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Compare Syria (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2004)

Compare Syria (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2004)

 Syria (2005)British Virgin Islands (2004)
 SyriaBritish Virgin Islands
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 37.4% (male 3,556,795/female 3,350,267)


15-64 years: 59.3% (male 5,601,971/female 5,333,799)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 288,868/female 317,052) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)


15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911)


65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 92 (2004 est.) 3 (2003 est.)
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


914 to 1,523 m: 1


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


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (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: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative slightly larger than North Dakota about 0.9 times 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. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights. First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 28.29 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $6.58 billion


expenditures: $9.45 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.67 billion (2004 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital Damascus Road Town
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; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 193 km 80 km
Constitution 13 March 1973 1 June 1977
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: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency - US dollar (USD)
Death rate 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $4 billion (excludes military debt and debt to Russia) (2004 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan none
Economic aid - recipient $180 million (2002 est.) NA
Economy - overview Real GDP growth rose to 2.3 percent in 2004, a slight increase from 2003 when the predominantly statist economy suffered from disruptions caused by the war in Iraq and other developments in the region. Annual real GDP growth has averaged 2.3 percent for the last seven years. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports and pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 24.32 billion kWh (2002) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 26.15 billion kWh (2002) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
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: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
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 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates Syrian pounds per US dollar - (official rate): 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), (parallel market rate in Amman and Beirut) NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2002), 49.4 (2000) 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)


head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports 285,000 bbl/day (2004) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Italy 22.7%, France 18%, Turkey 12.9%, Iraq 9%, Saudi Arabia 6.2% (2004) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
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 blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP - purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 25%


industry: 31%


services: 44% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,400 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.3% (2004 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 38 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (February 2002 est.) strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports 7 (2004 est.) -
Highways total: 45,697 km


paved: 6,489 km (including 1,001 km of expressways)


unpaved: 39,208 km (2002)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (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 transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Turkey 9.4%, Ukraine 8.7%, China 7.8%, Russia 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, US 4.7%, South Korea 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2004) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 7% (2002 est.) NA
Industries petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 29.76 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 29.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.1% (2004 est.) 2.5% (2002)
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 Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
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 Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 5.12 million (2004 est.) 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 30%, industry 27%, services 43% (2002 est.) agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
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: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood English (official)
Legal system based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
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 Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.03 years


male: 68.75 years


female: 71.38 years (2005 est.)
total population: 76.27 years


male: 75.24 years


female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 89.7%


female: 64% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA


female: NA
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Caribbean, 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
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 120 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 446,981 GRT/636,620 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 105, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 12 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Jordan 2, Lebanon 7, Romania 1)


registered in other countries: 73 (2005)
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT


by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: Norway 1


registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force (includes 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) -
National holiday Independence Day, 17 April (1946) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,300 km; oil 2,183 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; 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 Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL] Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [leader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM] NA
Population 18,448,752


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 2005 est.)
22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 20% (2004 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.34% (2005 est.) 2.06% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Baniyas, Latakia Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 2,711 km


standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2004)
-
Religions Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
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: 0.91 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 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: 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: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 2,099,300 (2002) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 400,000 (2002) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 3.5 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2002 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways 900 km (not economically significant) (2002) -
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