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Compare Syria (2001) - Lithuania (2007)

Compare Syria (2001) z Lithuania (2007)

 Syria (2001)Lithuania (2007)
 SyriaLithuania
Administrative divisions 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 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus
Age structure 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.)
0-14 years: 14.9% (male 273,573/female 259,570)


15-64 years: 69.3% (male 1,213,011/female 1,264,996)


65 years and over: 15.8% (male 194,500/female 369,789) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Airports 100 (2000 est.) 87 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways 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.)
total: 30


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 17 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
76

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
11

under 914 m:
63 (2000 est.)
total: 57


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 53 (2007)
Area 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
total: 65,200 sq km


land: NA sq km


water: NA sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than North Dakota slightly larger than West Virginia
Background 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. Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795, when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I, but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate 30.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 8.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$2.25 billion

expenditures:
$5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $10.05 billion


expenditures: $10.12 billion (2006 est.)
Capital Damascus name: Vilnius


geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate 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 transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
Coastline 193 km 90 km
Constitution 13 March 1973 adopted 25 October 1992
Country name 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)
conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania


conventional short form: Lithuania


local long form: Lietuvos Respublika


local short form: Lietuva


former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency Syrian pound (SYP) -
Death rate 5.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 11.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $22 billion (2000 est.) $16.2 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD


embassy: Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106


mailing address: American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106


telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500


FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510
Diplomatic representation in the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA


chancery: 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860


FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466


consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York
Disputes - international 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 Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation
Economic aid - recipient $199 million (1997 est.) $249.7 million (2004)
Economy - overview 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. Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment fell to 3.7% in 2006, while wages grew 17.6%, contributing to rising inflation. Exports and imports continue to grow strongly, and the current account deficit rose to nearly 10% of GDP in 2006. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly complete. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy, but foreign direct investment declined in 2006.
Electricity - consumption 16.684 billion kWh (1999) 9.296 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 8.607 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 5.641 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 17.94 billion kWh (1999) 13.48 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
57.64%

hydro:
42.36%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m

highest point:
Mount Hermon 2,814 m
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate supplies of potable water contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases
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
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census)
Exchange rates Syrian pounds per US dollar - 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997) litai per US dollar - 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003), 3.677 (2002)
Executive branch 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
chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July 2006)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament


election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Gediminas KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with five abstentions
Exports $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 145,100 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities petroleum 65%, textiles 10%, manufactured goods 10%, fruits and vegetables 7%, raw cotton 5%, live sheep 2%, phosphates 1% (1998 est.) mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)
Exports - partners Germany 21%, Italy 12%, France 10%, Saudi Arabia 9%, Turkey 8% (1999 est.) Russia 12.8%, Latvia 11.1%, Germany 8.6%, Estonia 6.5%, Poland 6.1%, Netherlands 4.8%, Sweden 4.5%, UK 4.4%, US 4.3%, Denmark 4.2%, France 4.2% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 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 three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red
GDP purchasing power parity - $50.9 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
29%

industry:
22%

services:
49% (1997)
agriculture: 5.5%


industry: 35%


services: 59.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2000 est.) 7.5% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 38 00 E 56 00 N, 24 00 E
Geography - note there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.) fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits
Heliports 2 (2000 est.) -
Highways 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%: 2.7%


highest 10%: 27.7% (2003)
Illicit drugs a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation
Imports $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 187,800 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment 23%, foodstuffs/animals 20%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10% (1998 est.) mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals
Imports - partners France 11%, Italy 8%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, China 4% (1999 est.) Russia 24.3%, Germany 14.9%, Poland 9.5%, Latvia 4.8% (2006)
Independence 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) 11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 7% (2006 est.)
Industries petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry
Infant mortality rate 33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.99 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.5% (2000 est.) 3.8% (2006 est.)
International organization participation 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 ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 9,060 sq km (1993 est.) 70 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President
Labor force 4.7 million (1998 est.) 1.588 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.) agriculture: 15.8%


industry: 28.2%


services: 56% (2004)
Land boundaries total:
2,253 km

border countries:
Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
total: 1,613 km


border countries: Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km
Land use arable land:
28%

permanent crops:
4%

permanent pastures:
43%

forests and woodland:
3%

other:
22% (1993 est.)
arable land: 44.81%


permanent crops: 0.9%


other: 54.29% (2005)
Languages Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)
Legal system based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch 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
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members are elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, TS 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Labor 29, Homeland Union 26, Social Democrats 23, Civil Democracy (split from Labor) 11, Liberal Movement (formerly Liberal Political Group) 11, National Farmer's Union (formerly Farmers and New Democracy Union) 11, Social Liberal 10, Liberal Democrats 9, Liberal and Center Union 8, independents 3 (as of late-July 2006)
Life expectancy at birth total population:
68.77 years

male:
67.63 years

female:
69.98 years (2001 est.)
total population: 74.44 years


male: 69.46 years


female: 79.69 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
70.8%

male:
85.7%

female:
55.8% (1997 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.6%


female: 99.6% (2001 census)
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia
Map references Middle East Europe
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
41 NM

territorial sea:
35 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine 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.)
total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 363,795 GRT/366,624 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 16


foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 9)


registered in other countries: 20 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, North Korea 1, Norway 1, Panama 5, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7, unknown 3) (2007)
Military branches Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $921 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 5.9% (FY98) 1.2% (2006; 1.23% 2007 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
4,384,528 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service 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, 17 April (1946) Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality noun:
Syrian(s)

adjective:
Syrian
noun: Lithuanian(s)


adjective: Lithuanian
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms NA
Natural resources petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower peat, arable land, amber
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km gas 1,696 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders 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] Civil Democracy Party [Viktor MUNTIANAS]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; National Farmer's Union [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS]; Labor Party [Kestutis DAUKSYS]; Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS]; Liberal Democratic Party [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Liberal Movement [Petras AUSTREVICIUS]; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS]; Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania [Julius VESELKA]; Lithuanian Social Democratic Party [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS]; Social Liberal/New Union [Arturas PAULAUSKAS]; Social Union of Christian Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists [Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS]
Political pressure groups and leaders conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence NA
Population 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.)
3,575,439 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 15%-25% 4% (2003)
Population growth rate 2.54% (2001 est.) -0.289% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus -
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios 4.15 million (1997) -
Railways 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)
total: 1,771 km


broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)


standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Religions Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)
Sex ratio 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.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.054 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.959 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.526 male(s)/female


total population: 0.887 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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
general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access


domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications


international: country code - 370; landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Telephones - main lines in use 1.313 million (1997) 792,400 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 4.718 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) 27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001)
Terrain primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Total fertility rate 3.95 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2000 est.) 3.7%


note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2006 est.)
Waterways 870 km (minimal economic importance) 425 km (2005)
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