ops 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.

Syria Geography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Lebanon and Turkey

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references: Middle East

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

Area - comparative: slightly larger than North Dakota

Land boundaries: total: 2,253 km

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

Coastline: 193 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 41 NM

territorial sea: 35 NM

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 hitting Damascus

Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal
plain; mountains in west

Elevation extremes: lowest point: unnamed location near Lake
Tiberias -200 m

highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores,
asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 28%

permanent crops: 4%

permanent pastures: 43%

forests and woodland: 3%

other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 9,060 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues: 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

Geography - note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land
use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.)

Syria People

Population: 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.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576)

15-64 years: 56.87% (male