Country Information on Syria

Terrain Coastal Syria is a fertile, 180-km long, narrow plain, in the back of which is a range of coastal mountains, and still farther inland a steppe area. In the east is the Syrian Desert, and in the south are the Jebel an-Nusariyah and Jebel Lubnan ash-Sharquiyyeh mountain ranges. In the east the Jabal al-Nusayriyah drops sharply to the Great Rift Valley, which continues southward into Africa. Mountain ranges are situated east of the rift, including the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, which include Mount Hermon (2,814 m), the highest elevation in Syria, which forms a border with Lebanon. Climate Syria has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, although inland it gets progressively drier and more inhospitable. On the coast, average daily temperatures range from 29°C in summer (July) to 10°C in winter (January). In the steppes area, where most of the cities are, temperatures may rise to 35°C in summer and 12°C in winter, while in the desert temperatures up to 46°C are not uncommon. Fauna/Flora There is not much left of Syria's once-abundant mountain forests. The remaining verdant bits are mostly yew, lime and fir trees, while elsewhere agriculture dominates. Wolves, hyenas, foxes, badgers, wild boar, jackals, deer, bears, squirrels and polecats roam the country. History/Politics Ancient Syria was conquered by Egypt about BC 1500, and after that by Hebrews, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Alexander the Great of Macedonia. From BC 64 until the Arab conquest in 636 AD it was part of the Roman Empire except during brief periods. The Arabs made it a trade centre for their extensive empire, but it suffered severely from the Mongol invasion in 1260 and fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1516. Syria remained a Turkish province until World War I. An Anglo-French pact of 1916 put Syria in the French zone of influence. The League of Nations gave France a mandate over Syria after World War I, but the French were forced to put down several nationalist uprisings. In 1930, France recognized Syria as an independent republic but still subject to the mandate. After nationalist demonstrations in 1939, the French high commissioner suspended the Syrian constitution. In 1941, British and Free French forces invaded Syria to eliminate Vichy control. During the rest of World War II, Syria was an Allied base. Again in 1945, nationalist demonstrations broke into actual fighting, and British troops had to restore order. Syrian forces met a series of reverses while participating in the Arab invasion of Palestine in 1948. In 1958, Egypt and Syria formed the United Arab Republic. However, Syria became independent again on 29 September 1961 following a revolution. In the 1990s, the slowdown in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process was echoed in the lack of progress in Israeli-Syrian relations. Confronted with a steadily strengthening strategic partnership between Israel and Turkey, Syria took steps to form a countervailing alliance by improving relations with Iraq, strengthening ties with Iran, and collaborating more closely with Saudi Arabia. The defeat of conservative Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and the election of Labor Party's Ehud Barak marked a shift in Syrian-Israeli relations. The new Israeli prime minister announced that one of his major goals was to broker peace with Syria and end the low-grade war in Southern Lebanon with the Syrian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas. In December 1999, Israeli-Syrian talks resumed after a nearly four-year hiatus. From Syria's point of view, normalization of relations between the two countries largely depended on Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights. From Israel's point of view, relinquishing the Golan Heights, which served as a buffer zone between the two nations, could not occur without a guarantee of Israel's national security. By January 2000, however, talks broke down when Syria demanded a detailed discussion about the return of the entire Golan Heights. On 10 June 2000, President Hafez al-Assad died. His son, Bashar al-Assad succeeded him. Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Miru was elected in March 2000. Economy Some 40% of the country's labour force works in the services sector, with 20% in manufacturing and another 40% in agriculture. The unemployment rate was at 20% in 2000. Principal crops include wheat, potatoes and cotton. Large numbers of poultry, cattle, and sheep are raised, and dairy products are important. Oil production is levelling off, and the efforts of the non-oil sector to penetrate international markets have fallen short. Culture Throughout Syria there are ancient and classical sites, with relics left by the Muslim caliphs, the Romans and the Byzantines. There are also religious works left behind by the Crusaders. Toward the end of the 10th century, Syria was the focal point of one last great flash of Arab poetry. The most notable works of this era were written by Al-Mutanabbi and Abu Firas al-Hamdani.