Syria

• 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

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

highest point:

Mount Hermon (Jabal a-Shayk) 2,814 m

lowest point:

Yarmuk River -66 m

mean elevation:

514 m

• significant population density along the Mediterranean coast;
• larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs);
• more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

• the capital of Damascus -- located at an oasis fed by the Barada River -- is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities;
• there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights (2017)

noun:

Syrian(s)

adjective:

Syrian

total:

24.1 years (2024 est.)

male:

23.6 years

female:

24.7 years

• significant population density along the Mediterranean coast;
• larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs);
• more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Halab, and the Euphrates River valley

note: the ongoing civil war has altered the population distribution

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.88 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

16.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

13.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

74.8 years (2024 est.)

male:

73.4 years

female:

76.4 years

total:

0.13 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

• deforestation;
• overgrazing;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• depletion of water resources;
• water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes;
• inadequate potable water

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification

• 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

urban population:

57.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

5.38% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

• exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to civil conflict and economic crisis - based on the World Food Program’s (WFP’s) food security and agriculture sector estimated that about 15 million people are in need of some form of food and agriculture assistance (representing 68 percent of the total population), of whom about 12.1 million are food insecure and about 2.9 million people are estimated to be at risk of food insecurity;
• fuel scarcity and increases in fuel prices led to a rise in transportation and freight charges for goods, both imported and domestically produced, including agricultural and food products;
• additional price increases at retail level further constrained the already weakened purchasing power of the majority of the population threatening their food security (2023)

particulate matter emissions:

25.14 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

28.83 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

12.93 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

4.5 million tons (2009 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

112,500 tons (2010 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

2.5% (2010 est.)

municipal:

1.48 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

620 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

14.67 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

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)

etymology:

• name ultimately derived from the ancient Assyrians who dominated northern Mesopotamia, but whose reach also extended westward to the Levant;
• over time, the name came to be associated more with the western area

name:

Damascus

geographic coordinates:

33 30 N, 36 18 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

Damascus is a very old city; its earliest name, Temeseq, first appears in an Egyptian geographical list of the 15th century B.C., but the meaning is uncertain

• 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
• Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq (Damascus), Halab (Aleppo), Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside), Tartus

history:

• several previous;
• latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012;
• note – UN-sponsored talks, which began in late 2019 between delegates from government and opposition forces to draft a new constitution;
• in June 2022, the 8th round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee ended in Geneva with no results, and the 9th round, scheduled for July 2022, was cancelled due to lack of Russian and regime participation

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or by one third of the People’s Assembly members;
• following review by a special Assembly committee, passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and approval by the president

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Syria; if the father is unknown or stateless, the mother must be a citizen of Syria

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

• vacant;
• former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024;
• ASAD and his family flew to Moscow where they were granted political asylum

head of government:

Prime Minister Muhammad al-BASHIR (since 8 December 2024)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 26 May 2021 (next to be held in 2028);
• the president appoints the vice president and prime minister

election results:

2021: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 95.2%, Mahmoud Ahmad MAREI (Democratic Arab Socialist Union) 3.3%, other 1.5%; 2014: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 88.7%, Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3%, Maher HAJJER (independent) 3.2%, other/invalid 3.8%

description:

unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority preferential vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 15 July 2024 (next to be held in July 2028)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - Ba'ath Party 169, SSNP 3, other 13, independent 65;
• composition - NA

highest court(s):

• Court of Cassation (organized into civil, criminal, religious, and military divisions, each with 3 judges);
• Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a judicial management body headed by the minister of justice with 7 members, including the national president;
• judge tenure NA;
• Supreme Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the SJC;
• judges serve 4-year renewable terms

subordinate courts:

• courts of first instance;
• magistrates' courts;
• religious and military courts;
• Economic Security Court;
• Counterterrorism Court (established June 2012)

chief of mission:

• Ambassador (vacant);
• note - on 6 February 2012, the US suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus;
• Czechia serves as a protecting power for US interests in Syria

mailing address:

6110 Damascus Place, Washington DC 20521-6110

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://sy.usembassy.gov/

name:

"Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland)

lyrics/music:

Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL

note: adopted 1936, restored 1961; between 1958 and 1961, while Syria was a member of the United Arab Republic with Egypt, the country had a different anthem

total World Heritage Sites:

6 (all cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Ancient City of Damascus;
• Ancient City of Bosra;
• Site of Palmyra;
• Ancient City of Aleppo;
• Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din;
• Ancient Villages of Northern Syria

• low-income Middle Eastern economy;
• prior infrastructure and economy devastated by 11-year civil war;
• ongoing US sanctions;
• sporadic trans-migration during conflict;
• currently being supported by World Bank trust fund;
• ongoing hyperinflation

total:

33.5% (2023 est.)

male:

29.8% (2023 est.)

female:

52.6% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

3.8% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

21.1% (2022 est.)

consumption:

47,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

(2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

imports:

30,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

100,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

138,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

2.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

3.085 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

3.084 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

240.693 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• the years of civil war and destruction to infrastructure continue to have a toll on the telecoms sector in Syria;
• although over the years the major mobile service providers have endeavored to restore and rebuild damaged networks, the operating environment has been difficult;
• following disputed demands for back taxes, MTN Group in August 2021 exited the country, after its majority stake had been transferred to judicial guardianship;
• this effectively meant that the mobile market became a monopoly;
• in February 2022 the regulator awarded a third mobile license following a process which had been ongoing for many years;
• telecommunication services in Syria are highly regulated;
• although urban areas can make use of the network built and maintained by the government-owned incumbent, many under served remote areas in the countryside are obliged to rely on satellite communications;
• the domestic and international fixed-line markets in Syria remain the monopoly of the STE, despite several initiatives over the years aimed at liberalizing the market;
• mobile broadband penetration in Syria is still quite low, despite quite a high population coverage of 3G networks and some deployment of LTE infrastructure;
• this may provide potential opportunities for growth once infrastructure and economic reconstruction efforts make headway, and civil issues subside (2022)

domestic:

the number of fixed-line connections is 13 per 100; mobile-cellular service is 80 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 963;
• landing points for the Aletar, BERYTAR and UGART submarine cable connections to Egypt, Lebanon, and Cyprus;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);
• coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey;
• participant in Medarabtel (2019)

• state-run TV and radio broadcast networks;
• state operates 2 TV networks and 5 satellite channels;
• roughly two-thirds of Syrian homes have a satellite dish providing access to foreign TV broadcasts;
• 3 state-run radio channels;
• first private radio station launched in 2005;
• private radio broadcasters prohibited from transmitting news or political content (2018)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

17,896 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

30,000 (2018) mt-km

total:

2,052 km (2014)

standard gauge:

1,801 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

251 km (2014) 1.050-m gauge

total:

69,873 km

paved:

63,060 km

unpaved:

6,813 km (2010)

total ports:

3 (2024)

large:

1

medium:

1

small:

1

very small:

0

ports with oil terminals:

3

key ports:

Al Ladhiqiyah, Baniyas, Tartus

• prior to the fall of the Syrian ASAD regime in December 2024, the Syrian Armed Forces (SAF) consisted of the Syrian Arab Army (included the Republican Guard), Syrian Naval Forces, Syrian Air Forces, Syrian Air Defense Forces, National Defense Forces (NDF), and Local Defense Forces (LDF);
• the NDF and LDF were pro-government militia and auxiliary forces, some of which were backed by Iran (2024)

• prior to the fall of the ASAD regime in December 2024, men 18-42 were obligated to perform military service;
• compulsory service obligation was up to 30 months;
• women were not conscripted but could volunteer to serve, including in combat arms (2024)

note: the military was comprised largely of conscripts; men in their late 40s and 50s reportedly had been drafted into military service during the civil war

• Abdallah Azzam Brigades;
• Ansar al-Islam;
• Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq;
• Hizballah;
• Hurras al-Din;
• Islamic Jihad Union;
• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force;
• Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS);
• Kata'ib Hizballah;
• Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK);
• Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem;
• al-Nusrah Front (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham);
• al-Qa'ida;
• Palestine Liberation Front;
• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP);
• PFLP-General Command

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide