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Compare Syria (2006) - Ethiopia (2008)

Compare Syria (2006) z Ethiopia (2008)

 Syria (2006)Ethiopia (2008)
 SyriaEthiopia
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 9 ethnically-based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)
Age structure 0-14 years: 37% (male 3,592,915/female 3,384,722)


15-64 years: 59.7% (male 5,779,257/female 5,500,887)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 296,070/female 327,510) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 43.4% (male 16,657,155/female 16,553,812)


15-64 years: 53.8% (male 20,558,026/female 20,639,076)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 953,832/female 1,149,986) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish
Airports 92 (2006) 84 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 26


over 3,047 m: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
total: 15


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 66


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 54 (2006)
total: 69


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 29


under 914 m: 21 (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: 1,127,127 sq km


land: 1,119,683 sq km


water: 7,444 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than North Dakota slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Background Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic, but in September 1961 the two entities separated and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel, and over the past decade Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD in July 2000, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April of 2005. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990's ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold due to Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
Birth rate 27.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 37.39 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $6.392 billion


expenditures: $7.613 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.23 billion (2005 est.)
revenues: $2.944 billion


expenditures: $3.683 billion (2007 est.)
Capital name: Damascus


geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E


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


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September
name: Addis Ababa


geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E


time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Coastline 193 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 13 March 1973 ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995
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: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia


conventional short form: Ethiopia


local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik


local short form: Ityop'iya


former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa


abbreviation: FDRE
Death rate 4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 14.67 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $8.566 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia (2005 est.) $3.793 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael CORBIN


embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus


mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus


telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342


FAX: [963] (11) 224-7938
chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO


embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa


mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa


telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00


FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA


chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200


FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles


consulate(s): New York
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 personnel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia
Economic aid - recipient $180 million (2002 est.) $1.6 billion (FY05/06)
Economy - overview The Syrian Government estimates the economy grew by 4.5 percent in real terms in 2005, led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about half of GDP. Economic performance and the exchange rate on the informal market were hit by international political developments following the assassination in February of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI and the specter of international sanctions. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and exports and helped to narrow the budget deficit and widen the current account surplus. 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, increasing pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution. Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover in 2004-07.
Electricity - consumption 28.26 billion kWh (2003 est.) 2.577 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 29.53 billion kWh (2003 est.) 2.864 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m


highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m


highest point: Ras Dejen 4,620 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% Oromo 32.1%, Amara 30.1%, Tigraway 6.2%, Somalie 5.9%, Guragie 4.3%, Sidama 3.5%, Welaita 2.4%, other 15.4% (1994 census)
Exchange rates Syrian pounds per US dollar - (public sector rate): 11.225 (2005), 11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001), (parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut): NA (2005), NA (2004), 52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2001), (official rate for repaying loans): 11.25 (2004) birr per US dollar - 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003)


note: since 24 October 2001 exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank
Executive branch chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president approved by popular referendum for a seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafiz al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held 2007); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%


note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June, the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council on 25 June; he was approved by a popular referendum on 10 July
chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)


cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives


elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections


election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 79%
Exports 285,000 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds
Exports - partners Iraq 22.3%, Saudi Arabia 15.3%, Italy 8.4%, Germany 8.3%, Lebanon 7.7%, Egypt 4.3%, France 4.2% (2005) Germany 12.8%, China 10.6%, Japan 7.5%, US 6.8%, Saudi Arabia 5.9%, Djibouti 5.8%, Italy 5% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 8 July - 7 July
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 three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 24.9%


industry: 23%


services: 51.9% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 48.8%


industry: 12.9%


services: 38.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.8% (2005 est.) 9.8% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 38 00 E 8 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.) landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean
Heliports 7 (2006) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3.9%


highest 10%: 25.5% (2000)
Illicit drugs a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center
Imports NA bbl/day 28,460 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles
Imports - partners Saudi Arabia 10.6%, China 5.6%, Egypt 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, UAE 5.2%, Ukraine 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005) Saudi Arabia 18%, **COUNTRY** 11.4%, China 11.3%, India 8.1%, Italy 5.1%, Germany 4.1% (2006)
Independence 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years
Industrial production growth rate 7% (2002 est.) 9% (2007 est.)
Industries petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Infant mortality rate total: 28.61 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.85 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 91.92 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 101.57 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 81.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2005 est.) 15.9% (2007 est.)
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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 13,330 sq km (2003) 2,900 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the President); High Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the President); Court of Cassation (national level); State Security Courts (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce); Courts of First Instance (local level; include magistrate, summary, and peace courts) Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)
Labor force 5.12 million (2004 est.) 27.27 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 30%


industry: 27%


services: 43% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 80%


industry: 8%


services: 12% (1985)
Land boundaries total: 2,253 km


border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
total: 5,328 km


border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km
Land use arable land: 24.8%


permanent crops: 4.47%


other: 70.73% (2005)
arable land: 10.01%


permanent crops: 0.65%


other: 89.34% (2005)
Languages Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)
Legal system based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; religious law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national and regional courts; 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 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held in 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
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2


note: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did not take their seats, but those will be decided in the April 2008 byelection
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.32 years


male: 69.01 years


female: 71.7 years (2006 est.)
total population: 49.23 years


male: 48.06 years


female: 50.44 years (2007 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: 42.7%


male: 50.3%


female: 35.1% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Map references Middle East Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 41 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1


foreign-owned: 11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1)


registered in other countries: 130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus 3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1, Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5) (2006)
total: 10 ships (1000 GRT or over) 120,383 GRT/152,418 DWT


by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 (2007)
Military branches Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005) Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) (2008)


note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession
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) 3% (2006)
National holiday Independence Day, 17 April (1946) National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)
Nationality noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
noun: Ethiopian(s)


adjective: Ethiopian
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts
Natural resources petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006) -
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] Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamisso] (awarded to AYELE 11 January 2008, but AYELE has virtually no support among former CUD MPs, other CUD MPs must now be affiliated with their original CUD-precursor parties); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM, Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopian People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]
Political pressure groups and leaders Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes several groups but has no designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes several groups but has no designated leader); Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in London) [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM] Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]
Population 18,881,361


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 2006 est.)
76,511,887


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 20% (2004 est.) 38.7% (FY05/06 est.)
Population growth rate 2.3% (2006 est.) 2.272% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)
Railways total: 2,711 km


standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)
total: 699 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad)


narrow gauge: 699 km 1.000-m gauge


note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but remains largely inoperable (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) Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994 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: 0.9 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.006 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.996 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.829 male(s)/female


total population: 0.995 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: 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: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per 100 persons


domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service


international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 2.903 million (2005) 725,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.95 million (2005) 866,700 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) 1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Total fertility rate 3.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) 5.1 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.3% (2004 est.) NA%
Waterways 900 km (not economically significant) (2005) -
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