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Compare Syria (2006) - Reunion (2001)

Compare Syria (2006) z Reunion (2001)

 Syria (2006)Reunion (2001)
 SyriaReunion
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 department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons
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:
32.07% (male 120,259; female 114,669)

15-64 years:
62.25% (male 224,347; female 231,698)

65 years and over:
5.68% (male 16,892; female 24,705) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn
Airports 92 (2006) 2 (2000 est.)
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:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 66


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 54 (2006)
-
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:
2,512 sq km

land:
2,502 sq km

water:
10 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than North Dakota slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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. The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.
Birth rate 27.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 21.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $6.392 billion


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

expenditures:
NA
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
Saint-Denis
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, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Coastline 193 km 207 km
Constitution 13 March 1973 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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:
Department of Reunion

conventional short form:
Reunion

local long form:
none

local short form:
Ile de la Reunion

former:
Bourbon Island
Currency - French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)
Death rate 4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $8.566 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia (2005 est.) $NA
Dependency status - overseas department of France
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
none (overseas department of France)
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 department of France)
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 none
Economic aid - recipient $180 million (2002 est.) $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France
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. The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to more than 40% of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
Electricity - consumption 28.26 billion kWh (2003 est.) 1.023 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 29.53 billion kWh (2003 est.) 1.1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
54.55%

hydro:
45.45%

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:
Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water NA
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% French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian
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) euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)
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 Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996)

head of government:
President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)

cabinet:
NA

elections:
French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
Exports 285,000 bbl/day (2004) $214 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993)
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) France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (1994)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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 the flag of France is used
GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 24.9%


industry: 23%


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

industry:
NA%

services:
NA%
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $4,800 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.8% (2005 est.) 3.8% (1998 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 38 00 E 21 06 S, 55 36 E
Geography - note there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.) -
Heliports 7 (2006) -
Highways - total:
2,724 km

paved:
1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)

unpaved:
1,424 km

note:
370 km of road are maintained by national authorities, 754 km by departmental authorities and 1600 km by local authorities (1994)
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 and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering -
Imports NA bbl/day $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
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) France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (1994)
Independence 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate 7% (2002 est.) NA%
Industries petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction
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.)
8.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2005 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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO FZ, InOC, WFTU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 13,330 sq km (2003) 60 sq km (1993 est.)
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) Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Labor force 5.12 million (2004 est.) 261,000 (1995)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 30%


industry: 27%


services: 43% (2002 est.)
agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990)
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: 24.8%


permanent crops: 4.47%


other: 70.73% (2005)
arable land:
17%

permanent crops:
2%

permanent pastures:
5%

forests and woodland:
35%

other:
41% (1993 est.)
Languages Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood French (official), Creole widely used
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 French 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 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
unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections:
General Council - last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:
General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 7, UDF 8, PS 6, RPR 4, various right-wing candidates 15, various left-wing candidates 5

note:
Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 14 April 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 1, PCR 2; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 3, PS 1, and RPR-UDF 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.32 years


male: 69.01 years


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

male:
69.53 years

female:
76.49 years (2001 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:
79%

male:
76%

female:
80% (1982 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references Middle East World
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 41 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
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:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT

ships by type:
chemical tanker 1 (2000 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy), Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005) French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)
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:
190,846 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
97,497 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
6,243 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 17 April (1946) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun: Syrian(s)


adjective: Syrian
noun:
Reunionese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Reunionese
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Natural resources petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower fish, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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] Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]
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] NA
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.)
732,570 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 20% (2004 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.3% (2006 est.) 1.57% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Radio broadcast stations AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios - 173,000 (1997)
Railways total: 2,711 km


standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)
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) Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
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:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 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:
adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis

domestic:
modern open wire and microwave radio relay network

international:
radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 2.903 million (2005) 236,500 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.95 million (2005) 85,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995) 22 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Total fertility rate 3.4 children born/woman (2006 est.) 2.58 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.3% (2004 est.) 42.8% (1998)
Waterways 900 km (not economically significant) (2005) none
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