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Compare Marshall Islands (2004) - Syria (2003)

Compare Marshall Islands (2004) z Syria (2003)

 Marshall Islands (2004)Syria (2003)
 Marshall IslandsSyria
Administrative divisions 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje 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: 38.6% (male 11,347; female 10,934)


15-64 years: 58.7% (male 17,380; female 16,520)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 748; female 809) (2004 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 coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Airports 15 (2003 est.) 92 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 68


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 55 (2002)
Area total: 181.3 sq km


land: 181.3 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik
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 the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than North Dakota
Background After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network. 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 33.88 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 29.54 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $42 million


expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
revenues: $6 billion


expenditures: $7 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (2002 est.)
Capital Majuro Damascus
Climate tropical; hot and humid; wet season from May to November; islands border typhoon belt 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 370.4 km 193 km
Constitution 1 May 1979 13 March 1973
Country name conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands


conventional short form: Marshall Islands


former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific 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 US dollar (USD) Syrian pound (SYP)
Death rate 4.94 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.04 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.) $22 billion (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS


embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro


mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379


telephone: [692] 247-4011


FAX: [692] 247-4012
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 chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM


chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414


FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236


consulate(s) general: Honolulu
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 claims US territory of Wake Island 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 more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002 $199 million (1997 est.)
Economy - overview US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is primarily subsistence and is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US has provided more than $1 billion in aid since 1986. Negotiations have continued for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. 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 - 21.63 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production - 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: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m


highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 Micronesian Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Exchange rates the US dollar is the legal tender 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: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held NA November 2007)


election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100%
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 $9 million f.o.b. (2000) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish crude oil 70%, petroleum products 7%, fruits and vegetables 5%, cotton fiber 4%, clothing 3%, meat and live animals 2% (2000 est.)
Exports - partners US, Japan, Australia, China (2000) Germany 19.1%, Italy 17.5%, Turkey 7.8%, France 7.5%, Lebanon 5.2% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes 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 - $115 million (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $63.48 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14%


industry: 16%


services: 70% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 27%


industry: 23%


services: 50% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2001 est.) 3.6% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 00 N, 168 00 E 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.)
Heliports - 7 (2002)
Highways total: NA km


paved: 64.5 km


unpaved: NA km


note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002)
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 $54 million f.o.b. (2000) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco machinery and transport equipment 21%, food and livestock 18%, metal and metal products 15%, chemicals and chemical products 10% (2000 est.)
Imports - partners US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000) Italy 8.3%, Germany 7.4%, China 5.7%, South Korea 4.8%, France 4.6%, US 4.4%, Turkey 4.1% (2002)
Independence 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA%
Industries copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Infant mortality rate total: 30.5 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 34.19 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 26.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 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% (2001 est.) 0.9% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO 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 0 sq km 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; High Court Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Labor force 28,700 (1996 est.) 5.2 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7% 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: 16.67%


permanent crops: 38.89%


other: 44.44% (2001)
arable land: 25.96%


permanent crops: 4.08%


other: 69.96% (1998 est.)
Languages English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Legal system based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA


note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice
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: 69.7 years


male: 67.77 years


female: 71.73 years (2004 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: 93.7%


male: 93.6%


female: 93.7% (1999)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 89.7%


female: 64% (2003 est.)
Location Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Map references Oceania Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 41 NM


territorial sea: 35 NM
Merchant marine total: 420 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,954,092 GRT/28,176,762 DWT


by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 81, cargo 25, chemical tanker 41, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 7, container 77, liquefied gas 9, multi-functional large load carrier 5, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 149, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 7, vehicle carrier 4


foreign-owned: Australia 2, Chile 3, Croatia 2, Cyprus 10, Denmark 2, Germany 119, Greece 82, Hong Kong 12, India 2, Japan 16, Monaco 18, Netherlands 6, New Zealand 1, Norway 5, Poland 11, Singapore 1, Slovenia 1, Switzerland 4, Thailand 2, Turkey 8, United Kingdom 10, United States 92


registered in other countries: 50 (2004 est.)
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 US -
Military branches no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Forces), Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 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 Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Nationality noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)


adjective: Marshallese
noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
Natural hazards infrequent typhoons dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Net migration rate -6.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] 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 NA conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence
Population 57,738 (July 2004 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 NA 15%-25%
Population growth rate 2.29% (2004 est.) 2.45% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Majuro Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0


note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002)
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 Christian (mostly Protestant) 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: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 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: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits


domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)


international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)
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 4,500 (2003) 1.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 600 (2002) NA
Television broadcast stations 2 (both are US military stations) (2002) 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain low coral limestone and sand islands primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Total fertility rate 4.02 children born/woman (2004 est.) 3.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 30.9% (1999 est.) 20% (2002 est.)
Waterways - 870 km (minimal economic importance)
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