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Compare Austria (2001) - Syria (2005)

Compare Austria (2001) z Syria (2005)

 Austria (2001)Syria (2005)
 AustriaSyria
Administrative divisions 9 states (bundeslaender, singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien 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
Age structure 0-14 years:
16.57% (male 691,925; female 658,375)

15-64 years:
68.05% (male 2,802,019; female 2,744,536)

65 years and over:
15.38% (male 478,498; female 775,482) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 37.4% (male 3,556,795/female 3,350,267)


15-64 years: 59.3% (male 5,601,971/female 5,333,799)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 288,868/female 317,052) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Airports 55 (2000 est.) 92 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
24

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
5

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
3

under 914 m:
14 (2000 est.)
total: 26


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
31

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
3

under 914 m:
27 (2000 est.)
total: 66


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.)
Area total:
83,858 sq km

land:
82,738 sq km

water:
1,120 sq km
total: 185,180 sq km


land: 184,050 sq km


water: 1,130 sq km


note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maine slightly larger than North Dakota
Background Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies, Austria's 1955 State Treaty declared the country "permanently neutral" as a condition of Soviet military withdrawal. Neutrality, once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's increasingly prominent role in European affairs. A prosperous country, Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and the euro monetary system in 1999. 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. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.
Birth rate 9.74 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 28.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues:
$56.3 billion

expenditures:
$60.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $6.58 billion


expenditures: $9.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.67 billion (2004 est.)
Capital Vienna Damascus
Climate temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers 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
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 193 km
Constitution 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) 13 March 1973
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Austria

conventional short form:
Austria

local long form:
Republik Oesterreich

local short form:
Oesterreich
conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic


conventional short form: Syria


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah


local short form: Suriyah


former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Currency Austrian schilling (ATS); euro (EUR)

note:
on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Austria at a fixed rate of 13.7603 Austrian shillings per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
-
Death rate 9.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $16 billion (1999) $4 billion (excludes military debt and debt to Russia) (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Kathryn Walt HALL

embassy:
Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[43] (1) 313-39-2060

FAX:
[43] (1) 313-39-2057
chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY


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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Peter MOSER

chancery:
3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

telephone:
[1] (202) 895-6700

FAX:
[1] (202) 895-6750

consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA


chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313


FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
Disputes - international minor disputes with Czech Republic and Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan
Economic aid - donor ODA, $472 million (1999) -
Economic aid - recipient - $180 million (2002 est.)
Economy - overview Austria with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. In 2000, Austria moved to further cut government spending and raise taxes to meet EMU deficit targets after facing unexpected difficulties in reducing the public deficit. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate the service sector. Growth is expected to remain at about 3% in 2001. Real GDP growth rose to 2.3 percent in 2004, a slight increase from 2003 when the predominantly statist economy suffered from disruptions caused by the war in Iraq and other developments in the region. Annual real GDP growth has averaged 2.3 percent for the last seven years. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports and pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution.
Electricity - consumption 53.231 billion kWh (1999) 24.32 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 13.507 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 11.605 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 59.283 billion kWh (1999) 26.15 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
29.53%

hydro:
67.65%

nuclear:
0%

other:
2.82% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Neusiedler See 115 m

highest point:
Grossglockner 3,798 m
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m


highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Environment - current issues some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
Environment - international agreements party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups German 98%, Croatian, Slovene, other (includes Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma) Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86 (January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997), 10.587 (1996) Syrian pounds per US dollar - (official rate): 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), (parallel market rate in Amman and Beirut) NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2002), 49.4 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992)

head of government:
Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Susanne RIESS-PASSER (FPOe) (since 4 February 2000)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

elections:
president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 19 April 1998 (next to be held in the spring of 2004); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; in the case of the current coalition, the chancellor was chosen from another party after the plurality party failed to form a government; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor

election results:
Thomas KLESTIL reelected president; percent of vote - Thomas KLESTIL 63%, Gertraud KNOLL 14%, Heide SCHMIDT 11%, Richard LUGNER 10%, Karl NOWAK 2%

note:
government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
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 Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003)


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 Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%


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
Exports $63.2 billion (2000 est.) 285,000 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners EU 64.2% (Germany 35.7%, Italy 8.7%, France 4.5%), Switzerland 5.9%, US 4.5%, Hungary 3.9% (1999) Italy 22.7%, France 18%, Turkey 12.9%, Iraq 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980
GDP purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
2.2%

industry:
30.4%

services:
67.4% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 25%


industry: 31%


services: 44% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.1% (2000 est.) 2.3% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 47 20 N, 13 20 E 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.)
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) 7 (2004 est.)
Highways total:
133,361 km

paved:
133,361 km (including 1,613 km of expressways)

unpaved:
0 km (1998)
total: 45,697 km


paved: 6,489 km (including 1,001 km of expressways)


unpaved: 39,208 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls, bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering
Imports $65.6 billion (2000 est.) NA
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners EU 70.3% (Germany 42.5%, Italy 7.9%, France 5.3%), US 5.4%, Switzerland 3.0%, Hungary 2.8% (1999) Turkey 9.4%, Ukraine 8.7%, China 7.8%, Russia 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, US 4.7%, South Korea 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2004)
Independence 1156 (from Bavaria) 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 4.2% (2000) 7% (2002 est.)
Industries construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Infant mortality rate 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 29.76 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 29.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2000 est.) 2.1% (2004 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC 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, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 37 (2000) -
Irrigated land 457 sq km (1995 est.) 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Labor force 3.7 million (1999) 5.12 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 68%, industry and crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry 3% (1999 est.) agriculture 30%, industry 27%, services 43% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries total:
2,562 km

border countries:
Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
total: 2,253 km


border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Land use arable land:
17%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
23%

forests and woodland:
39%

other:
20% (1996 est.)
arable land: 25.22%


permanent crops: 4.43%


other: 70.35% (2001)
Languages German Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Legal system civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least three representatives; members serve a four- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to be held in the fall of 2003)

election results:
National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party - SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)


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
Life expectancy at birth total population:
77.84 years

male:
74.68 years

female:
81.15 years (2001 est.)
total population: 70.03 years


male: 68.75 years


female: 71.38 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 89.7%


female: 64% (2003 est.)
Location Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Map references Europe Middle East
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 41 nm
Merchant marine total:
23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,905 GRT/117,417 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2, container 2 (2000 est.)
total: 120 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 105, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 12 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Jordan 2, Lebanon 7, Romania 1)


registered in other countries: 73 (2005)
Military branches Army (includes Flying Division) Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $1.7 billion (FY98) $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY98) 5.9% (FY00)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
2,091,263 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
1,731,383 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 19 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
50,580 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Nationality noun:
Austrian(s)

adjective:
Austrian
noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
Natural hazards NA dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources iron ore, oil, timber, magnesite, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Net migration rate 2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 777 km; natural gas 840 km (1999) gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]
Political pressure groups and leaders Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [leader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]
Population 8,150,835 (July 2001 est.) 18,448,752


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 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 20% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate 0.24% (2001 est.) 2.34% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Linz, Vienna, Enns, Krems Baniyas, Latakia
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 61 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 6.08 million (1997) -
Railways total:
6,095.2 km (3,643.3 km electrified)

standard gauge:
5,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (3,521.2 km electrified)

narrow gauge:
497.1 km (33.9 km 1.000-m gauge - 28.1 km electrified, 497.1 km 0.760-m gauge - 94 km electrified) (2001)
total: 2,711 km


standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)
Religions Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant 5%, Muslim and other 17% Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.62 male(s)/female

total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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: 0.91 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 19 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
highly developed and efficient

domestic:
there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons and the system is nearly 100% digital; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available

international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat (1999)
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology


domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network


international: country code - 963; 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
Telephones - main lines in use 4 million (3,600,000 analog main lines plus 400,000 ISDN or Integrated Services Digital Network connections) (1999) 2,099,300 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4.5 million (2000) 400,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 45 (plus 960 repeaters) (1995) 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Total fertility rate 1.39 children born/woman (2001 est.) 3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.4% (2000 est.) 20% (2002 est.)
Waterways 358 km (1999) 900 km (not economically significant) (2002)
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