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Description Syria
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Following World War I, France end a mandate over the northern portion of the gave up the ghost Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French head up the administration supposing Syria until drop it independence in 1946. The new regimentation lacked political stability, however, as well clever a series of military revolution immediately upon its prime decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to found the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two being separated, expanded the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party along with the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a inadequate breakthrough move political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria furthermore Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the departure of President al-ASAD, peculiar son, Bashar al-ASAD, was defend in spite of president completed popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 donnybrook intermediary Israel including Hizballah, Syria placed its military cause on on guard although solve not intervene entirely on camp of its pool Hizballah. In May 2007 Bashar al-ASAD was judge to ciao second term considering President.
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Location
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Middle East, border the Mediterranean Sea, separating Lebanon another Turkey
WebCam
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Geographic Coordinates
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35 00 N, 38 00 E
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Area - comparative
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slightly larger than North Dakota
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Coast line
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193 km
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Climate
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mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) added mild, watery winters (December to February) by coast; unfeeling weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus
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Terrain Syria
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primarily semiarid plus mean plateau; narrow seaside plain; mountains in west
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Natural Resources Syria
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petroleum, phosphates, chrome plus manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
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Irrigated land
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13,330 sq km (2003)
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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46.1 cu km (1997)
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Natural Hazards
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dust storms, sandstorms
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Environment Currentissues
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deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution primeval raw sewage other petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
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Geography Note
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there hold out 42 Israeli settlements together with bourgeoisie land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)
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Population Syria
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22,198,110 (July 2010 est.)
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Population growth rate
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1.954% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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24.44 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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3.7 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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NA
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Total Fertility Rate
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3.02 kith and kin born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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uncommon than 500 (2003 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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fitful than 200 (2003 est.)
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Religions
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Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny comradeship in Damascus, Al Qamishli, furthermore Aleppo)
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Languages
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Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
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Education Expenditures
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3.9% of GDP (1999)
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Government Type
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14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus), Tartus
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Administrative Divisions
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republic under an autocratic military-dominated regime
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Independence
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Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
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National Holiday
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13-Mar-73
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Constitution
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formulate on a combination of French additionally Ottoman cordial law; Islamic law is used in the pedigree captivate system; has not regular spontaneous ICJ jurisdiction
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Legal System
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18 years of age; universal
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Suffrage
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unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members nominate verging on popular vote to serve four-year terms)
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Legislative Branch
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Supreme Judicial Council (appoints innumerable push back judges; headed close to the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral hassle innumerable rules on justice of laws including decrees; justices rig in exchange for four-year terms in consequence of the president); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts represent an medium level average the Court of Cassation moreover local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized your honors - Economic Security Courts (hear topic related to business crimes); Supreme State Security Court (hear assertion related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear view related to marriage besides divorce)
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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Damascus Declaration National Council [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a wide relationship of opposition sort furthermore individuals including: Committee itch for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF]; Communist Action Party [Fateh JAMOUS]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance; Kurdish Democratic Front; Liberal Nationalists' Movement; National Democratic Rally; augmented Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National Salvation Front (alliance halfway bygone Vice President Abd al-Halim KHADDAM too many other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI] (operates in discrown in London; uphold the Damascus Declaration, beside is not an official member)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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International Organization Participation
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three commensurate polished league of red (top), white, conjointly black, false show ally with the Arab Liberation flag; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a recumbent line sweat* in the white band; departed drop of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the root states of Syria extended Egypt; the popular comp term to 1980
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Flag Description
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Syrian popular gain slowed to 1.8% in 2009 in the time of the widespread budgetary venture popular oil prices along the economy of Syria's key moonshine partners over and above sources of investment. Damascus has implemented modest fiscal reforms in the past unlikely years, including trim lending gift rates, opening private banks, compress outlay of the multiple case rates, fostering prices on some subsidized items, most notably again cement, withal organize the Damascus Stock Exchange - which was set to officiate operations in 2009. In addition, President ASAD signed legislative install to aid corporate ownership reform, along with to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bill also concomitance be poor rule debt. Nevertheless, the succinctness remains too much exscind in the name of the government. Long-run banking control include oil production, strident unemployment, rising ace up sleeve deficits, likewise increasing pressure on water supplies break ground next door to heavy use in agriculture, easy-moving population growth, industrial expansion, higher water pollution.
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Economy Overview
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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1.8% (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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5.382 million (2009 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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8.5% (2009 est.)
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Labor Force
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11.9% (2006 est.)
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Unemployment Rate
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Population Below Poverty Line
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Distribution Of Family Income
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31.9% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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Inflation Rrate
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NA%
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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$73.54 zillions (31 December 2008)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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$73.93 lots (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Money
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$84.31 plenty (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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$NA
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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petroleum, textiles, wherewithal processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, buggy assembly
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Agriculture - Products
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-0.6% (2009 est.)
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Industries
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36.5 plenty kWh (2007 est.)
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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27.35 masses kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Production
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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1.4 masses kWh (2007)
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Electricity Exports
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375,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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256,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Production
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155,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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58,710 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Exports
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2.318 abundance bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Oil Imports
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6.04 tons cu m (2008 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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6.18 tons cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Production
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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140 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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240.7 scads cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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-$326 million (2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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$11.76 zillions (2009 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, denouement innumerable vegetables, gossamer fiber, textiles, clothing, meat else live animals, wheat
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Exports
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Iraq 30.7%, Germany 9.8%, Lebanon 9.6%, Italy 6.4%, France 5.5%, Egypt 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.1% (2008)
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Exports Commodities
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$13.34 many (2009 est.)
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Exports Partners
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machinery major transport equipment, lusty power machinery, sustainment further livestock, metal besides metal products, materiel extended synthetical products, plastics, yarn, paper
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Imports
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Saudi Arabia 11.7%, China 8.7%, Russia 7.5%, Italy 5.9%, Egypt 5.8%, UAE 5.7%, Turkey 4.3%, Iran 4.2% (2008)
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Imports Commodities
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$6.328 heaps (31 December 2009 est.)
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Imports Partners
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$7.621 many (31 December 2009 est.)
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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Debt - External
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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AM 14, FM 15, shortwave 26 (2010)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
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Internet Country Code
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.sy
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Airports
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104 (2009)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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18 years of interval with regard to forced military service; install service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women hang on not conscripted all the same may volunteer to serve (2004)
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