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Background Note: Syria
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Syrian Arab
Republic
Geography
Area: 185,170 sq. km. (71,504 sq. mi.), including 1,295 sq. km.
of Israeli-occupied territory; about the size of North Dakota.
Cities: Capital--Damascus (pop. 4 million). Other
cities--Aleppo (4.2 million), Homs (1.6 million), Hama (1.4
million), Idleb (1.3 million), al-Hasakeh (1.2 million), Dayr
al-Zur (1.1), Latakia (0.9 million), Dar'a (0.9), al-Raqqa
(0.8), and Tartous (0.7).
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain with a double mountain belt in the
west; large, semiarid and desert plateau to the east.
Climate: Mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August)
and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Syrian(s).
Population (2005 est.)*: 18.6 million.
Growth rate (2005 est.): 2.45%.
Major ethnic groups: Arabs (90%), Kurds (9%), Armenians,
Circassians, Turkomans.
Religions: Sunni Muslims (74%), Alawis (12%), Christians (10%),
Druze (3%), and small numbers of other Muslim sects, Jews, and
Yazidis.
Languages: Arabic (official), English (widely understood in
major cities only), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian.
Education (2005 est.): Years compulsory--primary, 6 yrs.
Attendance--97.9%. Literacy--92.5%; 87.9% male,
73.9% female.
Health (2004): Infant mortality rate--17.1/1,000. Life
expectancy--68.47 yrs. male, 71.02 yrs. female.
Work force (6.1 million, 2004 est.): Services (including
government); agriculture; industry and commerce.
Government
Type: Republic, under Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party regimes since
March 1963.
Independence: April 17, 1946.
Constitution: March 13, 1973.
Branches: Executive--president, two vice presidents,
prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral
People's Council. Judicial--Supreme Constitutional Court,
High Judicial Council, Court of Cassation, State Security
Courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 13 provinces and city of Damascus
(administered as a separate unit).
Political parties: Arab Socialist Resurrection (Ba'ath) Party,
Syrian Arab Socialist Party, Arab Socialist Union, Syrian
Communist Party, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement, Democratic
Socialist Union Party, and some 15 very small quasi-tolerated
political parties, generally considered opposition-oriented but
enfeebled and reluctant to challenge the government.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy (2005 est.)
GDP (2005 nominal)*: $27.3 billion.
Real growth rate*: 2.9%.
Per capita GDP*: $1464.
Natural resources: Crude oil and natural gas, phosphates,
asphalt, rock salt, marble, gypsum, iron ore, chrome, and
manganese ores.
Agriculture: Products--cotton, wheat, barley, sugar
beets, fruits and vegetables. Arable land--32%.
Industry: Types--mining, manufacturing (textiles, food
processing), construction, petroleum.
Trade: Exports--$10.2 billion: petroleum, textiles,
phosphates, antiquities, fruits and vegetables, cotton. Major
markets--EU, Arab countries, United States, New Independent
States, Eastern Europe. Imports--$10.8 billion:
foodstuffs, metal and metal products, machinery, textiles,
petroleum. Major suppliers--Russia, Turkey, Ukraine,
China, U.S., Japan.
*according to IMF statistics
PEOPLE
Ethnic Syrians are of Semitic stock. Syria's population is 90%
Muslim--74% Sunni, and 16% other Muslim groups, including the
Alawi, Shi'a, and Druze--and 10% Christian. There also is a tiny
Syrian Jewish community.
Arabic is the official, and most widely
spoken, language. Arabs, including some 500,000 Palestinian and
up to 1.3 million Iraqi refugees, make up 90% of the population.
Many educated Syrians also speak English or French, but English
is the more widely understood. The Kurds, many of whom speak the
banned Kurdish language, make up 9% of the population and live
mostly in the northeast corner of Syria, though sizable Kurdish
communities live in most major Syrian cities as well. Armenian
and Turkic are spoken among the small Armenian and Turkoman
populations.
Most people live in the Euphrates River valley
and along the coastal plain, a fertile strip between the coastal
mountains and the desert. Overall population density is about
140 per sq. mi. Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to
11. Schooling consists of 6 years of primary education followed
by a 3-year general or vocational training period and a 3-year
academic or vocational program. The second 3-year period of
academic training is required for university admission. Total
enrollment at post-secondary schools is over 150,000. The
literacy rate of Syrians aged 15 and older is 88% for males and
74%for females.
Ancient Syria's cultural and artistic
achievements and contributions are many. Archaeologists have
discovered extensive writings and evidence of a brilliant
culture rivaling those of Mesopotamia and Egypt in and around
the ancient city of Ebla. Later Syrian scholars and artists
contributed to Hellenistic and Roman thought and culture. Zeno
of Sidon founded the Epicurean school; Cicero was a pupil of
Antiochus of Ascalon at Athens; and the writings of Posidonius
of Apamea influenced Livy and Plutarch. Syrians have contributed
to Arabic literature and music and have a proud tradition of
oral and written poetry. Although declining, the world-famous
handicraft industry still employs thousands.
RECENT HISTORY
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 the Syrian Government
began limited cooperation with United States in the global war
against terrorism. However, Syria opposed the Iraq war in March
2003, and bilateral relations with the United States swiftly
deteriorated. In December 2003, President Bush signed into law
the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration
Act of 2003, which provided for the imposition of a series of
sanctions against Syria if Syria did not end its support for
Palestinian terrorist groups, end its military and security
interference in Lebanon, cease its pursuit of weapons of mass
destruction, and meet its obligations under United Nations
Security Council resolutions regarding the stabilization and
reconstruction of Iraq. In May 2004, the President determined
that Syria had not met these conditions and implemented
sanctions that prohibit the export to Syria of U.S. products
except for food and medicine, and the taking off from or landing
in the United States of Syrian Government-owned aircraft. At the
same time, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced its
intention to order U.S. financial institutions to sever
correspondent accounts with the Commercial Bank of Syria based
on money-laundering concerns, pursuant to Section 311 of the USA
PATRIOT Act. Acting under the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act (IEEPA), the President also authorized the Secretary
of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to
freeze assets belonging to certain Syrian individuals and
entities.
Tensions between Syria and the United States intensified from
late 2004 to 2007, primarily over issues relating to Iraq and
Lebanon. The U.S. Government recalled its Ambassador to Syria in
February 2005, after the assassination of Lebanese Prime
Minister Hariri. Sensing its international isolation, the
Syrians shored up their relations with Iran and radical
Palestinians groups based in Damascus, and cracked down on any
signs of internal dissent. There has been little movement on
political reform, with more public focus on limited economic
liberalizations. The Syrian Government has provided some
cooperation to the UN Independent International Investigation
Commission, headed by Serge Brammertz, which is investigating
the killing of Hariri. Since the 34-day conflict in Lebanon in
July and August 2006, evidence of Syrian compliance with its
obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 not to
rearm the Lebanese group Hezbollah is unpersuasive. On April 17,
2007, the United Nations Security Council welcomed the Secretary
General's intention to evaluate the situation along the entire
Syria-Lebanon border and invited the Secretary General to
dispatch an independent mission to fully assess the monitoring
of the border, and to report back on its findings and
recommendations. |