republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
constitutional sultanate
Independence date
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
1 January 1984 (from UK)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10%
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
crude oil, natural gas, garments
External Debt
$7,074,000,000 $
$0 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,
Bruneian dollars (BND) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
5.900%
4.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia
Area
185,180 km sq
5,765 km sq
Coastline
193 km
161 km
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
