Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
President: Bashar al-Assad
Population
109,011
22,530,746
Life Expectancy
73.300 years
74.920 years
Capital City
Damascus
Largest city
Saint George's (population: 7,500)
Aleppo (population: 1,602,260)
Human Development Index
0.774
0.736
GDP per capita
$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
12.300%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Legal
Political System
parliamentary democracy
republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
Independence date
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)
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
External Debt
$7,074,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 46.5281 (2008 est.), 50.0085 (2007), 51.689 (2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004) 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,
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
5.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
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
