]! ^! 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. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights. 
]" ^" Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey ^# 35 00 N, 38 00 E ^$ Middle East ^% `! 185,180 sq km `" 184,050 sq km `# 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory ^& slightly larger than North Dakota ^' `! 2,253 km `U Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km ^( 193 km ^) `$ 12 nm `H 41 nm ^* 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 ^+ primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west ^, `% unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m `& Mount Hermon 2,814 m ^- petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower ^. `' 25.22% `( 4.43% `) 70.35% (2001) ^/ 12,130 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 dust storms, sandstorms ^1 deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `L Environmental Modification ^2 there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) 
]# ^3 18,448,752 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 2005 est.) ^4 `* 37.4% (male 3,556,795/female 3,350,267) `+ 59.3% (male 5,601,971/female 5,333,799) `, 3.3% (male 288,868/female 317,052) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 20.37 years `- 20.24 years `. 20.51 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.34% (2005 est.) ^7 28.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.06 male(s)/female `0 1.06 male(s)/female `+ 1.05 male(s)/female `, 0.91 male(s)/female `1 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births `- 29.76 deaths/1,000 live births `. 29.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 70.03 years `- 68.75 years `. 71.38 years (2005 est.) ^= 3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? less than 500 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Syrian(s) `3 Syrian ^B Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% ^C Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) ^D Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 76.9% `- 89.7% `. 64% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Syrian Arab Republic `5 Syria `V Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah `W Suriyah `X United Arab Republic (with Egypt) ^H republic under military regime since March 1963 ^I Damascus ^J 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 ^K 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) ^L Independence Day, 17 April (1946) ^M 13 March 1973 ^N based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 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) `7 Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003) `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the president `9 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 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president `: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% 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 ^Q unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) `9 last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) `: 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 ^R Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts ^S Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL] ^T conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [leader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM] ^U 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, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO ^V `N Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA `O 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 232-6313 `Q [1] (202) 234-9548 ^W `N Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY `Z Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus `[ P. O. Box 29, Damascus `P [963] (11) 333-1342 `Q [963] (11) 331-9678 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Real GDP growth rose to 2.3 percent in 2004, a slight increase from 2003 when the predominantly statist economy suffered from disruptions caused by the war in Iraq and other developments in the region. Annual real GDP growth has averaged 2.3 percent for the last seven years. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports and pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. ^Z $60.44 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 2.3% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2004 est.) ^] `; 25% `< 31% `= 44% (2003 est.) ^^ 5.12 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 30%, industry 27%, services 43% (2002 est.) ^` 20% (2002 est.) ^a 20% (2004 est.) _! `> NA `? NA _" 2.1% (2004 est.) _P 16.3% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $6.58 billion `A $9.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.67 billion (2004 est.) _Q 32% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk _% petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining _& 7% (2002 est.) _' 26.15 billion kWh (2002) _( 24.32 billion kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 525,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _, 240,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _- 285,000 bbl/day (2004) _. NA _R 2.5 billion bbl (2004 est.) _S 5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.) _T 5.84 billion cu m (2001 est.) _U 0 cu m (2001 est.) _V 0 cu m (2001 est.) _W 240.7 billion cu m (2004) _X $1.1 billion (2003) _/ $6.086 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat _1 Italy 22.7%, France 18%, Turkey 12.9%, Iraq 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2004) _2 $5.042 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper _4 Turkey 9.4%, Ukraine 8.7%, China 7.8%, Russia 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, US 4.7%, South Korea 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2004) _Y $5 billion (2004 est.) _5 $4 billion (excludes military debt and debt to Russia) (2004 est.) _6 $180 million (2002 est.) _7 Syrian pound (SYP) _8 Syrian pounds per US dollar - (official rate): 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), (parallel market rate in Amman and Beirut) NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2002), 49.4 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 2,099,300 (2002) _; 400,000 (2002) _< `B fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology `C coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network `D 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 _= AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) _> 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) _? .sy _@ 11 (2004) _A 220,000 (2002) 
]' _e `! 2,711 km `b 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge `c 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2004) _B `! 45,697 km `E 6,489 km (including 1,001 km of expressways) `F 39,208 km (2002) _b 900 km (not economically significant) (2002) _[ gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004) _C Baniyas, Latakia _K `! 120 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 105, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 `S 12 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Jordan 2, Lebanon 7, Romania 1) `\ 73 (2005) _D 92 (2004 est.) _E `! 26 `] 5 `G 16 `_ 3 `T 2 (2004 est.) _L `! 66 `^ 2 `_ 10 `T 54 (2004 est.) _\ 7 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force _M 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (2004) _] males age 18-49: 4,356,413 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 3,453,888 (2005 est.) _^ `` 225,113 (2005 est.) _N $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending _O 5.9% (FY00) 
]) _H Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan _c `d 413,827 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2004) _I 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 