Syria

Background: The French administered Syria following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, 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.
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey 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.
Climate and Terrain: 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.
People: Population: 17,155,814. 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. Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood.
Government: Government type: Republic under military regime since March 1963. Capital: Damascus. Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration).
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.
Statistics: Telephones - main lines in use: 1.313 million. Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1. Radios: 4.15 million. Television broadcast stations: 44 (plus 17 repeaters). Televisions: 1.05 million. Internet users: 60,000. Railways: Total: 2,750 km. Highways: Total: 41,451 km, paved: 9,575 km, unpaved: 31,876 km. Airports: 99, with paved runways: 24, with unpaved runways: : 68 Heliports: 7.