Syria
Syrian Arab RepublicAl Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
Syria as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 130 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.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.
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 in Damascus
Natural resources
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Environment - current issues
- deforestation;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- desertification;
- water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes;
- inadequate potable water
Environment - international agreements
- 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
Geography - note
there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)
Male · female
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.)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Languages
- Arabic (official);
- Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood;
- French, English somewhat understood
Government
Republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime; President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003)
18 fieldsPeople's Council or Majlis al-Shaab, 250 seats, elected 22-23 April 2007one 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)
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
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
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 - NPF 172, independents 78
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)
International organization participation
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), 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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
- 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 (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) 3391-3999
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
46 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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.
Agriculture - products
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Industries
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing
Exports - commodities
crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
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,
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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
Transportation
10 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Merchant marine
- total:
- 96 ships (1000 GRT or over) 353,351 GRT/512,597 DWT
- by type:
- bulk carrier 7, cargo 82, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
- foreign-owned:
- 10 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 4, Romania 4)
- registered in other countries:
- 164 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 32, Comoros 8, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Georgia 54, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 7, Lebanon 1, Libya 1, Malta 4, Mongolia 1, Panama 24, Sierra Leone 8, Slovakia 2, St Kitts and Nevis 5, St Vincent and The Grenadines 11, unknown 2) (2007)
Military
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005)
6 fieldsMilitary 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 reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 225,113
- females age 18-49:
- 211,829 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
4 fieldsDisputes - 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Syria.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/syria/2007.