Part 58
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 185,562; 107,254 fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $8 million, 1.3% of GDP (1988) _%_ _@_Sweden _*_Geography _#_Total area: 449,964 km2; land area: 410,928 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
_#_Land boundaries: 2,205 km total; Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
_#_Coastline: 3,218 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool,
## partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
_#_Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
_#_Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential
_#_Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 64%; other 27%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: water pollution; acid rain
_#_Note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
_*_People _#_Population: 8,564,317 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Swede(s); adjective--Swedish
_#_Ethnic divisions: homogeneous white population; small Lappish minority; foreign born or first-generation immigrants (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks) about 12%
_#_Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987)
_#_Language: Swedish, small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities; immigrants speak native languages
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
_#_Labor force: 4,572,000 (October 1990); government services 37.4%, mining, manufacturing, electricity, and water service 23.1%, private services 22.2%, transportation and communications 7%, construction 6.3%, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 3.8%, other 0.2% (1988)
_#_Organized labor: 80% of labor force (1990 est.)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Kingdom of Sweden
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Stockholm
_#_Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (lan, singular and plural); Alvsborgs Lan, Blekinge Lan, Gavleborgs Lan, Goteborgs och Bohus Lan, Gotlands Lan, Hallands Lan, Jamtlands Lan, Jonkopings Lan, Kalmar Lan, Kopparbergs Lan, Kristianstads Lan, Kronobergs Lan, Malmohus Lan, Norrbottens Lan, Orebro Lan, Ostergotlands Lan, Skaraborgs Lan, Sodermanlands Lan, Stockholms Lan, Uppsala Lan, Varmlands Lan, Vasterbottens Lan, Vasternorrlands Lan, Vastmanlands Lan
_#_Independence: 6 June 1809, constitutional monarchy established
_#_Constitution: 1 January 1975
_#_Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Riksdag)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--King CARL XVI Gustaf (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the King (born 14 July 1977);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Carl BILDT (since 3 October 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: ruling four-party coalition consists of the Moderate Party (conservative), Carl BILDT; Liberal People's Party, Bengt WESTERBERG; Center Party, Olof JOHANSSON; and the Christian Democratic Party, Alf SVENSSON; Social Democratic Party, Ingvar CARLSSON; New Democracy Party, Count Ian WACHMEISTER; Left Party (VP; Communist), Lars WERNER; Swedish Communist Party (SKP), Rune PETTERSSON; Communist Workers' Party, Rolf HAGEL; Green Party, no formal leader
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Riksdag--last held 15 September 1991 (next to be held September 1994); results--Social Democratic 37.6%, Moderate (conservative) 21.9%, Liberal People's Party 9.1%, Center Party 8.5%, Christian Democrats 7.1%, New Democracy 6.7%, Left Party (Communist) 4.5%, Green Party 3.4%, other 1.2%; seats--(349 total) Social Democratic 138, Moderate (conservative) 80, Liberal People's Party 33, Center Party 31, Christian Democrats 26, New Democracy 25, Left Party (Communist) 16; note: the Green Party leaves the Riksdag because it received less than the required 4% of the vote
_#_Communists: VP and SKP; VP, formerly the Left Party-Communists, is reported to have roughly 17,800 members and attracted 5.8% of the vote in the 1988 election; VP dropped the Communist label in 1990, but maintains a Marxist ideology
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer) AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-6, G-8, G-9, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, INTELSAT, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Anders THUNBORG; Chancery at Suite 1200, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 944-5600; there are Swedish Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York;
US--Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN; Embassy at Strandvagen 101, S-115 89 Stockholm; telephone [46] (8) 783-5300
_#_Flag: blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has essentially full employment, a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. For some observers, the Swedish model has succeeded in making economic efficiency and social egalitarianism complementary, rather than competitive, goals. Others argue that the Swedish model is on the verge of collapsing by pointing to the serious economic problems Sweden faces in 1991: high inflation and absenteeism, growing unemployment and deficits, and declining international competitiveness. In 1990, to improve the economy, the government approved a mandate for Sweden to seek EC membership and an austerity and privatization package and implemented a major tax reform. These reforms may succeed in turning the economy around in 1992.
_#_GDP: $137.8 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate 0.3% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.9% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $60.1 billion; expenditures $56.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
_#_Exports: $57.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products;
partners--EC 54.4%, (FRG 14.2%, UK 10.1%, Denmark 6.6%), US 8.6%, Norway 8.2%
_#_Imports: $54.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing;
partners--EC 55.3%, US 8.4%
_#_External debt: $14.1 billion (December 1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 2.0% (1990)
_#_Electricity: 39,716,000 kW capacity; 142,000 million kWh produced, 16,700 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles
_#_Agriculture: animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting for 37% of farm income; main crops--grains, sugar beets, potatoes; 100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes, 85% self-sufficient in sugar beets
_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.3 billion
_#_Currency: Swedish krona (plural--kronor); 1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 ore
_#_Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1--5.6402 (January 1991), 5.9188 (1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988), 6.3404 (1987), 7.1236 (1986), 8.6039 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 12,000 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ)--10,819 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double track; 182 km 0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service; privately owned railways--511 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (332 km electrified); 371 km 0.891-meter gauge (all electrified)
_#_Highways: 97,400 km (51,899 km paved, 20,659 km gravel, 24,842 km unimproved earth)
_#_Inland waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges
_#_Pipelines: 84 km natural gas
_#_Ports: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo, Stockholm; numerous secondary and minor ports
_#_Merchant marine: 182 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,226,923 GRT/2,879,057 DWT; includes 9 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 3 container, 45 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 28 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 6 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 8 combination ore/oil, 12 bulk, 1 combination bulk
_#_Civil air: 115 major transports
_#_Airports: 256 total, 254 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 92 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international facilities; 8,200,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, 56 (321 relays) FM, 111 (925 relays) TV; 5 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Royal Swedish Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,136,227; 1,865,645 fit for military service; 55,198 reach military age (19) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $4.9 billion, 2.5% of GDP (FY90) _%_ _@_Switzerland _*_Geography _#_Total area: 41,290 km2; land area: 39,770 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
_#_Land boundaries: 1,852 km total; Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
_#_Coastline: none--landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked
_#_Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
_#_Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
_#_Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 40%; forest and woodland 26%; other 23%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: dominated by Alps
_#_Note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe
_*_People _#_Population: 6,783,961 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 83 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Swiss (sing. & pl.); adjective--Swiss
_#_Ethnic divisions: total population--German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%; Swiss nationals--German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1% (1980)
_#_Language: total population--German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other 4%; Swiss nationals--German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
_#_Labor force: 3,310,000; 904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian; services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)
_#_Organized labor: 20% of labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Swiss Confederation
_#_Type: federal republic
_#_Capital: Bern
_#_Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular--canton in French; cantoni, singular--cantone in Italian; kantone, singular--kanton in German); Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
_#_Independence: 1 August 1291
_#_Constitution: 29 May 1874
_#_Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Federal Council (German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal, Italian--Consiglio Federale)
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (German--Bundesversammlung, French--Assemblee Federale, Italian--Assemblea Federale) consists of an upper council or Council of States (German--Standerat, French--Conseil des Etats, Italian--Consiglio degli Stati) and a lower council or National Council (German--Nationalrat, French--Conseil National, Italian--Consiglio Nazionale)
_#_Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Flavio COTTI (1991 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Rene FELBER (term runs concurrently with that of president)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno HUNZIKER, president; Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut HUBACHER, chairman; Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva SEGMULLER-WEBER, chairman; Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president; Green Party (GPS), Peter SCHMID, president; Automobile Party (AP), DREYER; Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz JAEGER, president; Swiss Democratic Party (SD), NA; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max DUNKI, president; Workers' Party (PdA; Communist), Jean SPIELMANN, general secretary; Ticino League, leader NA Liberal Party (LPS), Gilbert COUTAU, president; National Action Party (NA), Rudolph KELLER, chairman; Republican Party (RP), Franz BAUMGARTNER, president; Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH), Georg DEGEN, secretary; Unitary Socialist Party (PSU), Dario ROBBIANI, president
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 20
_#_Elections:
Council of States--last held throughout 1991 (next to be held 1995; results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(46 total) FDP 15, CVP 14, SVP 4, LPS 3, LDU 1; note--9 seats require run-off elections, to be held in November1991
National Council--last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held October 1995); results--FDP %, SPS %, CVP %, SVP %, GPS %, LPS %, AP %, LDU %,SD %, EVP %, Workers Party %, Ticino League 23%, other %; seats--(200 total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LDU 6, SD 5, EVP 3, Workers Party 2, Ticino League 2, other 2
_#_Communists: 4,500 members (est.)
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF (observer), IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER; Chancery at 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-7900; there are Swiss Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Joseph B. GILDENHORN; Embassy at Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern; telephone [41] (31) 437-011; there is a Branch Office of the Embassy in Geneva and a Consulate General in Zurich
_#_Flag: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Switzerland's economic success is matched in few, if any, other nations. Per capita output, general living standards, education and science, health care, and diet are unsurpassed in Europe. Inflation remains low because of sound government policy and harmonious labor-management relations. Unemployment is negligible, a marked contrast to the larger economies of Western Europe. This economic stability helps promote the important banking and tourist sectors. Since World War II, Switzerland's economy has adjusted smoothly to the great changes in output and trade patterns in Europe and presumably can adjust to the challenges of the 1990s, in particular, the further economic integration of Western Europe and the amazingly rapid changes in East European political/economic prospects.
_#_GDP: $126 billion, per capita $18,700; real growth rate 2.6% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $24.0 billion; expenditures $23.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
_#_Exports: $63.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles and clothing;
partners--Western Europe 64% (EC 56%, other 8%), US 9%, Japan 4%
_#_Imports: $70.5 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles, construction materials;
partners--Western Europe 78% (EC 71%, other 7%), US 6%
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 2.1% (1990)
_#_Electricity: 17,710,000 kW capacity; 59,070 million kWh produced, 8,930 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
_#_Agriculture: dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient; food shortages--fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter), grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat
_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5 billion
_#_Currency: Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken, or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi
_#_Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1--1.2724 (January 1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 5,174 km total; 2,971 km are government owned and 2,203 km are nongovernment owned; the government network consists of 2,897 km 1.435-meter standard gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge track; 1,432 km double track, 99% electrified; the nongovernment network consists of 710 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1,418 km 1.000-meter gauge, and 75 km 0.790-meter gauge track, 100% electrified
_#_Highways: 62,145 km total (all paved), of which 18,620 km are canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn); 42,468 km are communal roads
_#_Pipelines: 314 km crude oil; 1,506 km natural gas
_#_Inland waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes
_#_Ports: Basel (river port)
_#_Merchant marine: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,678 GRT/441,555 DWT; includes 6 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 7 bulk
_#_Civil air: 89 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 67 total, 65 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5,890,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, 36 (400 relays) FM, 145 (1,250 relays) TV; communications satellite earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,802,005; 1,549,347 fit for military service; 42,619 reach military age (20) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $4.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Syria _*_Geography _#_Total area: 185,180 km2; land area: 184,050 km2 (including 1,295 km2 of Israeli-occupied territory)
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than North Dakota
_#_Land boundaries: 2,253 km total; Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
_#_Coastline: 193 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 6 nm beyond territorial sea limit;
Territorial sea: 35 nm
_#_Disputes: separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; periodic disputes with Iraq over Euphrates water rights; ongoing dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR
_#_Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast
_#_Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum
_#_Land use: arable land 28%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 20%; includes irrigated 3%
_#_Environment: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
_#_Note: there are 38 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
_*_People _#_Population: 12,965,996 (July 1991), growth rate 3.8% (1991); in addition, there are at least 12,000 Druze and 13,000 Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (1990 est.)
_#_Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 37 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Syrian(s); adjective--Syrian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 90.3%; Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, tiny Jewish communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo
_#_Language: Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian; French widely understood
_#_Literacy: 64% (male 78%, female 51%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 2,400,000; miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry and construction 32%; majority unskilled; shortage of skilled labor (1984)
_#_Organized labor: 5% of labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Syrian Arab Republic
_#_Type: republic; under leftwing military regime since March 1963
_#_Capital: Damascus
_#_Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda, Dara, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus
_#_Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration); formerly United Arab Republic
_#_Constitution: 13 March 1973
_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 17 April (1946)
_#_Executive branch: president, three vice presidents, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of Cassation, State Security Courts
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971); Vice Presidents Abd al-Halim KHADDAM, Rifat al-ASAD, and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Mahmud ZUBI (since 1 November 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981); Deputy Prime Minister Mahmud QADDUR (since NA May 1985)
_#_Political parties and leaders: ruling party is the Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Bath) Party; the Progressive National Front is dominated by Bathists but includes independents and members of the Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP), Arab Socialist Union (ASU), Syrian Communist Party (SCP), Arab Socialist Unionist Movement, and Democratic Socialist Union Party
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held 10-11 February 1985 (next to be held February 1992); results--President Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected without opposition;
People's Council--last held 22-23 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results--Bath 53.6%, ASU 3.2%, SCP 3.2%, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 2.8%, ASP 2%, Democratic Socialist Union Party 1.6%, independents 33.6%; seats--(250 total) Bath 134, ASU 8, SCP 8, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 7, ASP 5, Democratic Socialist Union Party 4, independents 84; the People's Council was expanded to 250 seats total prior to the May 1990 election
_#_Communists: mostly sympathizers, numbering about 5,000
_#_Other political or pressure groups: non-Bath parties have little effective political influence; Communist party ineffective; greatest threat to Asad regime lies in factionalism in the military; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood
_#_Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Walid MOUALEM; Chancery at 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-6313;
US--Ambassador Edward P. DJEREJIAN; Embassy at Abu Rumaneh, Al Mansur Street No.2, Damascus (mailing address is P. O. Box 29, Damascus); telephone [963] (11) 333052 or 332557, 330416, 332814, 332315, 714108, 337178, 333232, 334352
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Yemen which has a plain white band and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Syria's rigidly structured Bathist economy turned out slightly more goods in 1990 than in 1983, when the population was 20% smaller. Economic difficulties are attributable, in part, to severe drought in several recent years, costly but unsuccessful attempts to match Israel's military strength, a falloff in Arab aid, and insufficient foreign exchange earnings to buy needed inputs for industry and agriculture. Socialist policy, embodied in a thicket of bureaucratic regulations, in many instances has driven away or pushed underground the mercantile and entrepreneurial spirit for which Syrian businessmen have long been famous. Two bright spots: a sizable number of villagers have benefited from land redistribution, electrification, and other rural development programs; and a recent find of light crude oil has enabled Syria to cut oil imports. A long-term concern is the additional drain of upstream Euphrates water by Turkey when its vast dam and irrigation projects are completed toward the end of the 1990s. Output in 1990 rebounded from the very bad year of 1989, as agricultural production and oil revenues increased substantially.
_#_GDP: $20.0 billion, per capita $1,600; real growth rate 12% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $4.8 billion; expenditures $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities--petroleum 40%, textiles 30%, farm products 13%, phosphates (1989);
partners--USSR and Eastern Europe 42%, EC 31%, Arab countries 17%, US/Canada 2% (1989)
_#_Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);