My World Factbook
(Learn more about the new, improved World Factbook)
Note: Most information adapted from the popular World Factbook is distributed between the websites GeoWorld (geography, people, communications & transportation), Politix (government) and Great Depression II (economy).
Geography
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
35 00 N, 38 00 E
Area: 
total: 185,180 sq km
country comparison to the world: 
88
land: 183,630 sq km
water: 1,550 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
slightly larger than North Dakota
total: 2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
193 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
Current Weather
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
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
arable land: 24.8%
permanent crops: 4.47%
other: 70.73% (2005)
13,330 sq km (2003)
46.1 cu km (1997)
total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%)
per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)
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
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water
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
there are 41 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2010 est.)
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - 
