litary age: 19 years of age

Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 3,899,714 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 2,182,608 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 177,946 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $800 million-$1 billion (1997
est.); note-based on official budget data that understate actual
spending

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 8% (1995 est.)

@Syria:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Hatay
question with Turkey; 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

Illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for
regional and Western markets

______________________________________________________________________

TAIWAN

@Taiwan:Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea,
Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the
Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China

Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy

Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,448 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June
to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently
rolling plains in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m

Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone,
marble, and asbestos

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 55%
other: 15%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons

Environment-current issues: air pollution; water pollution from
industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water
supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste
disposal

Environment-international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected