0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 71,384 km
country comparison to the world: 66
paved: 71,384 km (includes 1,793 of expressways) (2009)
Waterways:
65 km; (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and
Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 103
Merchant marine:
total: 35
country comparison to the world: 81
by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 4,
petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 109 (Antigua and Barbuda 7, Bahamas
2, Cayman Islands 1, France 5, Germany 1, Italy 6, Liberia 17,
Luxembourg 1, Malta 14, Marshall Islands 12, NZ 2, Panama 22,
Portugal 3, Russia 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore
4, Spain 1, Tonga 1, Tuvalu 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Basel
Military ::Switzerland
Military branches:
Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer
Luftwaffe) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
19-26 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of
age for voluntary male and female military service; every Swiss male
has to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces; conscripts
receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week
intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,839,382
females age 16-49: 1,797,317 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,502,736
females age 16-49: 1,468,785 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 47,043
female: 43,033 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Transnational Issues ::Switzerland
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering
and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant
legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and
nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore
entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and
consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and
Western European synthetics; domestic cannabis cultivation and
limited ecstasy production
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Syria (Middle East)
Introduction ::Syria
Background:
Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern
portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French
administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in
1946. The new country lacked political stability, however, and
experienced a series of military coups during its first decades.
Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab
Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the
Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz
al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority
Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political
stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost
the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held
occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of
President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as
president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops -
stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role -
were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict
between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on
alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally
Hizballah. In May 2007 Bashar al-ASAD was elected to his second term
as president.
Geography ::Syria
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and
Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
35 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 185,180 sq km
country comparison to the world: 88
land: 183,630 sq km
water: 1,550 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon
375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
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
Terrain:
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;
mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore,
rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 24.8%
permanent crops: 4.47%
other: 70.73% (2005)
Irrigated land:
13,330 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
46.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%)
per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms
volcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an
unnamed volcano near the Turkish border have not erupted in centuries
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water
pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate
potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
there are 41 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2010 est.)
People ::Syria
Population:
22,198,110 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
note: approximately 19,100 Israeli settlers live in the Golan
Heights (2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.4% (male 4,063,367/female 3,864,099)
15-64 years: 59.9% (male 6,628,644/female 6,406,864)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 372,172/female 427,832) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.5 years
male: 21.3 years
female: 21.7 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.954% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Birth rate:
24.44 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
Death rate:
3.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
Net migration rate:
-1.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 162
Urbanization:
urban population: 54% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.14 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 117
male: 18.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.46 years
country comparison to the world: 95
male: 72.1 years
female: 76.96 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.02 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian
Ethnic groups:
Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%,
Christian (various denominations) 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: 79.6%
male: 86%
female: 73.6% (2004 census)
Education expenditures:
4.9% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 77
Government ::Syria
Country name:
conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form: Syria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
local short form: Suriyah
former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Government type:
republic under an authoritarian regime
Capital:
name: Damascus
geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Friday in April; ends last
Friday in October
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al
Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a,
Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq
(Damascus), 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 a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; Islamic law
is used in the family court system; 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
President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees foreign
policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) oversees
cultural policy
head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10
September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah
al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president approved by popular referendum for a second
seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held on 27 May
2007 (next to be held in May 2014); the president appoints the vice
presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers
election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of
vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.6%
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NPF 172, independents 78
Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by
the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court
(adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of
laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the
president); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts
represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and
local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of
First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts
- Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes);
Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national
security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to
marriage and divorce)
Political parties and leaders:
legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar
al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance
(Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Socialist Unionist
Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist
Union or ASU [Safwan al-QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two
branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social
Nationalist Party [As'ad HARDAN]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez
ISMAIL])
opposition parties not legally recognized: Communist Action Party
[Fateh al-JAMOUS]; National Democratic Rally [Hasan ABDUL-AZIM,
spokesman] (includes five parties - Arab Democratic Socialist Union
Party [Hasan ABDUL-AZIM], Arab Socialist Movement, Democratic Ba'th
Party [Ibrahim MAKHOS], Democratic People's Party [Riad al TURK],
Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafez al HAFEZ])
Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Azadi Party [Kheirudin MURAD];
Future Party [Masha'l TAMMO]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes
four parties); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes three parties);
Yekiti Party [Fu'ad ALEYKO]
other parties: Syrian Democratic Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Arab Human Rights Organization in Syria or AHRO; Damascus
Declaration Group (a broad alliance of secular, religious, and
Kurdish opposition groups); National Salvation Front (alliance
between former Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM and other small
opposition groups in exile; formerly included the Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood); Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
[Mazin DARWISH]; Syrian Human Rights Organization [Muhanad
al-HASANI]; Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fayez FAWAZ];
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Muhammad Riyad al-SHAQFAH]
(operates in exile in London)
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MOUSTAPHA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4585
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles
(Chuck) F. HUNTER
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444
FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; two
small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in
the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag
and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle
(red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the
former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two
stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the
current design dates to 1980
note: similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band,
Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band,
and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the
white band
National anthem:
name: "Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland)
lyrics/music: Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad
Salim FLAYFEL
note: adopted 1936, restored 1961; between 1958 and 1961, while
Syria was a member of the United Arab Republic with Egypt, the
country had a different anthem
Economy ::Syria
Economy - overview:
Syrian economic growth slowed to 1.8% in 2009 as the global economic
crisis affected oil prices and the economies of Syria's key export
partners and sources of investment. Damascus has implemented modest
economic reforms in the past few years, including cutting lending
interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating all of the
multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items,
most notably gasoline and cement, and establishing the Damascus
Stock Exchange - which began operations in 2009. In addition,
President ASAD signed legislative decrees to encourage corporate
ownership reform, and to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury
bills and bonds for government debt. Nevertheless, the economy
remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic
constraints include declining oil production, high unemployment,
rising budget deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies
caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth,
industrial expansion, and water pollution.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$106.4 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
$102.4 billion (2009 est.)
$97.48 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$59.63 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
5% (2009 est.)
4.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,800 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
$4,700 (2009 est.)
$4,600 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.6%
industry: 26.8%
services: 55.6% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
5.527 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17%
industry: 16%
services: 67% (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8.3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
8.5% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
11.9% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
16.6% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
Public debt:
29.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
28.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.9% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
2.6% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 88
5% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.04% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
10.19% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$21.6 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 62
$19.53 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$161 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 43
$147.5 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:
$27.14 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$23.58 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets;
beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Industries:
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate
rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
Electricity - production:
36.5 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Electricity - consumption:
27.35 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
1.4 billion kWh (2007)
Oil - production:
400,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
Oil - consumption:
252,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
Oil - exports:
155,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Oil - imports:
58,710 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Oil - proved reserves:
2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
Natural gas - production:
6.04 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
Natural gas - consumption:
6.18 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
Natural gas - imports:
140 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
Natural gas - proved reserves:
240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
Current account balance:
$649 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
$394 million (2009 est.)
Exports:
$12.84 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
$11.76 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables,
cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners:
Iraq 30.22%, Lebanon 12.21%, Germany 8.89%, Egypt 6.8%, Saudi Arabia
5.04%, Italy 4.55% (2009)
Imports:
$13.57 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
$12.62 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food
and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical
products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 10.1%, China 9.95%, Turkey 6.97%, Egypt 6.44%, UAE
4.97%, Italy 4.93%, Russia 4.92%, Germany 4.38%, Lebanon 4.12% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$17.96 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
$17.44 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$7.682 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
$7.359 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 46.456 (2010), 46.7082 (2009),
46.5281 (2008), 50.0085 (2007), 51.689 (2006)
Communications ::Syria
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.871 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 41
Telephones - mobile cellular:
9.697 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 66
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
and expansion of the network to rural areas
domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased
markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing with telephone
subscribership reaching nearly 50 per 100 persons in 2009
international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to
Egypt, Lebanon, and Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and
Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Broadcast media:
state-run television and radio broadcast networks; state operates 2
TV networks and a satellite channel; roughly two-thirds of Syrian
homes have a satellite dish providing access to foreign TV
broadcasts; 3 state-run radio channels; first private radio station
launched in 2005; private radio broadcasters prohibited from
transmitting news or political content (2007)
Internet country code:
.sy
Internet hosts:
8,114 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 133
Internet users:
4.469 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 52
Transportation ::Syria
Airports:
104 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 57
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 29
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 59 (2010)
Heliports:
7 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 3,101 km; oil 1,997 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 2,052 km
country comparison to the world: 72
standard gauge: 1,801 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 97,401 km
country comparison to the world: 45
paved: 19,490 km (includes 1,103 km of expressways)
unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)
Waterways:
900 km (navigable not economically significant) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 69
Merchant marine:
total: 41
country comparison to the world: 77
by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 30, carrier 3, container 1
foreign-owned: 5 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 2, Romania 1)
registered in other countries: 199 (Barbados 1, Belize 2, Bolivia 4,
Cambodia 22, Comoros 6, Cyprus 1, Dominica 2, Georgia 35, Lebanon 3,
Liberia 1, Libya 2, Malta 5, Moldova 3, North Korea 6, Panama 42,
Saint Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Sierra
Leone 20, Togo 5, unknown 8) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Baniyas, Latakia, Tartus
Military ::Syria
Military branches: