Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
President: Bashar al-Assad
Population
110,152
17,951,639
Life Expectancy
73.800 years
68.410 years
Capital City
Saint George's
Damascus
Largest city
Saint George's (population: 7,500)
Aleppo (population: 1,602,260)
Human Development Index
0.774
0.736
GDP per capita
$13,800 US
$5,100 US
Literacy Rate
96%
79.6%
Corruption Perception Index
NA
2.1
Percentage of Women in Parliament
21.4%
12.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Legal
Political System
parliamentary democracy
republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
Independence date
7 February 1974 (from UK)
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Religions
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Area
344 km sq
185,180 km sq
Coastline
121 km
193 km
Climate
tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
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
Rankings + Records
