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Compare Syria (2002) - Turkey (2003)

Compare Syria (2002) z Turkey (2003)

 Syria (2002)Turkey (2003)
 SyriaTurkey
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 81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyon, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak
Age structure 0-14 years: 39.3% (male 3,467,267; female 3,264,639)


15-64 years: 57.5% (male 5,052,841; female 4,817,662)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 267,803; female 285,602) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 27.2% (male 9,422,242; female 9,082,840)


15-64 years: 66.4% (male 22,978,251; female 22,243,477)


65 years and over: 6.4% (male 2,013,926; female 2,368,733) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock
Airports 99 (2001) 120 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways 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)
total: 86


over 3,047 m: 16


2,438 to 3,047 m: 30


1,524 to 2,437 m: 19


914 to 1,523 m: 16


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 68


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 55 (2002)
total: 34


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 24 (2002)
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: 780,580 sq km


land: 770,760 sq km


water: 9,820 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than North Dakota slightly larger than Texas
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. Present-day Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter, the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the UN, and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to protect Turkish Cypriots and prevent a Greek takeover of the island; the northern 37 percent of the island remains under Turkish Cypriot control. Relations between the two countries remain strained, but have begun to improve over the past few years. In 1984, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Marxist-Leninist, separatist group, initiated an insurgency in southeast Turkey, often using terrorist tactics to try to attain its goal of an independent Kurdistan. The group - whose leader, Abdullah OCALAN, was captured in Kenya in February 1999 - has observed a unilateral cease-fire since September 1999, although there have been occasional clashes between Turkish military units and some of the 4,000-5,000 armed PKK militants, most of whom currently are encamped in northern Iraq. The PKK changed its name to the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) in April 2002.
Birth rate 30.11 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 17.59 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $5 billion


expenditures: $7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $42.4 billion


expenditures: $69.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital Damascus Ankara
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 in Damascus temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Coastline 193 km 7,200 km
Constitution 13 March 1973 7 November 1982
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 Turkey


conventional short form: Turkey


local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti


local short form: Turkiye
Currency Syrian pound (SYP) Turkish lira (TRL)
Death rate 5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $22 billion (2001 est.) $118.3 billion (Yearend 2001)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Eric S. EDELMAN


embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara


mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823


telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555


FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019


consulate(s) general: Istanbul


consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir
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 Dr. Osman Faruk LOGOGLU


chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and 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; Turkey is quick to rebuff any perceived Syrian claim to Hatay province complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question remains with Greece; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey is quick to rebuff any perceived Syrian claim to Hatay province; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
Economic aid - recipient $199 million (1997 est.) ODA, $300 million (2000)
Economy - overview Syria's predominantly statist economy has been growing slower than its 2.5% annual population growth rate, causing a persistent decline in per capita GDP. President Bashar AL-ASAD has made little progress on the economic front after one year in office, but does appear willing to permit a gradual strengthening of the private sector. His most obvious accomplishment to this end was the recent passage of legislation allowing private banks to operate in Syria, although a private banking sector will take years and further government cooperation to develop. ASAD's recent cabinet reshuffle may improve his chances of implementing further growth-oriented policies, although external factors such as the international war on terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and downturn in oil prices could weaken the foreign investment and government revenues Syria needs to flourish. A long-run economic constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2001 still accounted for 40% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The most important industry - and largest exporter - is textiles and clothing, which is almost entirely in private hands. In recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Meanwhile, the public sector fiscal deficit has regularly exceeded 10% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments, which account for more than 50% of central government spending. Inflation, in recent years in the high double-digit range, fell to 26% in 2003. Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than $1 billion annually. In late 2000 and early 2001 a growing trade deficit and serious weaknesses in the banking sector plunged the economy into crisis - forcing Turkey to float the lira and pushing the country into recession. Results in 2002-03 were much better, because of strong financial support from the IMF and tighter fiscal policy. Continued slow global growth and serious political tensions in the Middle East could result in negative growth in 2004.
Electricity - consumption 17.671 billion kWh (2000) 112.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 650 million kWh (2000) 433 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 4.579 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 19.7 billion kWh (2000) 116.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 64%


hydro: 36%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel: 79.3%


hydro: 20.4%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0.3% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m


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


highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
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, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)
Exchange rates Syrian pounds per US dollar - 51 (December 2001), 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997) NA (2002), 1,225,590 (2001), 625,218 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 260,724 (1998), 151,865 (1997)
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), 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
chief of state: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003); note - Abdullah GUL resigned 11 March 2003; Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN was given a mandate to form a new government


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


note: a National Security Council serves as an advisory body to the government composed of top military and cabinet officials and presided over by the president


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60%


note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot
Exports $5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) 46,110 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities crude oil 68%, textiles 7%, fruits and vegetables 6%, raw cotton 4% (1998 est.) apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports - partners Germany 27%, Italy 12%, France 10%, Turkey 10%, Saudi Arabia 7% (2000 est.) Germany 16.6%, US 9.2%, UK 8.5%, Italy 6.4%, France 6% (2002)
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 red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening
GDP purchasing power parity - $54.2 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $489.7 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 27%


industry: 23%


services: 50% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 12.9%


industry: 30.4%


services: 56.7% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2% (2001 est.) 7.8% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 38 00 E 39 00 N, 35 00 E
Geography - note there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country
Heliports 7 (2002) 8 (2002)
Highways total: 41,451 km


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


unpaved: 31,876 km (1997)
total: 385,960 km


paved: 131,226 km (including 1,749 km of expressways)


unpaved: 254,734 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.3%


highest 10%: 32.3% (1994)
Illicit drugs a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate
Imports $4 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) 616,500 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment 21%, food and livestock 18%, metal and metal products 15%, chemicals and chemical products 10% (2000 est.) machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Imports - partners Italy 9%, Germany 7%, France 5%, Lebanon 5%, China 4%, South Korea 4%, Turkey 4%, US 4% (2000 est.) Germany 13.7%, Italy 8.1%, Russia 7.6%, US 6%, France 5.9%, UK 4.8%, Switzerland 4.1% (2002)
Independence 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) 29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 8.5% (2002 est.)
Industries petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
Infant mortality rate 32.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 44.2 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 47.91 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 40.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0.3% (2001 est.) 45.2% (2002 est.)
International organization participation 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, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 50 (2001)
Irrigated land 12,130 sq km (1998 est.) 42,000 sq km (1998 est.)
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 (judges are appointed by the president); Court of Appeals and Council of State (judges are elected by the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors)
Labor force 4.7 million (1998 est.) 23.8 million


note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2001 3rd quarter)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.) agriculture 39.7%, services 37.9%, industry 22.4% (3rd quarter, 2001)
Land boundaries total: 2,253 km


border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
total: 2,648 km


border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km
Land use arable land: 25.96%


permanent crops: 4.08%


other: 69.96% (1998 est.)
arable land: 34.53%


permanent crops: 3.36%


other: 62.11% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Legal system based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction derived from various European continental legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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%, 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
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister on 13 March 2003


election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats
Life expectancy at birth total population: 69.08 years


male: 67.9 years


female: 70.32 years (2002 est.)
total population: 71.8 years


male: 69.41 years


female: 74.3 years (2003 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: 86.5%


male: 94.3%


female: 78.7% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Map references Middle East Middle East
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 41 NM


territorial sea: 35 NM
exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR


territorial sea: 6 NM in the Aegean Sea; 12 NM in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea
Merchant marine total: 143 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 482,985 GRT/702,590 DWT


ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 126, livestock carrier 4, 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.)
total: 525 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,306,506 GRT/8,424,837 DWT


ships by type: bulk 125, cargo 229, chemical tanker 44, combination bulk 3, combination ore/oil 3, container 34, liquefied gas 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 5


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belize 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 2, Greece 1, Italy 1, Thailand 1, UK 11 (2002 est.)
Military branches Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes Air Defense Forces), Police and Security Force Land Forces, Navy (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry), Air Force, Coast Guard, Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure $921 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending $8.1 billion (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 5.9% (FY98) 4.5% (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 4,550,496 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 19,534,455 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 2,539,342 (2002 est.) males age 15-49: 11,801,267 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 19 years of age (2002 est.) 20 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 200,859 (2002 est.) males: 679,882 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 17 April (1946) Independence Day, 29 October (1923)
Nationality noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
noun: Turk(s)


adjective: Turkish
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Natural resources petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower antimony, coal, chromium, mercury, copper, borate, sulfur, iron ore, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km gas 3,177 km; oil 3,562 km (2003)
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, chairman]; Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan KOUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI] Democratic Left Party or DSP [Bulent ECEVIT]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayip ERDOGAN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [Ahmet Mesut YILMAZ]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Tansu CILLER]; Young Party or GP [Cem UZAN]
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 Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Erol YARAR]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Muharrem KAYHAN]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Bayram MERAL]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
Population 17,155,814 (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.)
68,109,469 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 15%-25% NA%
Population growth rate 2.5% (2002 est.) 1.16% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (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 (2001)
total: 8,607 km


standard gauge: 8,607 km 1.435-m gauge (2,131 km electrified) (2002)
Religions Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
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: 0.94 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female


total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 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: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with cellular telephones


domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly


international: international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Telephones - main lines in use 1.313 million (1997) 19.5 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 17.1 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) 635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Total fertility rate 3.84 children born/woman (2002 est.) 2.03 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2000 est.) 10.8% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2002 est.)
Waterways 870 km (minimal economic importance) 1,200 km (approximately)
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