Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey.
Land Area: 185,180 sq. km ( 71498 sq. miles) (includes 500 sq. miles of Israeli-occupied territory).
Coastline: 193 km (120 miles)
Highest Point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m ( 9,230 ft)
Lowest Point: near Lake Tiberias -200 m (-656 ft)
Notable Landmarks: Take a peek...

Real growth in the Gross Domestic Product rose to 2.3 percent in 2004, a slight increase from 2003 when the predominantly state-run economy suffered from disruptions caused by the war in Iraq and other developments in the region. Annual growth has averaged 2.3 percent for the last seven years. The Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising prices on some foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy remains mostly controlled by the government. Long run economic constraints include declining oil production and exports, and pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $60.44 Billion (2004 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $3,400 (2004 est.)
Number of Workers: 5.12 million (2004 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 20% (2004 est.)
Industries: Petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, and phosphate rock mining.
Currency: Pound What does it look like?

Type of Government: Republic under military regime since March of 1963
Chief of State: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRIAriel Sharon (since 10 September 2003)
Capital City: Damascus
Legal Age to Vote: 18
Flag Design: Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt. The current design dates back to 1980.
Official Language: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood.
Religions: Sunni Muslim, 74 percent; Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16 percent; Christian, 10 percent; Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishili, and Aleppo).

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was administered by the French until independence in 1946. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. Syrian troops, stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in what looks like a peacekeeping role, were withdrawn in April of 2005. Over the past decade, Syria and Israel have held occasional peace talks over the return of the Golan Heights.