republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime
republic; parliamentary democracy
Independence date
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Exports
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision
External Debt
$7,074,000,000 $
$548,300,000,000 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,
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
5.900%
2.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
2
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Area
185,180 km sq
92,090 km sq
Coastline
193 km
1,793 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
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
