Syria




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle East, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Turkey and Lebanon
Map references:
     Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     185,180 sq km
land area:
     184,050 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly larger than North Dakota
note:
     includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Land boundaries:
     total 2,253 km, Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375
     km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
     193 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     41 nm
territorial sea:
     35 nm
International disputes:
     separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Golan Heights is
     Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; periodic disputes with
     Iraq over Euphrates water rights; ongoing dispute over water
     development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
     Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976
Climate:
     mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild,
     rainy winters (December to February) along coast
Terrain:
     primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains
     in west
Natural resources:
     petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore,
     rock salt, marble, gypsum
Land use:
arable land:
     28%
permanent crops:
     3%
meadows and pastures:
     46%
forest and woodland:
     3%
other:
     20%
Irrigated land:
     6,700 sq km (1989)




Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water
     pollution from dumping of untreated sewage and wastes from petroleum
     refining; lack of safe drinking water
natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     party to - Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
     Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Environmental
     Modification
Note:
     there are 40 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
     Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (April 1994)


                                  People


Population:
     14,886,672 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     in addition, there are 30,500 people living in the Israeli-occupied
     Golan Heights--16,500 Arabs (15,000 Druze and 1,500 Alawites) and
     14,000 Jewish settlers (1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     3.74% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     43.65 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     6.25 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     42.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     66.46 years
male:
     65.37 years
female:
     67.61 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     6.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Syrian(s)
adjective:
     Syrian
Ethnic divisions:
     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, French
     widely understood
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
     64%
male:
     78%
female:
     51%
Labor force:
     2.951 million (1989)
by occupation:
     miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry
     and construction 32%; note - shortage of skilled labor (1984)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
local short form:
     Suriyah
former:
     United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Digraph:
     SY
Type:
     republic under leftwing 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:
     National Day, 17 April (1946)
Constitution:
     13 March 1973
Legal system:
     based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts;
     has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal




Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971 see note); Vice
     Presidents 'Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM, Rif'at al-ASAD, and
     Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984); election last held 2
     December 1991 (next to be held December 1998); results - President
     Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected for a fourth seven-year term with 99.98%
     of the vote; 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
head of government:
     Prime Minister Mahmud ZU'BI (since 1 November 1987); Deputy Prime
     Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984); Deputy Prime
     Minister Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981); Deputy Prime Minister
     Rashid AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab):
     elections last held 22-23 May 1990 (next to be held NA May 1994);
     results - Ba'th 53.6%, ASU 3.2%, SCP 3.2%, Arab Socialist Unionist
     Movement 2.8%, ASP 2%, Democratic Socialist Union Party 1.6%,
     independents 33.6%; seats - (250 total) Ba'th 134, ASU 8, SCP 8, Arab
     Socialist Unionist Movement 7, ASP 5, Democratic Socialist Union Party
     4, independents 84; note - the People's Council was expanded to 250
     seats total prior to the May 1990 election
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of
     Cassation, State Security Courts
Political parties and leaders:
     ruling party is the Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Ba'th) Party; the
     Progressive National is dominated by Ba'thists but includes
     independents and members of the Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP);
     Arab Socialist Union (ASU); Syrian Communist Party (SCP); Arab
     Socialist Unionist Movement; and Democratic Socialist Union Party
Other political or pressure groups:
     non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence; Communist
     party ineffective; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood
Member of:
     ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
     ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
     IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
     UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Walid MUALEM
chancery:
     2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 232-6313
FAX:
     (202) 234-9548




US diplomatic representation:
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) 332-814, 332-315, 714-108, 330-788
FAX:
     [963] (11) 247-938
Flag:
     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


Overview:
     Syria's state-dominated Ba'thist economy has benefited from the Gulf
     war of early 1991, increased oil production, good weather, and
     economic deregulation. Economic growth averaged roughly 10% in
     1990-93. The Gulf war provided Syria an aid windfall of nearly $5
     billion dollars from Arab, European, and Japanese donors. These
     inflows more than offset Damascus's war-related costs and will help
     Syria cover some of its debt arrears, restore suspended credit lines,
     and initiate selected military and civilian purchases. In 1992 the
     government spurred economic development by loosening controls on
     domestic and foreign investment while maintaining strict political
     controls. For the long run, Syria's economy is still saddled with a
     large number of poorly performing public sector firms, and industrial
     productivity remains to be improved. Another major long-term concern
     is the additional drain of upstream Euphrates water by Turkey when its
     vast dam and irrigation projects are completed by mid-decade.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $81.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     7.6% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $5,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     16.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     7.5% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $7.13 billion
expenditures:
     $9.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $4 billion (1993 est.)
Exports:
     $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)




commodities:
     petroleum 53%, textiles 22%, cotton, fruits and vegetables
partners:
     EC 48%, former CEMA countries 24%, Arab countries 18% (1991)
Imports:
     $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     foodstuffs 21%, metal products 17%, machinery 15%
partners:
     EC 37%, former CEMA countries 15%, US and Canada 10% (1991)
External debt:
     $19.4 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 21% (1991); accounts for 19% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
     3,205,000 kW
production:
     11.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     830 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining,
     petroleum
Agriculture:
     accounts for 30% of GDP and one-third of labor force; all major crops
     (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas) grown mainly on
     rain-watered land causing wide swings in production; animal products -
     beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk; not self-sufficient in grain or
     livestock products
Illicit drugs:
     a transit country for Lebanese and Turkish refined cocaine going to
     Europe and heroin and hashish bound for regional and Western markets
Economic aid:
recipient:
     no US aid; aid from other countries (Western and Arab) totals $1.358
     billion (1993 est.); no Ex-Im, OPEC programs in place; almost $5
     billion in loans and grants from Arab and Western donors from 1990-92
     as a result of Gulf war stance
Currency:
     1 Syrian pound (#S) = 100 piastres
Exchange rates:
     Syrian pounds (#S) per US$1 - 11.2 (official fixed rate), 26.6
     (blended rate used by the UN and diplomatic missions), 42.0
     (neighboring country rate - applies to most state enterprise imports),
     46.0 - 53.0 (offshore rate) (yearend 1993)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     1,998 km total; 1,766 km standard gauge, 232 km 1.050-meter (narrow)
     gauge




Highways:
total:
     29,000 km
paved:
     22,680 km (including 670 km of expressways) (1988)
unpaved:
     6,320 km
Inland waterways:
     870 km; minimal economic importance
Pipelines:
     crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km
Ports:
     Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas, Jablah
Merchant marine:
     57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 151,519 GRT/243,910 DWT, bulk 7,
     cargo 48, vehicle carrier 2
Airports:
total:
     104
usable:
     100
with permanent-surface runways:
     24
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     21
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     3
Telecommunications:
     fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital
     upgrades, including fiber optic technology; 512,600 telephones (37
     telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations - 9 AM, 1 FM, 17 TV;
     satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Intersputnik;
     1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq,
     Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab
     Air Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 3,300,397; fit for military service 1,850,545; reach
     military age (19) annually 155,569 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $2.2 billion, 6% of GDP (1992)