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| Introduction | Syria |
| Background: | Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was administered by the French until independence in 1946. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. Since 1976, Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon, ostensibly in a peacekeeping capacity. In recent years, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights. |
| People | Syria |
| Population: | 18,016,874 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 38% (male 3,524,406; female 3,319,323) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 5,421,133; female 5,163,669) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 281,795; female 306,548) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 20 years male: 19.9 years female: 20.2 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.4% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 28.93 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 30.82 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 69.71 years male: 68.47 years female: 71.02 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.61 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.01% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian |
| Ethnic groups: | 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 widely understood; French, English somewhat understood |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Syria |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic conventional short form: Syria local short form: Suriyah former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt) local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah |
| Government type: | republic under 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: | Independence 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 Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice Presidents Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since 11 March 1984) and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984) head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Farouk al-SHARA (since 13 December 2001), Dr. Muhammad al-HUSAYN (since 13 December 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; referendum/election last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held NA 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June 2000, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June 2000 election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receives one-half of the seats elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts |
| Political parties and leaders: | National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general], Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad al ASAD], Syrian Communist Party [leader NA], Unionist Socialist Party [leader NA], Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani QANNUT], and Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Sami SUFAN]) [President Bashar al-ASAD, chairman]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence |
| International organization participation: | ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342 FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678 |
| Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980 |
| Communications | Syria |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 2,099,300 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 400,000 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: | 4.15 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: | 1.05 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .sy |
| Internet hosts: | 11 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 220,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Syria |
| Railways: | total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 43,381 km paved: 10,021 km (including 877 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,360 km (1999) |
| Waterways: | 900 km (not economically significant) (2002) |
| Pipelines: | gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus |
| Merchant marine: | total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT foreign-owned: Egypt 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, Lebanon 10, Romania 1 registered in other countries: 83 (2003 est.) by type: bulk 12, cargo 101, container 2, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 |
| Airports: | 93 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 26 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 3 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: | 7 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Syria |
| Military branches: | Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (including Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 4,876,040 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 2,716,054 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 216,077 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 5.9% (FY00) |
| Transnational Issues | Syria |
| Disputes - international: | Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 413,827 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004) |
| Illicit drugs: | a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls, bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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