between Syria and Iraq replaced in 2000 (2000)

Highways

total: 41,451 km paved: 9,575 km (including 877 km of expressways) unpaved: 31,876 km (1997)

Waterways

870 km (minimal economic importance)

Pipelines

crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km

Ports and harbors

Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus

Merchant marine

total: 133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 425,392 GRT/612,097 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 117, livestock carrier 4, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)

Airports

100 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 24 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 76 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 63 (2000 est.)

Heliports

2 (2000 est.)

Military

Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force

7 fields

Military branches

Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 4,384,528 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,448,630 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$921 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

  • Golan Heights is Israeli occupied;
  • 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 opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets

Central Intelligence Agency. “Syria.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/syria/2001.

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