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Compare Lebanon (2002) - Syria (2001)

Compare Lebanon (2002) z Syria (2001)

 Lebanon (2002)Syria (2001)
 LebanonSyria
Administrative divisions 6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye 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: 27.3% (male 511,902; female 491,804)


15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,157,688; female 1,267,106)


65 years and over: 6.8% (male 113,341; female 135,939) (2002 est.)
0-14 years:
39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576)

15-64 years:
56.87% (male 4,868,816; female 4,644,870)

65 years and over:
3.21% (male 261,036; female 275,450) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Airports 8 (2001) 100 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total:
24

over 3,047 m:
5

2,438 to 3,047 m:
16

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total:
76

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
11

under 914 m:
63 (2000 est.)
Area total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 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 0.7 times the size of Connecticut slightly larger than North Dakota
Background Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 20,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern Lebanon in May of 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. 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 19.96 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 30.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $4.6 billion


expenditures: $8.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues:
$2.25 billion

expenditures:
$5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital Beirut Damascus
Climate Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows 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 hitting Damascus
Coastline 225 km 193 km
Constitution 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989 13 March 1973
Country name conventional long form: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan
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 Lebanese pound (LBP) Syrian pound (SYP)
Death rate 6.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 5.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $8.4 billion (2001 est.) $22 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Vincent Martin BATTLE


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon


mailing address: P. O. Box 70840, Awkar, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002


telephone: 011-961-4-543-600/542-600


FAX: 011-961-4-544-136
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER

embassy:
Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus

mailing address:
P. O. Box 29, Damascus

telephone:
[963] (11) 333-2814

FAX:
[963] (11) 224-7938
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD


chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
chief of mission:
Ambassador Rustum al-ZU'BI

chancery:
2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 232-6313

FAX:
[1] (202) 234-9548
Disputes - international Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
Economic aid - recipient $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001) $199 million (1997 est.)
Economy - overview The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997 but slowed to 2% in 1998, -1% in 1999, and -0.5% in 2000. Growth recovered slightly in 2001 to 1%. During the 1990s annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to reign in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The Hariri government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance in order to restructure its higher interest rate bearing domestic debt obligations at lower rates. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2002, the government had successfullly avoided a currency devaluation and debt default in 2002. Syria's predominantly statist economy is on a shaky footing because of Damascus's failure to implement extensive economic reform. The dominant agricultural sector remains underdeveloped, with roughly 80% of agricultural land still dependent on rain-fed sources. Although Syria has sufficient water supplies in the aggregate at normal levels of precipitation, the great distance between major water supplies and population centers poses serious distribution problems. The water problem is exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. Private investment is critical to the modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export sectors. Oil production is leveling off, and the efforts of the nonoil sector to penetrate international markets have fallen short. Syria's inadequate infrastructure, outmoded technological base, and weak educational system make it vulnerable to future shocks and hamper competition with neighbors such as Jordan and Israel. The government recognizes the need to open the economy to additional domestic and foreign investment.
Electricity - consumption 8.643 billion kWh (2000) 16.684 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 1.25 billion kWh (2000) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 7.95 billion kWh (2000) 17.94 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 97%


hydro: 3%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel:
57.64%

hydro:
42.36%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
lowest point:
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m

highest point:
Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
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 Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Exchange rates Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (January 2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.8 (1999), 1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5 (1997) Syrian pounds per US dollar - 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997)
Executive branch chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim


election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
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 Mustafa MIRU (since 13 March 2000), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Khalid RA'D (since 13 March 2000), Muhammad NAJI 'UTRI (since 13 March 2000)

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 10 June 2000; 20 June 2000 the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council 25 June 2000
Exports $700 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, metal and metal products, electrical equipment and products, jewelry, paper and paper products petroleum 65%, textiles 10%, manufactured goods 10%, fruits and vegetables 7%, raw cotton 5%, live sheep 2%, phosphates 1% (1998 est.)
Exports - partners Saudi Arabia 11%, UAE 11%, Switzerland 7%, US 7%, France 5%, Iraq 4%, Jordan 4%, Kuwait 4%, Syria 4% (2000) Germany 21%, Italy 12%, France 10%, Saudi Arabia 9%, Turkey 8% (1999 est.)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band 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 - $18.8 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $50.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
agriculture:
29%

industry:
22%

services:
49% (1997)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,200 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2001 est.) 3.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 33 50 N, 35 50 E 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.)
Heliports - 2 (2000 est.)
Highways total: 7,300 km


paved: 6,350 km


unpaved: 950 km (1999 est.)
total:
41,451 km

paved:
9,575 km (including 877 km of expressways)

unpaved:
31,876 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
Illicit drugs cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to US and European markets a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets
Imports $6.6 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, textiles, metals, fuels, agricultural foods machinery and equipment 23%, foodstuffs/animals 20%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10% (1998 est.)
Imports - partners Italy 11%, France 8%, Germany 8%, US 7%, Switzerland 6%, China 5%, Syria 5%, UK 4% (2000) France 11%, Italy 8%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, China 4% (1999 est.)
Independence 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Infant mortality rate 27.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0.5% (2001 est.) 1.5% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 22 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 1,200 sq km (1998 est.) 9,060 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed) Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Labor force 1.5 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (1999 est.) (2001 est.)
4.7 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services NA%, industry NA%, agriculture NA% agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries total: 454 km


border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 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: 17.6%


permanent crops: 12.51%


other: 69.89% (1998 est.)
arable land:
28%

permanent crops:
4%

permanent pastures:
43%

forests and woodland:
3%

other:
22% (1993 est.)
Languages Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Legal system mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; 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 unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, non-NPF 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receive one-half of the seats
Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.79 years


male: 69.38 years


female: 74.32 years (2002 est.)
total population:
68.77 years

male:
67.63 years

female:
69.98 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 86.4%


male: 90.8%


female: 82.2% (1997 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
70.8%

male:
85.7%

female:
55.8% (1997 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Map references Middle East Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 NM contiguous zone:
41 NM

territorial sea:
35 NM
Merchant marine total: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 320,770 GRT/468,293 DWT


ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 38, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 7, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1, Greece 10, Netherlands 4, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Spain 1, Syria 2 (2002 est.)
total:
133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 425,392 GRT/612,097 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 11, cargo 117, livestock carrier 4, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force) Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $343 million (FY99/00) $921 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.8% (FY99/00) 5.9% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,003,174 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
4,384,528 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 618,129 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
2,448,630 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 19 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
200,859 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 22 November (1943) Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Nationality noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
noun:
Syrian(s)

adjective:
Syrian
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 72 km (none in operation) crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km
Political parties and leaders political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations National Progressive Front or NPF (includes the Ba'th Party, ASU, Arab Socialist Party, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party, ASP, SCP) [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general of the party, and chairman of the National Progressive Front after the death of Hafiz al-ASAD on 10 June 2000]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement or ASU [Sami SOUFAN]; Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani KANNUT]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad al-ASAD]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan KOUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence
Population 3,677,780 (July 2002 est.) 16,728,808

note:
in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 28% (1999 est.) 15%-25%
Population growth rate 1.36% (2002 est.) 2.54% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
Radio broadcast stations AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 2.85 million (1997) 4.15 million (1997)
Railways total: 399 km


standard gauge: 317 km 1.435-m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m


note: entire system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2001)
total:
2,750 km

standard gauge:
2,423 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
327 km 1.050-m gauge

note:
rail link between Syria and Iraq replaced in 2000 (2000)
Religions Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL% 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: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 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:
0.95 male(s)/female

total population:
1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway


domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
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 700,000 (1999) 1.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 580,000 (1999) NA
Television broadcast stations 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995) 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Total fertility rate 2.02 children born/woman (2002 est.) 3.95 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 18% (1997 est.) 20% (2000 est.)
Waterways none 870 km (minimal economic importance)
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