##ciekawa_strona##
Compare Syria (2004) - Virgin Islands (2002)
Compare Syria (2004) z Virgin Islands (2002)
| Syria (2004) | Virgin Islands (2002) | |
 |  | |
| 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 | none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 38% (male 3,524,406; female 3,319,323)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 5,421,133; female 5,163,669) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 281,795; female 306,548) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,926; female 16,012)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 35,801; female 43,443) 65 years and over: 9.1% (male 4,851; female 6,465) (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle |
| Airports | 93 (2003 est.) | 2 (2001) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 26
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 66
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.) |
- |
| 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: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than North Dakota | twice the size of Washington, DC |
| 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. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights. | During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. |
| Birth rate | 28.93 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 15.85 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $6.106 billion
expenditures: $7.397 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6 billion (2003 est.) |
revenues: $364.4 million
expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) |
| Capital | Damascus | Charlotte Amalie |
| 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 | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November |
| Coastline | 193 km | 188 km |
| Constitution | 13 March 1973 | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 |
| 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: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
| Currency | Syrian pound (SYP) | US dollar (USD) |
| Death rate | 4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Debt - external | $21.55 billion (2003 est.) | $NA |
| Dependency status | - | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342 FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678 |
none (territory of the US) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548 |
none (territory of the US) |
| Disputes - international | 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; settled border dispute with Jordan in 2004 | none |
| Economic aid - recipient | $199 million (1997 est.) | $NA |
| Economy - overview | Syria's predominantly statist economy lately has been growing more slowly than its 2.4% annual population growth rate. Recent legislation allows private banks to operate in Syria, although a private banking sector will take years and further government cooperation to develop. Factors, including the war between the US-led coalition and Iraq, probably drove real annual GDP growth levels back below 1% in 2003 following growth of 3.5% in 2001 and 4.5% in 2002. A long-run economic constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, support construction projects in the private sector, expand tourist facilities, reduce crime, and protect the environment. |
| Electricity - consumption | 21.63 billion kWh (2001) | 948.6 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 23.26 billion kWh (2001) | 1.02 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% 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: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water | lack of natural freshwater resources |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
- |
| Ethnic groups | Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% | black 80%, white 15%, other 5%
note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8% |
| Exchange rates | Syrian pounds per US dollar - (Official rate): 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), 11.225 (1999), (Free market rate): 49.65 (2001), 49.4 (2000), 51.7 (1999) | the US dollar is used |
| 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 Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; referendum/election last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29% note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June 2000, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June 2000 |
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (Since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) and Lieutenant Governor Gererd LUZ James II (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de Jongh 24.4% |
| Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
| Exports - commodities | crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat | refined petroleum products |
| Exports - partners | Germany 20.9%, Italy 12.6%, UAE 7.6%, Lebanon 6.2%, Turkey 6%, France 5.4%, Croatia 4.8%, US 4.1% (2003) | US, Puerto Rico |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980 | white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $58.01 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1.8 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 28.5%
industry: 29.4% services: 42.1% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,300 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 0.9% (2003 est.) | NA% |
| Geographic coordinates | 35 00 N, 38 00 E | 18 20 N, 64 50 W |
| Geography - note | there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) | important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean |
| Heliports | 7 (2003 est.) | - |
| Highways | total: 43,381 km
paved: 10,021 km (including 877 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,360 km (1999) |
total: 856 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: the only US posession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000) |
| 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; weak anti-money-laundering controls, bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering | - |
| Imports | NA (2001) | $NA |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
| Imports - partners | Germany 7.2%, Italy 7.1%, China 6.3%, France 5.9%, Turkey 5.4% (2003) | US, Puerto Rico |
| Independence | 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
| Industries | petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
9.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2003 est.) | NA% |
| International organization participation | ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO | ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 50 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 12,130 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) |
| Labor force | 4.97 million (2003 est.) | 48,356 |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture, industry, services NA | agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 25.22%
permanent crops: 4.43% other: 70.35% (2001) |
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 6% other: 79% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood | English (official), Spanish, Creole |
| Legal system | based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on US laws |
| 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 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 |
unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM NA, no party affiliation NA note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 69.71 years
male: 68.47 years female: 71.02 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 78.43 years
male: 74.55 years female: 82.53 years (2002 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9% male: 89.7% female: 64% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
| Map references | Middle East | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 41 nm |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | total: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT
by type: bulk 12, cargo 101, container 2, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Egypt 1, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, Lebanon 10, Romania 1 registered in other countries: 83 (2004 est.) |
none (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
| Military branches | Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (including Air Defense Command), Police and Security Force | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 5.9% (FY00) | - |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 4,876,040 (2004 est.) | - |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 2,716,054 (2004 est.) | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 216,077 (2004 est.) | - |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 17 April (1946) | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) |
| Nationality | noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian |
noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
| Natural hazards | dust storms, sandstorms | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes |
| Natural resources | petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower | sun, sand, sea, surf |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Pipelines | gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]); Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI] | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [lader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM] | NA |
| Population | 18,016,874
note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2004 est.) |
123,498 (July 2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 20% (2003 est.) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.4% (2004 est.) | 1.04% (2002 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus | Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) |
| Radios | - | 107,000 (1997) |
| Railways | total: 2,711 km
standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2003) |
0 km |
| Religions | Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
| 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: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
| 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: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel |
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 2,099,300 (2002) | 62,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 400,000 (2002) | 2,000 (1992) |
| Television broadcast stations | 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) | 2 (2002) |
| Terrain | primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land |
| Total fertility rate | 3.61 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.24 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 20% (2002 est.) | 4.9% (March 1999) |
| Waterways | 900 km (not economically significant) (2002) | none |
Sitemap:
Compare countries listing (map site) |
Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.