Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Cambodia (2005) - Syria (2005) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Cambodia (2005) - Syria (2005)

Compare Cambodia (2005) z Syria (2005)

 Cambodia (2005)Syria (2005)
 CambodiaSyria
Administrative divisions 20 provinces (khaitt, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (krong, singular and plural)

provinces: Banteay Mean Chey, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Koh Kong, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Chey, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanakir, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takao

municipalities: Keb, Pailin, Phnom Penh, Preah Seihanu
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: 37.3% (male 2,559,734/female 2,510,235)


15-64 years: 59.7% (male 3,887,642/female 4,232,313)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 150,862/female 266,283) (2005 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 rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Airports 20 (2004 est.) 92 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 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: 14


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 66


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.)
Area total: 181,040 sq km


land: 176,520 sq km


water: 4,520 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 Oklahoma slightly larger than North Dakota
Background Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, whose Angkor Empire extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Subsequently, attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. In 1863, the king of Cambodia placed the country under French protection; it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia became independent within the French Union in 1949 and fully independent in 1953. After a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in April 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all cities and towns; at least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, enforced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, led to a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy and the final elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The July 2003 elections were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. Nation-wide local elections are scheduled for 2007 and national elections for 2008. 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 27.08 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 28.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $548.2 million


expenditures: $836.7 million, including capital expenditures of $291 million of which 75% was financed by external assistance (2004 est.)
revenues: $6.58 billion


expenditures: $9.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.67 billion (2004 est.)
Capital Phnom Penh Damascus
Climate tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation 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 443 km 193 km
Constitution promulgated 21 September 1993 13 March 1973
Country name conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia


conventional short form: Cambodia


local long form: Preahreacheanacha Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation)


local short form: Kampuchea


former: Kingdom of Cambodia, Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of Kampuchea, State of Cambodia
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)
Death rate 8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $2.4 billion (2002 est.) $4 billion (excludes military debt and debt to Russia) (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph A. MUSSOMELI


embassy: 27 EO Street 240, Phnom Penh


mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546


telephone: [855] (23) 216-436/438


FAX: [855] (23) 216-437/811
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 EK SEREYWATH


chancery: 4530 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742


FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381
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 Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over offshore islands; Cambodia accuses Thailand of obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian and Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commissions reerect missing markers completing most of their demarcations 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 - recipient $504 million pledged in grants and concessional loans for 2005 by international donors $180 million (2002 est.)
Economy - overview Cambodia's economy slowed dramatically in 1997 and 1998 due to the regional economic crisis, civil violence, and political infighting, and foreign investment and tourism decreased. In 1999, the first full year of peace in 30 years, the government made progress on economic reforms. Growth resumed and remained about 5% from 2000 to 2004. Economic growth has been largely driven by expansion in the garment sector and tourism, but is expected to fall in 2005 as growth in the garment sector stalls. Clothing exports were fostered by a US-Cambodian Bilateral Textile Agreement signed in 1999 which gave Cambodia a guaranteed quota of US textile imports and established a bonus for improving working conditions and enforcing Cambodian labor laws and international labor standards in the industry. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodia-based textile producers are in direct competition with lower priced producing countries such as China and India. Faced with the possibility that over the next five years Cambodia may lose orders and some of the 250,000 well-paid jobs the industry provides, Cambodia has committed itself to a policy of continued support for high labor standards in an attempt to maintain favor with buyers. Tourism growth remains strong, with arrivals up 15% in 2004. The long-term development of the economy after decades of war remains a daunting challenge. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. Fully 75% of the population remains engaged in subsistence farming. Fear of renewed political instability and a dysfunctional legal system coupled with extensive government corruption discourage foreign investment. The Cambodian government continues to work with bilateral and multilateral donors to address the country's many pressing needs. In December 2004, official donors pledged $504 million in aid for 2005 on the condition that the Cambodian government begins taking steps to address rampant corruption. The next donor pledging session is scheduled for December 2005. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is 20 years or younger. 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 100.6 million kWh (2002) 24.32 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 122 million kWh (2003) 26.15 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m


highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m


highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Environment - current issues illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4% Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Exchange rates riels per US dollar - 4,016.25 (2004), 3,973.33 (2003), 3,912.08 (2002), 3,916.33 (2001), 3,840.75 (2000) 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: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) and Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992), Norodom SIRIVUDH, SOK AN, LU LAY SRENG, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004)


cabinet: Council of Ministers in theory appointed by the monarch; in practice named by the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king
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 NA 285,000 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities Clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners US 55.9%, Germany 11.7%, UK 6.9%, Vietnam 4.4%, Canada 4.2% (2004) Italy 22.7%, France 18%, Turkey 12.9%, Iraq 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band; only national flag to incorporate a building in its design 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 - composition by sector agriculture: 35%


industry: 30%


services: 35% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 25%


industry: 31%


services: 44% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.4% (2004 est.) 2.3% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 105 00 E 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.)
Heliports 2 (2004 est.) 7 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 12,323 km


paved: 1,996 km


unpaved: 10,327 km (2000 est)
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%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 33.8% (1997)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military, and police; possible small-scale opium, heroin, and amphetamine production; large producer of cannabis for the international market; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders 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 NA NA
Imports - commodities petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners Thailand 22.5%, Hong Kong 14.1%, China 13.6%, Vietnam 10.9%, Singapore 10.8%, Taiwan 8.4% (2004) 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 9 November 1953 (from France) 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 22% (2002 est.) 7% (2002 est.)
Industries tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Infant mortality rate total: 71.48 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 80.13 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 62.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 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) 3.1% (2004 est.) 2.1% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO 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
Irrigated land 2,700 sq km (1998 est.) 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Labor force 7 million (2003 est.) 5.12 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 75% (2004 est.) agriculture 30%, industry 27%, services 43% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,572 km


border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 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: 20.96%


permanent crops: 0.61%


other: 78.43% (2001)
arable land: 25.22%


permanent crops: 4.43%


other: 70.35% (2001)
Languages Khmer (official) 95%, French, English Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Legal system primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law in recent years based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (61 seats; two members appointed by the monarch, two elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by "functional constituencies"; members serve five-year terms)


elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2003 (next to be held in July 2008); Senate - last held 2 March 1999 (scheduled to be held in 2004 but delayed)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 47%, SRP 22%, FUNCINPEC 21%, other 10%; seats by party - CPP 73, FUNCINPEC 26, SRP 24; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CPP 31, FUNCINPEC 21, SRP 7, other 2 (July 2003)
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: 58.92 years


male: 56.98 years


female: 60.95 years (2005 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: 73.6%


male: 84.7%


female: 64.1% (2004 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 89.7%


female: 64% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Map references Southeast Asia Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 41 nm
Merchant marine total: 479 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,913,910 GRT/2,713,967 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 34, cargo 396, chemical tanker 9, container 6, livestock carrier 3, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 193 (Canada 4, China 39, China 2, Cyprus 4, Egypt 5, Estonia 2, France 1, Germany 1, Greece 6, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 1, Israel 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 2, Norway 1, Russia 58, Singapore 5, South Korea 23, Syria 8, Turkey 7, Ukraine 6, UAE 1, United States 7, Yemen 1) (2005)
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 Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $112 million (FY01 est.) $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3% (FY01 est.) 5.9% (FY00)
National holiday Independence Day, 9 November (1953) Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Nationality noun: Cambodian(s)


adjective: Cambodian
noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
Natural hazards monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources oil and gas, timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Cambodian Pracheachon Party (Cambodian People's Party) or CPP [CHEA SIM]; National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [Prince NORODOM Ranariddh]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI] 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 NA 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 13,607,069


note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 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 40% (2004 est.) 20% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate 1.81% (2005 est.) 2.34% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Phnom Penh Baniyas, Latakia
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 17, (2003) AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 602 km


narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
total: 2,711 km


standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)
Religions Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5% 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: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 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 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile phone coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas


domestic: NA


international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
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 35,400 (2002) 2,099,300 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 380,000 (2002) 400,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 7 (2003) 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Total fertility rate 3.44 children born/woman (2005 est.) 3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.5% (2000 est.) 20% (2002 est.)
Waterways 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2004) 900 km (not economically significant) (2002)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.