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Compare West Bank (2008) - Syria (2001)

Compare West Bank (2008) z Syria (2001)

 West Bank (2008)Syria (2001)
 West BankSyria
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
Age structure 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 551,243/female 524,800)


15-64 years: 54.2% (male 704,209/female 670,382)


65 years and over: 3.4% (male 36,175/female 49,118) (2007 est.)
0-14 years:
39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576)

15-64 years:
56.87% (male 4,868,816; female 4,644,870)

65 years and over:
3.21% (male 261,036; female 275,450) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Airports 3 (2007) 100 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total:
24

over 3,047 m:
5

2,438 to 3,047 m:
16

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total:
76

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
11

under 914 m:
63 (2000 est.)
Area total: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
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
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Delaware slightly larger than North Dakota
Background The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008. Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was administered by the French until independence in 1946. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. Since 1976, Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon, ostensibly in a peacekeeping capacity. In recent years, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.
Birth rate 30.99 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 30.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.149 billion


expenditures: $2.31 billion


note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)
revenues:
$2.25 billion

expenditures:
$5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital - Damascus
Climate temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters 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 hitting Damascus
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 193 km
Constitution - 13 March 1973
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
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)
Currency - Syrian pound (SYP)
Death rate 3.85 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 5.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $NA $22 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US - chief of mission:
Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER

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

mailing address:
P. O. Box 29, Damascus

telephone:
[963] (11) 333-2814

FAX:
[963] (11) 224-7938
Diplomatic representation in the US - chief of mission:
Ambassador Rustum al-ZU'BI

chancery:
2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 232-6313

FAX:
[1] (202) 234-9548
Disputes - international West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
Economic aid - recipient $1.4 billion; (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.) $199 million (1997 est.)
Economy - overview The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Authority (PA) - has experienced a general decline in economic conditions since the second intifada began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely a result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of closures and access restrictions in response to security concerns in Israel - which disrupted labor and trading relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. International aid of at least $1.14 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities - due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally - stymied growth. Israel's and the international community's financial embargo of the PA when HAMAS ran the PA during March 2006 - June 2007 has interrupted the provision of PA social services and the payment of PA salaries. Since June the Fayyad government in the West Bank has restarted salary payments and the provision of services but would be unable to operate absent high levels of international assistance. Syria's predominantly statist economy is on a shaky footing because of Damascus's failure to implement extensive economic reform. The dominant agricultural sector remains underdeveloped, with roughly 80% of agricultural land still dependent on rain-fed sources. Although Syria has sufficient water supplies in the aggregate at normal levels of precipitation, the great distance between major water supplies and population centers poses serious distribution problems. The water problem is exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. Private investment is critical to the modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export sectors. Oil production is leveling off, and the efforts of the nonoil sector to penetrate international markets have fallen short. Syria's inadequate infrastructure, outmoded technological base, and weak educational system make it vulnerable to future shocks and hamper competition with neighbors such as Jordan and Israel. The government recognizes the need to open the economy to additional domestic and foreign investment.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 16.684 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports NA kWh 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants 17.94 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
57.64%

hydro:
42.36%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
lowest point:
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m

highest point:
Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Environment - current issues adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements - party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003) Syrian pounds per US dollar - 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997)
Executive branch - chief of state:
President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice Presidents Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since 11 March 1984) and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984)

head of government:
Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa MIRU (since 13 March 2000), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984), Khalid RA'D (since 13 March 2000), Muhammad NAJI 'UTRI (since 13 March 2000)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; referendum/election last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of President Hafez al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held NA 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

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

note:
Hafiz al-ASAD died 10 June 2000; 20 June 2000 the Ba'th Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the People's Council 25 June 2000
Exports $301 million f.o.b.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone petroleum 65%, textiles 10%, manufactured goods 10%, fruits and vegetables 7%, raw cotton 5%, live sheep 2%, phosphates 1% (1998 est.)
Exports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006) Germany 21%, Italy 12%, France 10%, Saudi Arabia 9%, Turkey 8% (1999 est.)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, with two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band
GDP - purchasing power parity - $50.9 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 8%


industry: 13%


services: 79% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)
agriculture:
29%

industry:
22%

services:
49% (1997)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -8% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.) 3.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 35 15 E 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.)
Heliports - 2 (2000 est.)
Highways - total:
41,451 km

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

unpaved:
31,876 km (1997)
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
Imports $2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities food, consumer goods, construction materials machinery and equipment 23%, foodstuffs/animals 20%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10% (1998 est.)
Imports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006) France 11%, Italy 8%, Germany 7%, Turkey 5%, China 4% (1999 est.)
Independence - 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 2.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) NA%
Industries generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Infant mortality rate total: 18.67 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 20.59 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 16.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
33.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.6% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006) 1.5% (2000 est.)
International organization participation - ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) 9,060 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Labor force 605,000 (2006) 4.7 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 18%


industry: 15%


services: 67% (2006)
agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
total:
2,253 km

border countries:
Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Land use arable land: 16.9%


permanent crops: 18.97%


other: 64.13% (2001)
arable land:
28%

permanent crops:
4%

permanent pastures:
43%

forests and woodland:
3%

other:
22% (1993 est.)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Legal system - based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious 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 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, non-NPF 33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receive one-half of the seats
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.46 years


male: 71.68 years


female: 75.35 years (2007 est.)
total population:
68.77 years

male:
67.63 years

female:
69.98 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.4%


male: 96.7%


female: 88% (2004 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
70.8%

male:
85.7%

female:
55.8% (1997 est.)
Location Middle East, west of Jordan Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
Map references Middle East Middle East
Maritime claims none (landlocked) contiguous zone:
41 NM

territorial sea:
35 NM
Merchant marine - total:
133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 425,392 GRT/612,097 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 11, cargo 117, livestock carrier 4, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches - Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $921 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 5.9% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
4,384,528 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
2,448,630 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 19 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
200,859 (2001 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Nationality noun: NA


adjective: NA
noun:
Syrian(s)

adjective:
Syrian
Natural hazards droughts dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources arable land petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Net migration rate 2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km
Political parties and leaders - National Progressive Front or NPF (includes the Ba'th Party, ASU, Arab Socialist Party, Socialist Unionist Democratic Party, ASP, SCP) [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [Bashar al-ASAD, secretary general of the party, and chairman of the National Progressive Front after the death of Hafiz al-ASAD on 10 June 2000]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement or ASU [Sami SOUFAN]; Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani KANNUT]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Ahmad al-ASAD]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan KOUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders - conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen); non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence
Population 2,535,927


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
16,728,808

note:
in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 46% (2007 est.) 15%-25%
Population growth rate 2.985% (2007 est.) 2.54% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 25, shortwave 0 (2008) AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - 4.15 million (1997)
Railways - total:
2,750 km

standard gauge:
2,423 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
327 km 1.050-m gauge

note:
rail link between Syria and Iraq replaced in 2000 (2000)
Religions Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.736 male(s)/female


total population: 1.038 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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:
0.95 male(s)/female

total population:
1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services


international: country code - 970 (2004)
general assessment:
fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology

domestic:
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network

international:
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Telephones - main lines in use 349,000 (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) 1.313 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) NA
Television broadcast stations 30 (2008) 44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
Total fertility rate 4.17 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3.95 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 18.6% (2006) 20% (2000 est.)
Waterways - 870 km (minimal economic importance)
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