Area
total: 185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km
Population: 18,448,752
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 (July 2005 est.)
Ethnic groups
Arab 90.3%
Kurds Armenians and other 9.7%
Capital: Damascus – 18,448,752
Largest Cities
Aleppo (Haleb) Homs Latakia Hamah Raka Deir az Zawr
Official Language
Arabic (official)
Kurdish Armenian Aramaic Circassian widely understood French English somewhat understood
Religion
Sunni Muslim 74%
Alawite Druze and other Muslim sects 16% Christian (various sects) 10% Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus Al Qamishli and Aleppo
Political system: republic
GDP: purchasing power parity – $60.44 billion (2004 est.) purchasing power parity – $billion
GDP per head: purchasing power parity – $3,400 (2004 est.)
Annual growth: purchasing power parity – $60.44 billion (2004 est.)
GDP – composition by sector
agriculture: 25%
industry: 31% services: 44% (2003 est.)
Inflation: 2.1% (2004 est.)