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.)

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.)

Median age:
total: 20.7 years
male: 20.6 years
female: 20.9 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.3% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
27.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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.)

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.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.32 years
male: 69.01 years
female: 71.7 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups:
Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%,
Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus,
Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages:
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely
understood; French, English somewhat understood

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9%
male: 89.7%
female: 64% (2003 est.)

Government Syria

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)

Government type:
republic under an authoritarian, military-dominated regime

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: