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 Aleppo International Airport, Syrian Arab
Republic
Damascus Int. Airport, Syrian Arab Republic
Deir Ezzor, Syrian Arab Republic
Kamishli, Syrian Arab Republic
Lattakia, Syrian Arab Republic
Palmyra, Syrian Arab Republic
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Lebanon and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 185,180 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km
water: 1,130 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area - comparative: slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km,
Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 41 nm
territorial sea: 35 nm
Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to
August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast;
cold weather with snow or sleet periodically hitting Damascus
Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal
plain; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese
ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 28%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 9,060 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from dumping of raw
sewage and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate supplies of
potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian
land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999
est.)
Background: 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.
Since 1976, Syrian troops have been stationed in Lebanon, ostensibly
in a peacekeeping capacity. Talks with Israel over the return of
the Golan Heights have recently been revived.
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