Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey. Geography: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.). Area: total: 185,180 sq km, land: 184,050 sq km, water: 1,130 sq km. Capital: Damascus. Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly. Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood. National Holiday: Independence Day, 17 April (1946)  Currency (Code): Syrian pound (SYP) .

Population:  22,198,110 (July 2010 est.) Labor force: 5.527 million (2009 est.) note: approximately 19,100 Israeli settlers live in the Golan Heights (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity):
•   $106.4 billion (2010 est.)
•   $102.4 billion (2009 est.)
•   $97.48 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
•   4% (2010 est.)
•   5% (2009 est.)
•   4.3% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
•   $4,800 (2010 est.)
•   $4,700 (2009 est.)
•   $4,600 (2008 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):  16.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Budget:
•   revenues: $12.53 billion
•   expenditures: $15.3 billion (2009 est.)
Public debt:
•   29.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
•   28.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
Exports:
•   $12.84 billion (2010 est.)
•   $11.76 billion (2009 est)
Imports:
•   $13.57 billion (2010 est.)
•   $12.62 billion (2009 est.)
Debt - external:
•   $7.682 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
•   $7.359 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Military expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Airports:  104
Airports - with paved runways: 29
•   over 3,047 m: 5
•   2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
•   1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
•   914 to 1,523 m: 3
•   under 914 m: 5
Airports - with unpaved runways:  75
•   1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
•   914 to 1,523 m: 15
•   under 914 m: 59
Heliports:  7
Aircraft Departures: 13,600

Note: figures are in US dollars
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