Syria

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: 183,630 sq km water: 1,550 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	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 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 in 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: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005)
Irrigated land	13,560 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	46.1 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	dust storms, sandstorms volcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an unnamed volcano near the Turkish border have not erupted in centuries
Environment - current issues	deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note	the capital of Damascus - located at an oasis fed by the Barada River - is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are 41 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2010 est.)