Bermuda (2006) | Syria (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick | 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: 18.6% (male 6,146/female 6,098)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,562/female 22,954) 65 years and over: 12.2% (male 3,479/female 4,534) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 38.6% (male 3,494,473; female 3,290,699)
15-64 years: 58.2% (male 5,238,026; female 4,991,588) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 274,744; female 296,010) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey | wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk |
Airports | 1 (2006) | 92 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 68
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 55 (2002) |
Area | total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 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 | about one-third the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than North Dakota |
Background | Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue. | 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. |
Birth rate | 11.4 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 29.54 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $738 million
expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05) |
revenues: $6 billion
expenditures: $7 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (2002 est.) |
Capital | name: Hamilton
geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 46 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October |
Damascus |
Climate | subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter | 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 | 103 km | 193 km |
Constitution | 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 | 13 March 1973 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands |
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 | - | Syrian pound (SYP) |
Death rate | 7.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.04 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $160 million (FY99/00) | $22 billion (2002 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 |
chief of mission: Ambassador 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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador (acting) Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 |
Disputes - international | none | Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters; Turkey is quick to rebuff any perceived Syrian claim to Hatay province |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $199 million (1997 est.) |
Economy - overview | Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following 11 September 2001 and again after Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only 20% of the land being arable. | Syria's predominantly statist economy has been growing, on average, more slowly than its 2.4% annual population growth rate, causing a persistent decline in per capita GDP. Recent legislation allows private banks to operate in Syria, although a private banking sector will take years and further government cooperation to develop. External factors such as the international war on terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the war between the US-led coalition and Iraq probably will drive real annual GDP growth levels back below their 3.5% spike in 2002. A long-run economic constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. |
Electricity - consumption | 616.7 million kWh (2005) | 21.63 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 682.5 million kWh (2005) | 23.26 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 57.6%
hydro: 42.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m |
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m |
Environment - current issues | sustainable development | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census) | Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% |
Exchange rates | Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) | Syrian pounds per US dollar - (Official rate): 11.23 (2002), 11.23 (2001), 11.23 (2000), 11.23 (1999), 11.23 (1998), (Free market rate): 49.65 (2001), 49.4 (2000), 51.7 (1999), 52 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002)
head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006); Deputy Premier Paula COX cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor |
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), 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 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 | 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | reexports of pharmaceuticals | crude oil 70%, petroleum products 7%, fruits and vegetables 5%, cotton fiber 4%, clothing 3%, meat and live animals 2% (2000 est.) |
Exports - partners | France 65.6%, Spain 11.7%, US 4.5% (2005) | Germany 19.1%, Italy 17.5%, Turkey 7.8%, France 7.5%, Lebanon 5.2% (2002) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag | 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $63.48 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.) |
agriculture: 27%
industry: 23% services: 50% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.6% (2004 est.) | 3.6% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 32 20 N, 64 45 W | 35 00 N, 38 00 E |
Geography - note | consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 | there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) |
Heliports | - | 7 (2002) |
Highways | - | total: 43,381 km
paved: 10,021 km (including 877 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,360 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets |
Imports | NA bbl/day | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals | machinery and transport equipment 21%, food and livestock 18%, metal and metal products 15%, chemicals and chemical products 10% (2000 est.) |
Imports - partners | Kazakhstan 51%, France 19%, South Korea 10.2%, US 7.6% (2005) | Italy 8.3%, Germany 7.4%, China 5.7%, South Korea 4.8%, France 4.6%, US 4.4%, Turkey 4.1% (2002) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | international business, tourism, light manufacturing | petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining |
Infant mortality rate | total: 8.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 31.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 31.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.8% (November 2005) | 0.9% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO | AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, 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, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 12,130 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts | Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts |
Labor force | 38,360 (2004) | 5.2 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.) | agriculture, industry, services NA (2002) |
Land boundaries | 0 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: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005) |
arable land: 25.96%
permanent crops: 4.08% other: 69.96% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Portuguese | Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood |
Legal system | English law | based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 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: 77.96 years
male: 75.85 years female: 80.1 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 69.39 years
male: 68.18 years female: 70.67 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.) |
Location | North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey |
Map references | North America | Middle East |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
contiguous zone: 41 NM
territorial sea: 35 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 132 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,873,728 GRT/8,688,692 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 1, container 24, liquefied gas 23, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 116 (Australia 3, Belgium 4, France 1, Germany 21, Greece 2, Hong Kong 10, Indonesia 1, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Monaco 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, Switzerland 2, UK 9, US 27) registered in other countries: 6 (Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 1) (2006) |
total: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 450,135 GRT/645,296 DWT
ships by type: bulk 13, cargo 109, container 2, livestock carrier 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 1, Greece 2, Italy 1, Lebanon 10 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | no regular military forces | Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Forces), Police and Security Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $4.03 million (2001) | $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.11% (FY00/01) | 5.9% (FY00) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 4,715,386 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 2,629,148 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 210,941 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Bermuda Day, 24 May | Independence Day, 17 April (1946) |
Nationality | noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian |
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (June to November) | dust storms, sandstorms |
Natural resources | limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism | petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2003) |
Political parties and leaders | Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Wayne FURBERT] | National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general], Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad al ASAD], Syrian Communist Party [leader NA], Unionist Socialist Party [leader NA], Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani QANNUT], and Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Sami SUFAN]) [President Bashar al-ASAD, chairman]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] | conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence |
Population | 65,773 (July 2006 est.) | 17,585,540 (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 (February 2003 est.) (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 19% (2000) | 15%-25% |
Population growth rate | 0.61% (2006 est.) | 2.45% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) | AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Railways | - | total: 2,743 km
standard gauge: 2,425 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 318 km 1.050-m gauge (2002) |
Religions | Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census) | 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 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: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: good
domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic trunk lines international: country code - 1-441; submarine cables - 3 (fiber optic); satellite earth stations - 3 (2005) |
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 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 56,000 (2002) | 1.313 million (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 49,000 (2004) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (2005) | 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | low hills separated by fertile depressions | primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west |
Total fertility rate | 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 3.72 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.1% (2004 est.) | 20% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | - | 870 km (minimal economic importance) |