SYRIA

Country Profile 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 Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.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 Hizbullah. Disputes 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 Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Coordinates 35° 0' N 38° 0' E Capital Damascus Main Cities Halab, Hama, Homs, Latakia Area 185180 km2 Boundaries (km) 2,253 - Iraq 605, Israel 76, Jordan 375, Lebanon 375, Turkey 822 Coastline (km) 193 Timezone (GMT) 2 Population 19,747,586 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2008 est.) Public Holidays Independence Day, 17 April (1946) Currency Syrian pound (SYP) GDP $87.09 billion (2007 est.) Main Exports crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat 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 Hazards dust storms, sandstorms Physical Features Arabian desert (2,330,000 km2), Syrian desert (260,000 km2), Euphrates river, primarily semiarid and desert plateau Environmental 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

Flag Country Map(s)

Population and Demographics

Syria has a population of 19,747,586 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2008 est.) .

Capital	Damascus
Main urban areas	Halab, Hama, Homs, Latakia
Ethnic groups	Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Languages spoken	Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Population age 0-14: 36.2% (m 3,679,473/f 3,467,096) 15-64: 60.5% (m 6,119,459/f 5,822,376) 65+: 3.3% (m 310,838/f 348,344) (2008 est.)
	0-14	15-64	65+
Gender ratios At birth: 1.06 m/f , 0-14: 1.06 m/f , 15-64: 1.05 m/f , 65+: 0.89 m/f Total population: 1.05 m/f (2008 est.)

Changing Population (Life expectancy, births, deaths and fertility)

The population growth rate for Syria is 2.189% (2008 est.) (world growth rate at 2006 is 1.14%). The country also saw migration of 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.). The median age of the country is total: 21.4 years male: 21.3 years female: 21.5 years (2008 est.).

Note: on the graphs, world figures are represented by a red bar, figures for Syria are illustrated with a green bar.

Life Expectancy:	Total population: 70.9 years Male: 69.53 years Female: 72.35 years (2008 est.)	[70.9] [64.77] [ Male:, m] [63.16, m] [, f] [66.47, f]
Fertility:	3.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)	[3.21] [2.59]
Births:	26.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)	[26.57] [20.05]
Deaths:	4.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)	[4.68] [8.67]
Infants:	Total: 26.78 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 27.04 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 26.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)	[26.78] [48.87] [27.04, m] [50.98, m] [26.52, f] [46.65, f]

Economic Data

Economy Overview

The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 3.3% in real terms in 2007 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 led to higher budgetary and export receipts. Damascus has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years, including cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating all of the multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, most notably gasoline and cement, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange - which is set to begin operations in 2009. In October 2007, for example, Damascus raised the price of subsidized gasoline by 20%, and may institute a rationing system in 2008.

In addition, President ASAD signed legislative decrees to encourage corporate ownership reform, and to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bills and bonds for government debt. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production, high unemployment and inflation, rising budget deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.

Debt and Aid
Debt: $6.465 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Aid Given: N/A
Aid Received: $213 million (2008 est.)

Labour Force
Number in labour force: 5.462 million (2007 est.)
Sectors: agriculture: 19.2% industry: 14.5% services: 66.3% (2006 est.)
Unemployment: 9% (2007 est.)

GDP Facts and Figures
Currency: Syrian pound (SYP)
GDP: $87.09 billion (2007 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $4,500 (2007 est.)
GDP Real Growth: 3.9% (2007 est.)
GDP Composition: agriculture: 23.6% industry: 27.5% services: 48.9% (2007 est.)
Production Growth Rate: 2.5% (2007 est.)

Industries, Land Use and Resource Consumption
Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly
Land use: arable land: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005)
Exports: crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Electricity Consumption: 34 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Natural Gas Consumption: 4.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Oil Consumption: 229,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Country Outline Map

Geographic Data
Syria is located in Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey, in the timezone GMT 2. The country has boundaries of 2,253 - Iraq 605, Israel 76, Jordan 375, Lebanon 375, Turkey 822 (km), and a coastline of 193 (km). Major urban areas: Damascus, Halab, Hama, Homs, Latakia.

Elevations
Lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
Highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

Physical Features
Arabian desert (2,330,000 km2), Syrian desert (260,000 km2), Euphrates river, primarily semiarid and desert plateau

Hazards
Dust storms, sandstorms

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

Land Use
Arable land: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005)

Renewable Water Resources
46.1 cu km (1997)

Fresh Water Withdrawal
total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)

Environmental Issues
Deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water

Detailed country map

Transport and Communications

A selection of key transport and communications information for Syria

Number of main telephone lines
3.243 million (2006)

Mobile (cellular) phones
4.675 million (2006)

Radio stations
AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Television stations
44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Internet users
1.5 million (2006)

Country internet code
.sy

Railways
total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)

Highways
total: 91,795 km paved: 18,451 km unpaved: 73,344 km (2003)

Waterways
900 km (not economically significant) (2005)

Pipelines
gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)

Ports and harbours
Baniyas, Latakia

Airports
90 (2007)

Heliports
7 (2007)