*Switzerland, Communications
Railroads:
4,418 km total; 3,073 km are government owned and 1,345 km are nongovernment
owned; the government network consists of 2,999 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge track; 1,432 km double track, 99%
electrified; the nongovernment network consists of 510 km 1.435-meter
standard gauge, and 835 km 1.000-meter gauge, 100% electrified
Highways:
62,145 km total (all paved); 18,620 km are canton, 1,057 km are national
highways (740 km autobahn), 42,468 km are communal roads
Inland waterways:
65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable
lakes
Pipelines:
crude oil 314 km, natural gas 1,506 km
Ports:
Basel (river port)
Merchant marine:
23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 308,725 GRT/548,244 DWT; includes 5
cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 8
bulk, 1 oil tanker
Airports:
total:
66
usable:
65
with permanent-surface runways:
42 with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
5
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
18
Telecommunications:
excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5,890,000
telephones; extensive cable and microwave networks; broadcast stations - 7
AM, 265 FM, 18 (1,322 repeaters) TV; communications satellite earth station
operating in the INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) system
*Switzerland, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (Air Force is part of the Army), Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,852,213; fit for military service 1,590,308; reach
military age (20) annually 44,124 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $3.5 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1993 est.)
*Syria, Geography
Location:
Middle East, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Turkey and Lebanon
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
185,180 km2
land area:
184,050 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than North Dakota
note:
includes 1,295 km2 of Israeli-occupied territory
Land boundaries:
total 2,253 km, Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km,
Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
41 nm
territorial sea:
35 nm
International disputes:
separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Golan Heights is Israeli
occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; periodic disputes with Iraq over
Euphrates water rights; ongoing dispute over water development plans by
Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Syrian troops in northern
Lebanon since October 1976
Climate:
mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy
winters (December to February) along coast
Terrain:
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in
west
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock
salt, marble, gypsum
Land use:
arable land:
28%
permanent crops:
3%
meadows and pastures:
46%
forest and woodland:
3%
other:
20%
Irrigated land:
6,700 km2 (1989)
Environment:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note:
there are 38 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
*Syria, People
Population:
14,338,527 (July 1993 est.)
note:
in addition, there are at least 14,500 Druze and 14,000 Jewish settlers in
the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.76% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
44.08 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
43.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
66.12 years
male:
65.07 years
female:
67.22 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.75 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Syrian(s)
adjective:
Syrian
Ethnic divisions:
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, French widely
understood
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
64%
male:
78%
female:
51%
Labor force:
2.951 million (1989)
by occupation:
miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry and
construction 32%; note - shortage of skilled labor (1984)
*Syria, Government
Names:
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)
Digraph:
SY
Type:
republic under leftwing 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)
Constitution: 13 March 1973
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 17 April (1946)
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party is the Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Ba'th) Party; the
Progressive National is dominated by Ba'thists but includes independents and
members of the Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP); Arab Socialist Union
(ASU); Syrian Communist Party (SCP); Arab Socialist Unionist Movement; and
Democratic Socialist Union Party
Other political or pressure groups:
non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence; Communist party
ineffective; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held 2 December 1991 (next to be held December 1998); results -
President Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected for a fourth seven-year term with
99.98% of the vote
People's Council:
last held 22-23 May 1990 (next to be held NA May 1994); results - Ba'th
53.6%, ASU 3.2%, SCP 3.2%, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 2.8%, ASP 2%,
Democratic Socialist Union Party 1.6%, independents 33.6%; seats - (250
total) Ba'th 134, ASU 8, SCP 8, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 7, ASP 5,
Democratic Socialist Union Party 4, independents 84; note - the People's
Council was expanded to 250 seats total prior to the May 1990 election
Executive branch:
president, three vice presidents, prime minister, three deputy prime
ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab)