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:
total:
71,106 km
paved:
71,106 km (including 1,502 km of expressways)
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 337,455 GRT/592,213 DWT, bulk
10, cargo 4, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo
2, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total:
70
usable:
69
with permanent-surface runways:
42
with runways over 3,659 m:
3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
4
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 1,853,075; fit for military service 1,589,288; reach
military age (20) annually 43,005 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $3.4 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1993)
@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 sq km
land area:
184,050 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than North Dakota
note:
includes 1,295 sq km 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 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water
pollution from dumping of untreated sewage and wastes from petroleum
refining; lack of safe drinking water
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Environmental
Modification
Note:
there are 40 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (April 1994)
@Syria, People
Population:
14,886,672 (July 1994 est.)
note:
in addition, there are 30,500 people living in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights—16,500 Arabs (15,000 Druze and 1,500 Alawites) and
14,000 Jewish settlers (1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.74% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
43.65 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.25 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
42.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
66.46 years
male:
65.37 years
female:
67.61 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.65 children born/woman (1994 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)
National holiday:
National 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 Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971 see note); Vice
Presidents 'Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM, Rif'at al-ASAD, and
Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984); election 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; note - President ASAD seized power in the November 1970
coup, assumed presidential powers 22 February 1971, and was confirmed
as president in the 12 March 1971 national elections
head of government:
Prime Minister Mahmud ZU'BI (since 1 November 1987); Deputy Prime
Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984); Deputy Prime
Minister Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981); Deputy Prime Minister
Rashid AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
unicameral
People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab):
elections 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
Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of
Cassation, State Security Courts
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
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Walid MUALEM
chancery:
2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 232-6313
FAX:
(202) 234-9548
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS
embassy:
Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street No. 2, Damascus
mailing address:
P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone:
[963] (11) 332-814, 332-315, 714-108, 330-788
FAX:
[963] (11) 247-938
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with two
small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the
white band; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band
and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription)
in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the
flag of Egypt, which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
@Syria, Economy