The Syrian Arab Republic

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Geography & History

At the cross roads of the old trading routes from China and the Far East to Europe and Africa, Syria has always been of great strategic importance. It has seen many invasions and has absorbed the influences of many cultures and civilisations. The Syrians were skilled traders and also provided the world with the first alphabet and the world's most important agricultural crops.
The Syrian Arab Republic is located in the Middle East at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Lebanon to the south west, Jordan to the south and Iraq to the east. Syria covers an area of 185,180 square kilometres. The terrain, climate and vegetation of Syria are diverse. Mountains dominate the western and south-western margins, and separate the narrow coastal plain from the interior. The highest ranges straddle the boundary with Lebanon. Most of the remainder of Syria to the east of these mountains is a plateau. Syria has two major rivers, the Euphrates and Orontes.

Population

Syria's population is 17,008,000 with a growth rate of 3%. Most of the population lives in a strip of land running from Damascus in the south to Aleppo in the north. It is a young population with more than half the total , under 20 yearsof age .

Languages

Arabic is the official language, other spoken languages are Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian. French and English are also widely understood.

Currency

The currency unit is the Syrian Pound (SYP) and the rate of exchange is 1 US$ = 50 SYP.

Education

Most children between the ages of five and eleven now receive some form of full time education. There are more than 2,354 secondary and intermediary schools. Over 130,000 students are studying at Syria's four universities and numerous technical colleges.

Health Care Services

Syria has both a public and a private health care system. The government is working to ensure services are available in both urban and rural areas. Services at government clinics and health centres are free to all citizens. Over the past two decades, health conditions have improved in Syria.

Economic Overview

The Syrian economy is a multi-resourced economy based on agriculture, industry and trade. Since 1980 the oil and natural gas sector has witnessed a great expansion in investment in extraction and has become one of the vital resources for the development of the Syrian economy. Syria's economy has undergone a profound transformation since the early 1970s and is now pluralist; a mix between the public, private and joint sectors. The gradual reform started during the mid 1980s from a planned state sector oriented system to a market economy.

The agriculture sector is predominant and continues to serve as an important engine in the country's economic and social development. It accounts for 31 % of GDP and 28% of employment. The total cultivated area represents one third of the arable land.
The industrial sector employs 29% of the labour force and contributes 22% to GDP. Many of Syria's industries are agrarian based, such as food processing and textiles.

In the past few years the economy has continued its expansion (an average of 7- 8 % per annum of real growth), thanks to higher agricultural output, expansion of the industrial and oil sectors, a relaxation of economic controls, increased domestic investment and private sector growth.

Main economic indicators for 2000

Syria’s Industry 2000