Syria

Introduction

Syria

Background: 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.

Geography Syria

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 note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied
territory water: 1,130 sq km land: 184,050 sq km

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 in Damascus

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

Elevation extremes: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest
point: Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese
ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 26% permanent crops: 4% other: 70% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,130 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining
wastes; inadequate 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 2001 est.)

People Syria

Population: 17,155,814 (July 2002 est.) note: in addition, about
40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs
(18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers
(A