31°C | 16°C
Country information: Syria
| Official Name: | Syrian Arab Republic |
| Population: | 22 million |
| Capital: | Damascus |
| Government: | Authoritarian republic |
| Leaders: | Bashar al-Asad |
| Religion: | Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim 16%, Christian 10% |
| Languages: | Arabic is the official language. Worth mentioning is that some communities speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. |
| GDP: | $107.4 billion (CIA 2010 est.) |
| GDP/Capita: | $4,800 (CIA 2010 est.) |
| Main exports: | Crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat |
| Time zone: | GMT +2 |
| International dialing code: | +963 |
| Currency: | 1 Syrian Pound (SYP) = USD 0.0157 |
Country briefing
Syria is a land of history. Not yet a tourist destination, it certainly has the potential to rob Egypt of some of its visitors. But as many other states in the region, the image of a ‘rogue’ Islamic state poses significant challenges. To be sure, Syria continues to swim in its own water, resisting foreign pressure to reform its autocratic regime.
The Asad family has remained in office since 1970, with Hafiz al-Asad leading the way to his son Bashar al-Asad who grabbed the stick after his father’s death in 2000. When President al-Asad was elected for a second 7-year term in 2007, he did so without opposition and with 97.6% support. However, the regime became subject to massive popular protests as revolutions spread across the Middle East in the spring of 2011. It met the uprising with massive brutality, having killed more than 5.000 of its own citizens according to the UN. The Syrian regime is now subject to comprehensive sanctions from Western powers and most members of the Arab League.
Syria was a close ally to the Soviet Union and continues to resent Western and US influence in the Middle East. Its capital Damascus has served as headquarters for terrorist marked Hizballah. Syria has been a frequent critic of Israel and the two states are de facto in a state of war, even though the much-disputed Golan Heights has been quiet for more than 30 years.
Syria has played a crucial role in Middle Eastern politics, mainly as a result of its relations with Iran, Hizballah and Hamas. Many observers argue that Syria is of pivotal importance if peace between Israel and the Palestinian Territory is to be achieved. Also, Syria’s location, with borders to Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, as well as a Mediterranean coastline, makes the country a key player in the region.
Like many other states in the Middle East/Africa region, Syria is a bi-product of its colonial heritage. As France abandoned its mandate over the country in 1946, several years of political instability followed. For example, Syria and Egypt established the United Arab Republic in 1958, a project that failed after only three years. The colonial legacy also means that today’s Syria has a very complex population structure; 89% Arabs, 9% Kurds, other groups representing 3%, and millions of refugees originating from Palestine (750.000) and Iraq (1.200.000). Even though Sunni Muslims are a majority, Syrian politics have since the 1970s been ruled by the Asad family and its close group of kin. The Asads belong to the Alawite tribe, a Shia branch, and the country’s political and military leadership is largely drawn from that group.
