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4 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Syria
n : an Asian republic in the Middle East at the east end of the
Mediterranean; site of some of the world's most ancient
centers of civilization; involved in state-sponsored
terrorism [syn: {Syrian Arab Republic}]
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Syria
(Heb. Aram), the name in the Old Testament given to the whole
country which lay to the north-east of Phoenicia, extending to
beyond the Euphrates and the Tigris. Mesopotamia is called (Gen.
24:10; Deut. 23:4) Aram-naharain (=Syria of the two rivers),
also Padan-aram (Gen. 25:20). Other portions of Syria were also
known by separate names, as Aram-maahah (1 Chr. 19:6),
Aram-beth-rehob (2 Sam. 10:6), Aram-zobah (2 Sam. 10:6, 8). All
these separate little kingdoms afterwards became subject to
Damascus. In the time of the Romans, Syria included also a part
of Palestine and Asia Minor.
"From the historic annals now accessible to us, the history of
Syria may be divided into three periods: The first, the period
when the power of the Pharaohs was dominant over the fertile
fields or plains of Syria and the merchant cities of Tyre and
Sidon, and when such mighty conquerors as Thothmes III. and
Rameses II. could claim dominion and levy tribute from the
nations from the banks of the Euphrates to the borders of the
Libyan desert. Second, this was followed by a short period of
independence, when the Jewish nation in the south was growing in
power, until it reached its early zenith in the golden days of
Solomon; and when Tyre and Sidon were rich cities, sending their
traders far and wide, over land and sea, as missionaries of
civilization, while in the north the confederate tribes of the
Hittites held back the armies of the kings of Assyria. The
third, and to us most interesting, period is that during which
the kings of Assyria were dominant over the plains of Syria;
when Tyre, Sidon, Ashdod, and Jerusalem bowed beneath the
conquering armies of Shalmaneser, Sargon, and Sennacherib; and
when at last Memphis and Thebes yielded to the power of the
rulers of Nineveh and Babylon, and the kings of Assyria
completed with terrible fulness the bruising of the reed of
Egypt so clearly foretold by the Hebrew prophets.", Boscawen.
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Syria
Introduction Syria
------------------
Background: 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. Since 1976,
Syrian troops have been stationed in
Lebanon, ostensibly in a
peacekeeping capacity. In recent
years, Syria and Israel have held
occasional peace talks over the
return of the Golan Heights.
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
note: includes 1,295 sq km of
Israeli-occupied territory
water: 1,130 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km
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: contiguous zone: 41 NM
territorial sea: 35 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: 25.96%
permanent crops: 4.08%
other: 69.96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; desertification; water
pollution from raw sewage and
petroleum refining wastes;
inadequate potable water
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification
Geography - note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and
civilian land use sites in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
(August 2001 est.)
People Syria
------------
Population: 17,155,814 (July 2002 est.)
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 (August 2001
est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.3% (male 3,467,267;
female 3,264,639)
15-64 years: 57.5% (male 5,052,841;
female 4,817,662)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male
267,803; female 285,602) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.5% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 30.11 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 32.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.08 years
female: 70.32 years (2002 est.)
male: 67.9 years
Total fertility rate: 3.84 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian
Ethnic groups: 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 widely
understood; French, English somewhat
understood
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 70.8%
male: 85.7%
female: 55.8% (1997 est.)
Government Syria
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Syrian Arab
Republic
conventional short form: Syria
local short form: Suriyah
former: United Arab Republic (with
Egypt)
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al
Arabiyah as Suriyah
Government type: republic under 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: Independence 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 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)
head of government: Prime Minister
Muhammad Mustafa MIRU (since 13
March 2000), Deputy Prime Ministers
Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11
March 1984), Farouk al-SHARA (since
13 December 2001), Dr. Muhammad al-
HUSAYN (since 13 December 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the president
elections: president elected by
popular vote for a seven-year term;
referendum/election last held 10
July 2000 - after the death of
President Hafez al-ASAD, father of
Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held NA
2007); vice presidents appointed by
the president; prime minister and
deputy prime ministers appointed by
the president
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
election results: Bashar al-ASAD
elected president; percent of vote -
Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or
Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
election results: 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
elections: last held 30 November-
1 December 1998 (next to be held NA
2002)
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
(justices are appointed for four-
year terms by the president); High
Judicial Council; Court of
Cassation; State Security Courts
Political parties and leaders: National Progressive Front or NPF
(includes the Ba'th Party, ASU, Arab
Socialist Party, Socialist Unionist
Democratic Party, ASP, SCP)
[President Bashar al-ASAD,
chairman]; Arab Socialist
Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing
party) [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary general]; Syrian Arab
Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan
KOUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or
SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]; Syrian Social
National Party [Jubran URAYJI]
Political pressure groups and conservative religious leaders;
leaders: Muslim Brotherhood (operates in
exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-
Ba'th parties have little effective
political influence
International organization AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA,
participation: FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN,
UN Security Council (temporary),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rustum
al-ZU'BI
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador
US: Theodore H. KATTOUF
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur
Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29,
Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342
FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678
Flag description: 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 heraldic eagle
centered in the white band
Economy Syria
-------------
Economy - overview: Syria's predominantly statist
economy has been growing slower than
its 2.5% annual population growth
rate, causing a persistent decline
in per capita GDP. President Bashar
AL-ASAD has made little progress on
the economic front after one year in
office, but does appear willing to
permit a gradual strengthening of
the private sector. His most obvious
accomplishment to this end was the
recent passage of legislation
allowing private banks to operate in
Syria, although a private banking
sector will take years and further
government cooperation to develop.
ASAD's recent cabinet reshuffle may
improve his chances of implementing
further growth-oriented policies,
although external factors such as
the international war on terrorism,
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
and downturn in oil prices could
weaken the foreign investment and
government revenues Syria needs to
flourish. A long-run economic
constraint is the pressure on water
supplies caused by rapid population
growth, industrial expansion, and
increased water pollution.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $54.2
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,200
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 27%
industry: 23%
services: 50% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 15%-25%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 4.7 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 40%, industry 20%,
services 40% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $5 billion
expenditures: $7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001
est.)
Industries: petroleum, textiles, food
processing, beverages, tobacco,
phosphate rock mining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 19.7 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 64.47%
hydro: 35.53%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 17.671 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 650 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils,
chickpeas, olives, sugar beets;
beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Exports: $5 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil 68%, textiles 7%, fruits
and vegetables 6%, raw cotton 4%
(1998 est.)
Exports - partners: Germany 27%, Italy 12%, France 10%,
Turkey 10%, Saudi Arabia 7% (2000
est.)
Imports: $4 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment
21%, food and livestock 18%, metal
and metal products 15%, chemicals
and chemical products 10% (2000
est.)
Imports - partners: Italy 9%, Germany 7%, France 5%,
Lebanon 5%, China 4%, South Korea
4%, Turkey 4%, US 4% (2000 est.)
Debt - external: $22 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $199 million (1997 est.)
Currency: Syrian pound (SYP)
Currency code: SYP
Exchange rates: Syrian pounds per US dollar - 51
(December 2001), 46 (2000), 46
(1998), 41.9 (January 1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Syria
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system
currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades,
including fiber-optic technology
domestic: coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay network
international: 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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 1.05 million (1997)
Internet country code: .sy
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 32,000 (2001)
Transportation Syria
--------------------
Railways: total: 2,750 km
standard gauge: 2,423 km 1.435-
m gauge
note: rail link between Syria and
Iraq replaced in 2000 (2001)
narrow gauge: 327 km 1.050-m gauge
Highways: total: 41,451 km
paved: 9,575 km (including 877 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 31,876 km (1997)
Waterways: 870 km (minimal economic importance)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum
products 515 km
Ports and harbors: Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
Merchant marine: total: 143 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 482,985 GRT/702,590 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Egypt 1, Greece 2,
Italy 1, Lebanon 10 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 126,
livestock carrier 4, roll on/roll
off 1
Airports: 99 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 16
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
914 to 1,523 m: 2
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 62 (2001)
Heliports: 2 (2001)
Military Syria
--------------
Military branches: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy,
Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air
Defense Forces), Police and Security
Force
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,550,496 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 2,539,342 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 200,859 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $921 million (FY00 est.); note -
figure: based on official budget data that
may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of 5.9% (FY98)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Syria
--------------------------
Disputes - international: Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied;
dispute with upstream riparian
Turkey over Turkish water
development plans for the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers; Syrian troops in
northern, central, and eastern
Lebanon since October 1976; Turkey
is quick to rebuff any perceived
Syrian claim to Hatay province
Illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates and
hashish bound for regional and
Western markets
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]:
Syria, VA
Zip code(s): 22743
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