Syria

Introduction

Capital: Damascus

Population

Total Population: 19,890,000

Annual growth rate: 2.5%

Density: 108 inhabitant/km²

Urban population: 53.9%

Population of main cities including suburbs: Aleppo (2,925,000); Damascus (3,000,000); Homs (1,070,000); Al Ladhiqiyah (420,000); Hama (427,000).

Ethnic Origins: Arabs 90%; Armenians, Kurds and others 10%.

Official Language: Arabic

Other languages spoken: Kurdish (spoken in the north and north east), Armenian (mainly in Aleppo), Turkish (east of the Euphrates) and Aramean (biblical language spoken north of Damascus). French is little spoken, English prevails in large cities.

Business language: Arabic, French and English.

Religion: Sunni Muslims 74%, Christians 10%, Others 16% (especially Alawites, Druzes and, to a lesser extent, Jews).

Literacy rate: 80.8%

Local time:

It is %T:%M %A in Damascus

Exchange rate on :

National currency: Syrian Pound (SYP)

Country overview

Area: 185,180 km²

Type of State: Syria is a republic officially based on a parliamentary democracy but in reality it is controlled by an authoritarian, military dominated regime where the President and his ruling party have immense powers.

Type of economy: Lower-middle-income economy.
A country which depends a lot on its petroleum activity. It ranks 29th in the world with production of 26 million tonnes.
Agriculture has an important place: the sector employs 35% of the active population.

HDI*: 0.724/1

HDI (world rank): 108/177

Note: (*) The HDI, Human Development Index, is an indicator which synthesizes several data such as life expectancy, level of education, professional careers, access to culture etc.

Telecommunication

Telephone code:
To call from Syria, dial 00 or +
To call in Syria, dial +963

Internet suffix: .sy

Telephone lines: 17.3 per 100 inhabitants

Internet users: 0.0 per 100 inhabitants

Access to electricity: 90% of the population

Foreign trade in figures

Foreign trade indicators	2003	2004	2005	2006
Imports of goods (millions USD)	4,430	6,957	8,742	9,359
Exports of goods (millions USD)	5,762	7,220	8,602	10,245
Imports of services (millions USD)	1,806	2,235	2,359	2,520
Exports of services (millions USD)	1,331	2,613	2,910	2,924