Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 1 (1997)

Radios: 2.8 million (1996)

Television broadcast stations: 108 (1997)

Televisions: 2.647 million licenses (1996)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 4,479 km (1,564 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,304 km 1.435-m gauge (3,288 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,165 km 1.000-m gauge (1,057 km electrified); 10 km
0.750-m or 0.800-m gauge (1996)

Highways:
total: 71,048 km (including 1,613 km of expressways)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1997 est.)

Waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to
Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes

Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km

Ports and harbors: Basel

Merchant marine:
total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 412,459 GRT/724,995 DWT
ships by type: bulk 13, cargo 1, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 1
(1998 est.)

Airports: 67 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 15 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 25
under 914 m: 25 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards,
Fortification Guards

Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,867,290 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,592,696 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 41,204 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $3.1 billion (1999)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.2% (1999)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

Illicit drugs: because of more stringent government regulations,
used significantly less as a money-laundering center; transit
country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest
Asian heroin

======================================================================

@Syria
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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