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Syria Country Facts1 |
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| Human Development Index Ranking: | 107 of 177 countries (2004)2 |
| Poverty Index Ranking: | 29 (2004); 14.4% value (HPI-1)2 |
| Gender Development Index Ranking: | 82 (2004); 0.702 value (GDI)2 |
| Total land area: | 185,180 km2 |
| Total population: | 18.1 million (2005)3 |
| Population growth rate: | 2.46% (2001-2004) |
| Population distribution: | 50.5% Urban (2004)2 |
| Adult Literacy: | 82.9%; Female 74.2%, Male 91.0%, |
| Literacy rate 15-24: | Female 92.5%, Male 97.1% |
| Life expectancy: | 71.7 years; Male 70, Female 72.1 |
| Ethnic Groups: | Arabs 90.3%; Kurds, Armenians, others 9.7% |
| Languages: | The official language is Arabic; other languages are Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian and English. French is spoken to a lesser extent. |
Political Structure |
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| President: | Bashar Al-Assad |
| Vice-President | Farouk Al Shara'a |
| Vice-President | Najah Al-Attar |
| Prime Minister: | Mohamed Naji Al-Otri |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs: | Walid Al-Muallem |
| Legislature: | 250-member People's Assembly directly elected for four-year terms. Constitutionally mandated majority for the ruling National Progressive Front. |
| Electoral System: | Universal adult suffrage; adulthood at 18 years of age |
| Executive Power: | President directly elected for seven-year term. The president appoints the vice- presidents, the Prime Minister and the council of Ministers. The Prime Minister heads the Council of Ministers. |
| Main political parties: | The ruling National Progressive Front (NPF) consists of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and seven other parties: Arab Socialist Movement (2 wings), Arab Socialist Union, Syrian Communist (2 wings), Arab Socialist Federation, and the Democratic Socialist Union |
Economic Overview
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| GDP at Market Prices: | US$ 21.5 billion (2003) |
| GDP per Capita: | US $3,620 (PPP, 2002) |
| Currency: | Syrian Pound. Multiple exchange rates apply. On July 2005, the UN exchange rate was 53.45 Syrian Pound per 1 US$. |
| Major Industries: | Petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco and phosphate rock mining. |
| Natural Resources: | Oil, chrome, manganese, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, phosphate, gypsum. |
| Main Exports: | Crude oil, textiles, cotton, fruits and vegetables, livestock. |
| Main Imports: | Manufactured goods, Machinery and transport equipment, food and livestock, chemical products, mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials. |
| Main trading partners: | Germany, Turkey, Italy, Lebanon, France, and Ukraine |
1. All figures from Syrian Arab Republic Common Country Assessment 2005 unless otherwise noted.
2. Denotes UNDP Human Development Report 2006
3. Denotes Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics: "Statistical Abstract 2003"