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
Land use: arable land: 28% permanent crops : 4% permanent pastures: 43% forests and woodland: 3% other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 9,060 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Environmental Modification
Geography - note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1996 est.)
@Syria:People
Population: 16,137,899 (July 1997 est.)
note: in addition, there are 32,600 people living in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 17,600 Arabs (16,000 Druze and 1,600
Alawites) and 15,000 Israeli settlers (August 1996 est.)