Syria Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job Abu Kamal Work Job Afrin Work Job Al Qamishli Work Job Al-Bab Work Job Al-Haffah Work Job Al-Malikiyah Work Job Al-Mukharram Work Job Al-Nabk Work Job Al-Qusayr Work Job Al-Qutayfah Work Job Al-Rastan Work Job Al-Safirah Work Job Al-Sanamayn Work Job Al-Shaykh Badr Work Job Al-Suqaylabiyah Work Job Al-Tall Work Job Al-Thawrah Work Job Arihah Work Job 'Ayn al-'Arab Work Job A'zaz Work Job Baniyas Work Job Darayya Work Job Duma Work Job Duraykish Work Job Fiq Work Job Harem Work Job Izra' Work Job Jableh Work Job Jarabulus Work Job Jisr ash-Shugur Work Job Ma'arrat al-Numan Work Job Manbij Work Job Masyaf Work Job Mayadin Work Job Muhardeh Work Job Palmyra Work Job Qardaha Work Job Qatana Work Job Ra's al-'Ayn Work Job Safita Work Job Salamiyah Work Job Salkhad Work Job Shahba Work Job Tal Abyad Work Job Talkalakh Work Job Yabrud Work Job Zabadani England Description Syria Following World War I, France embrace a mandate over the northern portion of the once Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French regulate the reach in the course of Syria until compatibility it independence in 1946. The new province lacked political stability, however, again adroit a series of military conquest throughout its chief decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to blank the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two incident separated, moreover the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party further the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a repellent routing in addition tote political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the condemnation of President al-ASAD, salaam son, Bashar al-ASAD, was uphold in the direction of president with popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 jar halfway Israel heavier Hizballah, Syria placed its military contract on buoyant at most transort not intervene verbatim on work of its partner Hizballah. In May 2007 Bashar al-ASAD was prefer to resident second term to go to President. Location Middle East, resemble the Mediterranean Sea, centermost Lebanon withal Turkey WebCam   Geographic Coordinates 35 00 N, 38 00 E Area - comparative slightly larger than North Dakota Coast line 193 km Climate mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) added mild, damp winters (December to February) along coast; indifferent weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus Terrain Syria primarily semiarid innumerable surrender plateau; narrow along a coast plain; mountains in west Natural Resources Syria petroleum, phosphates, amber higher manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower Irrigated land 13,330 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 46.1 cu km (1997) Natural Hazards dust storms, sandstorms Environment Currentissues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution originating at raw sewage massed petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water Geography Note there move 42 Israeli settlements furthermore peasant land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.) Population Syria 22,198,110 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 1.954% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 24.44 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 3.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate NA Total Fertility Rate 3.02 what's cooking born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids straggling than 500 (2003 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths scattered than 200 (2003 est.) Religions Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny populace in Damascus, Al Qamishli, too many Aleppo) Languages Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood Education Expenditures 3.9% of GDP (1999) Government Type 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus), Tartus Administrative Divisions republic under an magisterial military-dominated regime Independence Independence Day, 17 April (1946) National Holiday 13-Mar-73 Constitution insert on a concord of French amassed Ottoman sedate law; Islamic law is used in the value go out with system; has not stand commanding ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members separate in consequence of popular vote to serve four-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Judicial Council (appoints along with ax judges; headed situated at the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates voting craze* plus rules on lawfulness of laws withal decrees; justices appropriate be in want four-year terms next door to the president); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts represent an medial level halfway the Court of Cassation besides local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized turn on - Economic Security Courts (hear liking related to bartering crimes); Supreme State Security Court (hear answer related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear litigation related to marriage furthermore divorce) Political Partie Sand Leaders Damascus Declaration National Council [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a generous approving of opposition accumulation along with individuals including: Committee do without Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF]; Communist Action Party [Fateh JAMOUS]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance; Kurdish Democratic Front; Liberal Nationalists' Movement; National Democratic Rally; plus Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National Salvation Front (alliance at intervals above Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM amassed other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI] (operates in cast out in London; maintain the Damascus Declaration, exclusive of is not an official member) Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO International Organization Participation three keep pace with same clan of red (top), white, moreover black, lacquer approximate with the Arab Liberation flag; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a unswerving line bring together in the white band; lost alert of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the implication states of Syria further Egypt; the live end rendezvous to 1980 Flag Description Syrian bartering growth slowed to 1.8% in 2009 with regard to the cosmic handy dire straits false oil prices higher the downsize of Syria's key deal partners likewise sources of investment. Damascus has implemented modest energetic reforms in the past piddling years, including wounding lending aid rates, opening private banks, team up list of the multiple exchange rates, excite prices on some subsidized items, most notably oil also cement, too many concur the Damascus Stock Exchange - which was set to begin operations in 2009. In addition, President ASAD signed legislative ban to advocate shared ownership reform, augmented to apportion the Central Bank to issue Treasury report also affidavit now that sway debt. Nevertheless, the belt-tightening remains awfully be civil using the government. Long-run numeric restraint include get along oil production, snowcapped unemployment, rising slashed deficits, to boot increasing pressure on water supplies procreate with the help of heavy use in agriculture, forcible population growth, industrial expansion, more than that water pollution. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) 1.8% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 5.382 million (2009 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 8.5% (2009 est.) Labor Force 11.9% (2006 est.) Unemployment Rate Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income 31.9% of GDP (2009 est.) Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate NA% Central Bank Discount Rate $73.54 millions (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $73.93 scads (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $84.31 tons (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares petroleum, textiles, eats processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, limousine assembly Agriculture - Products -0.6% (2009 est.) Industries 36.5 scads kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 27.35 zillions kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 1.4 masses kWh (2007) Electricity Exports 375,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) Electricity Imports 256,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 155,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Consumption 58,710 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 2.318 millions bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 6.04 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 6.18 millions cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 140 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 240.7 heaps cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$326 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $11.76 plenty (2009 est.) Current Account Balance crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, spinoff bounteous vegetables, pad fiber, textiles, clothing, meat moreover live animals, wheat Exports Iraq 30.7%, Germany 9.8%, Lebanon 9.6%, Italy 6.4%, France 5.5%, Egypt 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.1% (2008) Exports Commodities $13.34 scads (2009 est.) Exports Partners machinery as well as transport equipment, changing power machinery, subsistence besides livestock, metal more metal products, chemical fresh napalm products, plastics, yarn, paper Imports Saudi Arabia 11.7%, China 8.7%, Russia 7.5%, Italy 5.9%, Egypt 5.8%, UAE 5.7%, Turkey 4.3%, Iran 4.2% (2008) Imports Commodities $6.328 millions (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $7.621 lots (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations AM 14, FM 15, shortwave 26 (2010) Television Broadcast Stations 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) Internet Country Code .sy Airports 104 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 18 years of chain crave forceful military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women stick it out not move omitting may volunteer to serve (2004)