Syria Minerals Map in Russian. Syria. Ancient villages of Northern Syria

General information

The Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) is a state located in Southwest Asia. Syria is included in the list of countries in the Middle East.

Geography

The population of the country is 22 million people. The capital is the city of Damascus. Damascus is not the best Big City in Syria. The largest city is Aleppo with a population of 2.5 million. Damascus is home to 1,750,000 people.

The third major city in Syria is Homs. Its population is 900 thousand people. Syria shares land borders with Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Iraq. The country is located on the Mediterranean coast. Syria has both mountains and plains. Syria has forests that cover 2.6% of the country's total area. There are both coniferous and subtropical evergreen forests.

Syria is administratively divided into 14 governorates: Damascus, Rif Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Idlib, Latakia, Raqqa, Tartus, Aleppo, Hama, Hasakeh, Homs, Al Quneitra, Es Suwayda. Syria has one time zone. The difference with Greenwich is +2 hours.

Located in Syria a large number of mountain ranges and mountain systems: Jabal Ar-Ruwak Range, Jabal Abu Rujmein Range, Jabal Bishri Range, Jabal Ansaria Range, Anti-Lebanon Mountains, Kurdish Mountains.

The highest point in Syria is Mount Hermon. The height of this peak is 2814 meters. The border with Israel runs along the top of this mountain, so this mountain is also considered the most high point Israel.

The largest Syrian river is the Euphrates. Its total length across the territory of all countries is 2700 km. Another major Syrian river is the Tigris. The largest Syrian lake is Al-Hasad. It is 80 km long and 8 km wide.

Minerals of Syria

Syria is not particularly rich in minerals. The country produces oil. The largest deposits are located in the extreme north-east of the country.

The largest oil refineries have been built in Baniyas and Homs.
Syria is the largest producer of phosphorites. Their deposit is being developed in the Hneifis area. Most of the products are exported, the rest is used domestically for the production of fertilizers.

Syria also has deposits of gas, phosphates, chromium, uranium, iron ore, manganese, lead, sulfur, asbestos, copper, dolomite, natural asphalt and limestone, tuff, basalt. Salt is mined.

Oil is the "black blood" that fuels the Syrian conflict. It is from its sales on the black or official world market that all four main sides of the Syrian crisis buy weapons, ammunition and provisions. These are the Syrian Arab Army (government forces, SAA), the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which is called the so-called "moderate opposition", militants of the terrorist quasi-formation "Islamic State" 1 (the organization's activities are prohibited in the territory Russian Federation by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation) and Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in Russia), as well as paramilitary Kurdish units.

The Kurds are a people of 40 million who live compactly in the territories of four countries at once: Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. As a result of the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Kurds took advantage of the opportunity presented by fate to create Iraqi Kurdistan. It should be noted that the Iraqi and Syrian Kurds who are fighting shoulder to shoulder against the militants of the Islamic State are not the same thing. The only decoration of the capital of Syrian Kurdistan, Rojava, can be called tirelessly working oil rigs.

The main source of financial support for the Kurds are the richest oil fields, which are located in northern Syria. The most important of them are Shaddadi and Rumelani. Their reserves are estimated at hundreds of millions of barrels of "black gold". Before the war, in the area of ​​the city of Al-Hasakah, which today, according to some information, is already completely under the control of the Supreme Kurdish Council of Western Kurdistan, about 40,000 barrels of oil were produced per day (a tenth of all oil production in Syria).

Oil wells have not been abandoned during the Syrian conflict. Lebanese media reported mass media, oil production in the fields around Al-Hasaki only increased - up to 170 thousand barrels per day. The Kurds, unlike the Islamic State, who traded oil for almost $10 a barrel, set up the process of oil production in all seriousness. Moreover, the Kurds not only extract oil, but also process a significant part of it using old equipment.

IN currently it was the Kurdish formations that actually surrounded the capital of the "Islamic State" - Raqqa. At the same time, military assistance to the Kurds is provided both by the Russian Federation and by the international anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States. The Russian Aerospace Forces regularly strike at the positions of IS militants 1, which also face Kurdish formations. In turn, the Western coalition not only launches airstrikes against terrorists, but supplies the Kurds with light small arms and artillery weapons. Moreover, according to media reports, about a hundred American special forces as military instructors are now in the ranks of the Kurdish formations.

Political scientist, expert of the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society Institutions "People's Diplomacy" Vladimir Kireev in the comment federal agency news noted that one of the main reasons for the outbreak of war in Syria is considered to be the desire individual countries build a pipeline for liquefied gas, and probably oil from the Persian Gulf region. To this end, the countries of the Persian Gulf made a lot of efforts to first persuade the political leadership of Syria, led by Bashar al-Assad to cooperation, which was ultimately rejected.

“As a result, this led to a desire to overthrow him. It is likely that these same energy pipelines are the reason for the active interference in the fate of the Syrian people by the EU countries and the United States. They are strongly interested in the supply of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf, including for the diversification of gas supplies from the Russian Federation, with which the EU and the US had more than tense relations at the beginning of the "Arab spring". Such cooperation between the Syrian Arab Republic and the countries of the Persian Gulf was unacceptable both for most of Bashar al-Assad's entourage and for Damascus's main partner in the region, Iran. For Tehran, the loss of Syria as a partner meant a break in the “Shia” space that unfolded from Iran to Lebanon with access to the Mediterranean Sea, which turned Lebanon into an isolated and, in fact, low-value enclave,” Vladimir Kireev explained.

Thus, the expert noted, oil and gas, along with problems in the Syrian economy and failures in political management, can be called the main reasons for the outbreak of hostilities in this Arab country. Syrian oil is not as plentiful as that of the Gulf countries and Iran, but it is enough to “keep afloat” for many years political system SAR, and since 2011, all warring parties in Syria. It is no secret that all the main "players" in Syria throughout the years of the war are financed to a large extent thanks to the trade in oil - including Syrian oil, produced in the occupied territories.

“When studying the map of Syria, it is striking that the main centers of clashes, strongholds and transport routes are lined up in accordance with the logic of not only large settlements, airports and ethnic territories, but also in accordance with areas of explored oil and gas fields and areas of production of this valuable mineral. The oil trade allows you to supply all the warring parties with weapons, clothing, equipment, and money to pay the fighters. It allows you to ensure the loyalty of officials and intelligence officers, local leaders and politicians. In this matter, there is no difference between the SAA, the FSA, the extremists from the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, the Army of Islam, Ahrar ash-Sham, as well as the Syrian Kurdish units from the YPG and YPJ,” I am sure expert.

At the same time, the political scientist noted, if we are talking about Islamists, then the situation with them is more or less clear. Their future is predetermined by the world community. If they do not disappear from the political space, then in Syria and Iraq in modern form they have to cease to exist. On the other hand, the future of Syria and Iraq as integral states is by no means so unambiguously guaranteed. The point is that the Kurds - one of the largest divided peoples on the planet - have long and stubbornly sought to create their own state. And the situation of the war in Iraq and Syria gives them such a chance.

“Although the Kurds declare their loyalty to official Damascus, one can actually say that they may not be limited to the autonomy proclaimed on January 1, 2014. Having a large population, combat-ready troops, the support of the US, the EU, having a serious ideology in the face of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, Syrian Kurdistan could easily become a hotbed for the formation of a Kurdish state. At the same time, unlike the Iraqi Kurds, who are actually subordinate to Ankara, the Syrian Kurds have strong support in the form of the PKK operating in Turkey and northern Iraq, the sympathy of the European left, and the global anti-imperialist movement in general, which of course has no divisions, but the image is also not an empty sound. The main thing in this situation is the desire of the United States to obtain a zone of control in Syria, to provide a factor of pressure on Turkey, and a hotbed for the formation of a new Kurdish state, which has been stated more than once officials on scientific conferences. In this situation, Damascus should be more attentive to its northern allies, because their navigation may become autonomous from Damascus as a result of the war,” Vladimir Kireev summed up.

As experts warn, the result of a successful offensive by the Kurds on Raqqa may be the loss of significant oil fields by the Syrian Republic. It will be practically impossible to return these deposits - as practice shows, the Kurds do not share oil revenues with the rest of the Syrian people, although they exploit wells located on Syrian soil.

In addition, experts note that no one is preventing the Kurdish units, supported by the United States, from attacking the equally oil-rich Deir ez-Zor from the north. If this attack is successful, Syria will lose all significant oil and gas fields, which means that the country will be doomed to disintegration, and Bashar al-Assad will eventually be destroyed.

1 The organization is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

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Over the years political independence Syria has achieved certain successes in the development of national industry. The Syrian government traditionally pays very close attention to the industrialization of the country. This, above all, is reflected in the five-year plans for the socio-economic development of the country.

Since the 1970s, Syria has been implementing a program of structural restructuring of the economy in the interests of increasing the role of the sphere of material production in it through the accelerated development of relevant industries. Particular attention in this process was paid to industrial production as the basis for strengthening the material and technical base of the entire national economy. Emphasis, among other things, was planned to be placed on the priority development of manufacturing industries based on the use and processing of local raw materials.

In these years, in the development of the state sector of industry, a tendency towards the construction of large economic facilities was very clearly manifested, which immediately took a leading position in the industry. First of all, this applied to oil refining, chemical, cement and some other industries.

Despite notable successes in creating a national industry, its formation and development is fraught with great difficulties, associated both with a general lack of monetary and financial resources and continuing structural imbalances in the economy, as well as with the lack of an adequate number of skilled workers, existing shortcomings in planning and scientific research. ensuring production, as well as the sale of products.

Since the process of industrial production continues to be largely focused on the use of imported components, one of the most pressing problems is the problem of loading production capacities. In this regard, the government has repeatedly made attempts to revive production in the "free zones" in order to use the preferential customs regime granted to them in relation to the import of raw materials, to solve the problem of providing the latter.

The public sector plays the main role in the production of industrial products. In the first half of the 1990s, the share of the public sector in the extractive industry was estimated at 70%, and in the manufacturing industry - about 60%.

The number of people employed in the extractive industry in the early 1990s was 6.9 thousand people.

Extraction of the main minerals

(thousand tons)

Despite the limited natural resources country, the extractive industry in recent years is the most dynamic sector of the Syrian economy.

The basis of the extractive industry is oil production. Its share in the total production of the extractive industry is estimated at 97%.

The vast majority of oil reserves and its production falls on the Rumelan, Dzhebissiysky and South Euphrates regions of the east and northeast of the country.

By the end of the 1980s, more than 50 oil fields were discovered in Syria, of which about 2 dozen are in development and operation.

Since 1974, Syria has attracted foreign companies to participate in oil production. To this end, a number of regions of the country were declared open for exploration, drilling and oil production. The work was carried out on the terms of “risk service” contracts. At the same time, the most promising areas for oil were granted concessions to foreign firms.

Medical-geographical characteristic
Health and public health The average life expectancy in Spain is 70 years. The main causes of death are diseases of the cardiovascular system and malignant neoplasms ...

General information

Official name - Syrian Arab Republic. The state is located in the Middle East, bordering Lebanon and Israel in the southwest, Jordan in the south, Iraq in the east and Turkey in the north. It is washed by the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The area is 185,180 km2. Population - 22 457 336 people. (for 2013). Official language- Arabic. The capital is Damascus. The monetary unit is the Syrian pound.

The Syrian Mediterranean is very different from the harsh nature of most of the country. On the coast, the climate is subtropical Mediterranean: humid mild winters (average January temperature is about +12°С) and dry summers (+26°С in July). The climate of the mountainous region of Syria is moderately warm. In winter, frosts occur in the mountains, snow falls. The climatic conditions of the Syrian desert are characterized by large seasonal and daily temperature fluctuations. In winter, nighttime temperatures can drop to -10°C, and rise to +20°C during the day. Frequent sandstorms in the desert are accompanied by intrusions of the shemal winter wind and the hot summer wind from the south, from the Arabian deserts.

Story

Phoenicia, Assyria, Mesopotamia, the Hittite Empire, Babylon, Persia, Rome, Byzantium, Byzantium and the Arab Caliphate - these names constantly flash in the description of the events that took place in Syria. The campaigns of Alexander the Great, the battles of the crusaders with Sapaddin (Salahad-Din), the conquests of Timur - all this is directly related to Syria. The Syrian lands are also mentioned in the Bible according to legend, Adam and Eve lived here, here they show the place of the murder of Abel and the grave of King Nimrod, the grandson of Ham, who started the construction of the Tower of Babel. Here, in Damascus, the Pharisee Saul, the future Saint Paul, was healed of blindness by Saint Ananias and converted to Christianity.

The famous French archaeologist Andre Parrot (1901-1980), who devoted many years to excavations in Syria (Marie, 1933-1968), is credited with the phrase: "Every cultured person has two homelands - his own and Syria." But in 1961, summing up his excavations at Marie, Parrot rashly wrote: "Really, it is unlikely that we will be able to make such finds that will surpass those already made."

Already in 1964, Italian archaeologists led by Paolo Mattie began to explore the hill, located 60 km from Aleppo. So the state was opened, whose influence in the XXV-XXIII centuries. BC e. spread throughout Syria, reaching in the south of Sinai, in the west of the Mediterranean Sea, in the east between the Tigris and Euphrates.

In 1968, the name of the state of Ebla was revealed. And in 1974, the first tablets with cuneiform texts were found, written in the ancient Canaanite language, which, presumably, became the basis for the emergence of the Amorite, Ugaritic, Phoenician and Hebrew languages.

In 1975, the largest of the royal archives of the 3rd millennium BC known so far was found. e. more than 20 thousand cuneiform clay tablets.

This discovery revealed to the world a culture that became the basis for the subsequent civilizations of Syria.

Diplomatic documents, chronicles, royal decrees, military reports, court sentences, descriptions of rites and rituals, texts on agriculture and animal husbandry, lists of animals, fish, geographical names, literary and historical texts, dictionaries, study guides, trade reports, lists of goods, the Ebla library has become a real encyclopedia of the life of a great state that existed more than four thousand years ago.

It turned out that the previous ideas about Syria as a territory located in the III millennium BC. e. under the influence of neighboring brilliant cultures and populated mainly by pastoralists, are absolutely wrong.

The rulers of Ebla signed agreements with ancient Assyria on an equal footing, traded with Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran, the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned in the documents of Ebla. It turned out that a school of scribes worked in Ebla, a state monopoly was introduced on the trade in precious metals, wood, textiles and pottery, and a system of state control over the quality of goods was created. A special service informed merchants about where their goods were needed and informed about the situation with sales and supply. By the way, Ebla turned out to be not even a monarchy, but a kind of "presidential republic" - the king was elected here for a seven-year term.

An obituary for this unique state was written by Naramsuen, king of Akkad and Sumer, around 2250 BC. e. he erected a monument with the inscription: "Naram-suen, the mighty conqueror of Ebla, which no one has been able to conquer before."

Sights of Syria

The history of civilization in Syria began "from the plow": the territory of modern Syria is part of the so-called Fertile Crescent - a region of the Middle East, where the first centers of ancient agriculture and cattle breeding and the first urban cultures arose in the Stone Age.

In 2008, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unveiled a plan to list the Middle Eastern territories known as the Fertile Crescent as a World Heritage Site. Many scholars believe that the biblical Garden of Eden was located in the Fertile Crescent. According to a UNESCO statement, the Fertile Crescent can be included in the list of World Heritage Sites in 2011.

The complex of monuments left by history in Syria is treated with due respect in this country - they are carrying out restoration, supporting museums and Scientific research, international archaeological expeditions have been working here for many years.

Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the oldest cities in the world. The age of the first mention of it is about four and a half thousand years. Old city Damascus is entirely included in the World Heritage List as a unique object. It still has an antique layout. Midhat Pasha Street was once called Via Recta - Straight Street. It still crosses the city from east to west. It was on this street that the future apostle Paul, who had gone blind on the road to Damascus, was brought to a certain Judas. The chapel of St. Ananias, where the first Christians once gathered, has been preserved and today belongs to the monastic order of the Franciscans.

When Caliph Al-Walid I took away the church of St. John the Baptist from the Christians, he returned the chapel of St. Ananias to the community as compensation. And on the basis of the temple of John the Baptist, one of the most magnificent mosques in the world, the Umayyad Mosque, was built. The head of John the Baptist, kept in a Christian church, was ordered to be placed in a marble tomb in a separate chapel, where Christians still go to pray.

IN National Museum in Damascus, the famous frescoes on biblical scenes from the synagogue of the ancient city of Dura-Europos are kept, which today are the pearl of the museum's collection. These frescoes, dating back to the 3rd century, depicting biblical heroes in Greek, Roman and Parthian clothes, confirm that not all Jewish communities observed the forbidden images of people.

The richest collection of items from excavations in Syria in the National Museum includes the world's first alphabet, created in the city-state of Ugarit, which existed in the 2nd millennium on the Mediterranean coast, in Northern Syria.

Excavations in Ugarit have shown that this highly developed trading civilization was able to build magnificent palaces, which even had running water, toilets and sewers, and furniture inlaid with gold, lapis lazuli and ivory. Finds from Ugarit are presented in the National Museum in the hall of Ancient Syria.

Constantly ongoing archaeological excavations in Syria bring new fundamental discoveries. So, the state of Qatna (halfway between Aleppo and Damascus), which existed 3500 years ago and created beautiful examples of architecture and jewelry art, has recently been returned to the history of mankind. Syrian, German and Italian archaeologists continue to explore ancient Qatna.

Syrian Cuisine

Syrian cuisine is a combination of a huge number of different ingredients. This diversity has historical and geographical background. But the real secret of the national Syrian cuisine is the joy of a joint meal and the festive atmosphere of every, even the simplest, everyday feast.

Every meal among the inhabitants of this country is a great opportunity to meet with family or friends. According to a long tradition, the participants of the meal sit on cushions or a low bench around the table. Syrians prefer silence to too lively conversation at the table. But after the meal, it's time for tea and conversation.

Syrian cuisine is famous for its skillful use of a variety of seasonings, spices and herbs, as well as excellent olive oil, which is added to many dishes. Syrian cuisine combines the culinary traditions of the Arab, Caucasian peoples and Arameans. In addition, a Mediterranean influence can be noted.

The Syrian's usual breakfast is bread, sheep's cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives. Often, eggplant with walnuts or even lentil soup are prepared for breakfast. Snacks, or mezze, can be very different, but they are popular in all parts of the country.

Here are some of them:

Baba Ganoush, or Eggplant Paste with Tomatoes and Onions; spread on a cake; - kebbe, that is, minced lamb balls fried in oil with the addition of wheat, pine nuts and pomegranate; - hommus - mashed peas mixed with tahina, garlic and lemon juice; - mutabal is a paste resembling Baba Ganoush, but with a thicker consistency; in addition to eggplant, yogurt and olive oil are also added to it; - tabbouleh, for which whole wheat, tomatoes, parsley, mint leaves, sesame seeds, garlic, lemon and olive oil are taken; - fattoush - an analogue of taboula, but served with crispy croutons.

The appetizer is served with bread, with the help of which sauces or even pieces of meat are sometimes taken. Syrian spicy bread is very tasty.

And of course, Syrian baklava (pictured)! The first mention of it dates back to the 15th century, but, of course, it was prepared earlier, and the tradition of making special thin dough originated among the Assyrians. Not a single festive feast in Syria is complete without baklava.

Syria on the map

Syria is characterized by a mixed economy with a high share of the public sector (approx. 50% of national income, 75% of the value of industrial products and 70% of fixed assets). Finance, energy, rail and air transport for a long time were entirely in the hands of the state. Private ownership clearly predominates in agriculture, and also includes small and medium-sized enterprises in trade, the service sector, motor vehicles and housing construction.

Annual GDP growth in the mid-1990s was estimated at 3.6%. In 2003, GDP growth amounted to 0.9%, i.e. 58.01 billion US dollars, per capita income amounted to 3300 dollars. industry - 29.4% and other services - 42.1%.

The volume of GDP in 2005, according to the International Monetary Fund, amounted to 59.633 billion US dollars; GDP growth in 2005 was 2.3%. The inflation rate is 2%. Foreign exchange reserves - 4 billion dollars. External debt (excluding military debt) amounted to $6 billion. The per capita income is $2,410 per year. The problem of unemployment is still acute, which in 2005 reached 20% of the able-bodied population, including about 30% among young people.

As part of the course proclaimed by the Syrian leadership towards gradual liberalization and modernization of the economy, a line has been taken to provide public sector enterprises with greater economic independence, in particular, the right to enter the foreign market and attract foreign investment.

The private sector is actively developing. It produces 25% of the value of industrial products, it occupies a dominant position in agriculture (almost 100%), domestic trade (90%), foreign trade (70%), services, vehicles, housing construction.

Industry creates the bulk of the national income. The most developed industries are oil, oil refining, electric power, gas production, phosphate mining, food, textile, chemical (production of fertilizers, plastics), electrical engineering.

To share Agriculture(50% of the working population) accounts for about 30% of the national income and 17% of export earnings (cotton, livestock products, vegetables and fruits). Only a third of the territory of Syria is suitable for agriculture. Currently, agriculture is experiencing some growth associated with government injections into the agro-industry.

History and current state of the Syrian economy

As a legacy from the colonial past, Syria received an extremely backward economy. Foreign capital, mainly French, which controlled the main branches of the country's economy, hindered the development of productive forces and industrial relations. Agriculture, the backbone of the Syrian economy, was characterized low level productive forces and the dominance of semi-feudal relations. Industrial production in the country was very poorly developed: it was represented mainly by light industries.

After Syria gained political independence in 1946, measures aimed at eliminating the grave consequences of colonialism began to be carried out in the country, and the development of the national economy began.

Syria was the first country in the Arab East to embark on the path of nationalization of enterprises owned by foreign monopoly capital.

Under the pressure of the masses, already in the early 1950s, many railways and foreign electricity production companies were nationalized, and the share of foreign capital in local companies was limited to 50%. As a result, already at the end of 1957, almost all sectors of the economy that had previously been dominated by foreign capital (tobacco companies, railways, power plants, banks of issue, etc.) became the property of the state.

In 1963, all foreign and local banks, as well as insurance companies, were completely nationalized. As a result, the public sector has assumed a dominant position in Syria. At present, it accounts for about 50% of the national income, about 75% of the value of industrial products and 70% of the fixed assets of production.

At the end of 1964, the Syrian government issued a decree according to which all the country's oil and mineral resources were declared the property of the state. The transfer of concessions for their development to foreign companies is prohibited.

In the 1990s, the Syrian leadership took steps to liberalize the economy and revitalize the private sector, which accounts for 25% of the cost of industrial production and which occupies a dominant position in agriculture, retail, services, vehicles, housing construction. For the purposes of the country's economic development, foreign capital is attracted, primarily in the form of financial assistance from the oil-producing Arab countries and a number of Western states.

However, despite economic growth in recent decades, as of 2011, Syria has lagged far behind even its neighbors in the Middle East. After more than 30 years of almost complete economic isolation against the background of a rapid increase in the population (in 60 years from 4.6 to 21 million people), economic growth was clearly insufficient. By 2001, Syria ranked 110th out of 160 in the world classification in terms of living standards, and the average income of an ordinary Syrian did not exceed one dollar a day. The unemployment rate reached 20 percent, and among young people aged 15 to 24, it “went off scale” over 80. Since 1970, more than two million Syrians have been forced to leave the country in search of work. External debt rose to $21 billion in 2001, or 130 percent of GDP.

Huge military spending did not contribute to development either, because the irreconcilable confrontation between Syria and Israel still continues. The war in Iraq also had a heavy impact on the Syrian economy. The temporary cessation of supplies of cheap Iraqi oil, coupled with the depletion of Syrian deposits, led to a drop in revenues to the country's budget by 30 percent.

A decisive turn from "socialist guidelines" to the construction of a "social market economy" was consolidated at the Tenth Congress of the ruling Ba'ath Party, which was held in June 2005.

The government allowed the activity of private banks, however, only if the state has a controlling stake. Reforms are being carried out to liberalize foreign exchange control and foreign trade. Today, the public sector accounts for no more than 30 percent of all fixed assets, and the annual growth of the gross national product is from 5 to 7 percent. Syria's external debt, according to the World Bank, decreased to $5.236 billion in 2009, while the overall unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent and 20 percent among youth.

Syria's GDP, according to the World Bank, from 2001 to 2009 increased from 28.559 to 52.177 billion dollars. The per capita income is $2,410 per year, almost doubling in 2009 from $1,090 in 2009 compared to 2001.

At the moment, Syrian businesses, mostly small-scale, family-owned and employing up to 10 people, make up 95 percent of all companies. Large state-owned enterprises show low efficiency due to insufficient qualifications of managers, backward technologies and severe deterioration of equipment. The consolidated losses of such companies reached a billion dollars in 2005, and their exports are declining by 10 percent annually.

Before the beginning of the unrest in the spring of 2011, the authorities pinned certain hopes on the capital of Syrian emigrants, most of which is outside the country. According to some estimates, the amount of overseas holdings owned by Syrians exceeds $90 billion. In addition, fearing US sanctions, since February 2006, Syria switched to euro settlements in its foreign trade operations.

Syria's foreign trade deficit is about two billion dollars a year. The main trading partners are Japan, Iran and the EU countries.

The energy sector is Syria's main source of income, with proven oil reserves of 2.4 billion barrels and natural gas of 208 billion cubic meters. Since 1974, oil production has provided a quarter of Syria's GDP. In the formation of budget revenues, its share reaches 10 percent, and in export earnings - 40 percent, providing an influx of foreign currency into the country. However, over the past 10 years, the level of oil production in Syria from a peak of 594,000 barrels per day, reached in 1996, has decreased by a third - to 400,000. The reason for this was the depletion of the vast majority of deposits. According to IMF forecasts, if the decline in oil production in Syria is not stopped, and the volume of consumption of petroleum products continues to grow, then in 2011 the country will turn from a net exporter into a net importer of "black gold".

Economic relations with neighboring countries are developing. Thus, the normalization of relations with Iraq led to an increase in mutual trade, which reached $400 million. Railway communication and oil transportation through the Kirkuk-Banias pipeline resumed. Relations with the closest neighbor Turkey, interrupted 60 years ago, were established. As a result, Turkish businesses have already invested about $200 million in Syria.

For the period 2010-2015, the government has set a task to increase the share of products of a higher degree of processing in exports through the development of market infrastructure, the gas sector, tourism and other promising industries.

However, recent events in Syria cast doubt on the implementation of these plans. According to the forecasts of specialists from the Washington International Financial Institute, the fall in GDP in 2011 in Syria will be at least three percent.

Industry of Syria

During the years of political independence, Syria has achieved certain successes in the development of national industry. The Syrian government traditionally pays very close attention to the industrialization of the country. This, above all, is reflected in the five-year plans for the socio-economic development of the country.

Since the 1970s, Syria has been implementing a program of structural restructuring of the economy in the interests of increasing the role of the sphere of material production in it through the accelerated development of relevant industries. Particular attention in this process was paid to industrial production as the basis for strengthening the material and technical base of the entire national economy. Emphasis, among other things, was planned to be placed on the priority development of manufacturing industries based on the use and processing of local raw materials.

In these years, in the development of the state sector of industry, a tendency towards the construction of large economic facilities was very clearly manifested, which immediately took a leading position in the industry. First of all, this applied to oil refining, chemical, cement and some other industries.

Despite notable successes in creating a national industry, its formation and development is fraught with great difficulties, associated both with a general lack of monetary and financial resources and continuing structural imbalances in the economy, as well as with the lack of an adequate number of skilled workers, existing shortcomings in planning and scientific research. ensuring production, as well as the sale of products.

Since the process of industrial production continues to be largely focused on the use of imported components, one of the most pressing problems is the problem of loading production capacities. In this regard, the government has repeatedly made attempts to revive production in the "free zones" in order to use the preferential customs regime granted to them in relation to the import of raw materials, to solve the problem of providing the latter.

The public sector plays the main role in the production of industrial products. In the first half of the 1990s, the share of the public sector in the extractive industry was estimated at 70%, and in the manufacturing industry - about 60%. The number of people employed in the extractive industry in the early 1990s was 6.9 thousand people. Despite the country's limited natural resources, the mining industry has been the most dynamic sector of the Syrian economy in recent years.

The basis of the extractive industry is oil production. Its share in the total production of the extractive industry is estimated at 97%. The vast majority of oil reserves and its production falls on the Rumelan, Dzhebissiysky and South Euphrates regions of the east and northeast of the country. By the end of the 1980s, more than 50 oil fields were discovered in Syria, of which about 2 dozen are in development and operation.

Since 1974, Syria has attracted foreign companies to participate in oil production. To this end, a number of regions of the country were declared open for exploration, drilling and oil production. The work was carried out on the terms of "risk service" contracts. At the same time, the most promising areas for oil were granted concessions to foreign firms. By the mid-1980s, most of the promising oil-bearing regions of Syria were at the disposal of the American companies Pekten and Marathon.

In recent decades, Syria has stepped up its activities in the field of gas production. The traditional direction of activity in this area is associated with the use of associated gas, the recoverable reserves of which are estimated at 11 billion cubic meters. m. Its annual production is approximately 500 billion cubic meters. m.

In 1987, a gas purification complex built by the Czechoslovak side was put into operation at the Jebissi field. The most promising in terms of expanding gas production and its use in industry is the Palmyra region. Its natural gas is planned to be used, in particular, as a fuel for power plants, including the Mharde power plant near the city of Hama.

A significant role in the Syrian economy is played by the extraction of phosphates, the explored reserves of which are estimated at 1.5 billion tons. Their main reserves are concentrated in the Hneifns and Sharkiyya fields. The development of deposits is carried out by Romania, Poland, Bulgaria. Due to the fact that Syrian phosphates are characterized by a high content of chlorine (0.02 - 0.2%), an acute problem is the creation of special facilities for their washing.

Iron ore reserves in Syria are estimated at 400-500 million tons. The main areas of its occurrence are Zabadani and Bludan (iron content in the ore is 32%), as well as Raju (28%). Among other minerals in Syria, rock salt, asphalt, gravel, building stone, gypsum, marble and a number of others are mined.

Oil refining occupies an important place among the manufacturing industries. The oil refining industry is represented by 2 plants - in Homs and Baniyas. The capacity of the plant in Homs is more than 5 million tons of oil per year. The plant operates on a mixture of Syrian heavy (50%) and light oil. The enterprise in Baniyas with a capacity of 6 million tons per year is also designed to process a mixture of imported light and heavy local oil (20-50%). During the 1980s, the refinery in Homs was repeatedly reconstructed in order to expand the range of products, in particular through the production of 100 thousand tons of lubricating oils per year.

The traditional branch of the Syrian economy is the textile industry, which accounts for a little less than 20% of the gross output of the manufacturing industry. More than 50% of the workers employed in the entire large industry of the country work in this branch of industry. The main emphasis in the development of this industry is on the predominant use of local raw materials, which determines the leading position in the cotton industry.

The vast majority of cotton fabrics are produced at public sector enterprises. They mainly produce linen, flannel, shirt, printed and drapery fabrics, poplin and others. The general management of the textile enterprises of the public sector is carried out by the General Organization Unitextile. The production of silk fabrics in Syria is based mainly on imported raw materials.

Enough great development in Syria received the production of hosiery, cotton knitwear, underwear. Mostly these products are produced in small enterprises. Cotton yarn and hosiery fabrics produced in the country are consumed domestically and are exported in large quantities mainly to neighboring Arab countries. The cotton ginning industry is represented by 58 plants, most of which are equipped with outdated equipment.

Approximately 1.5 dozen state textile companies have at their disposal more than 500 thousand spindles and over 4.5 thousand looms.

The wide scope of capital construction made it necessary for the state to carry out a number of practical measures aimed at the accelerated development of the cement industry. The total capacity for the production of cement in Syria is about 5 million tons per year, which makes it possible to allocate a sufficient amount for export. The largest plants in this industry are in Tartusi (capacity of 6.5 thousand tons of cement per day), Adre (about 4 thousand tons), Aleppo (2 thousand tons), Hama (1 thousand tons).

Production building materials established at the ceramics factory in Hama, capable of producing up to 30 million facing tiles per year, factories producing glass and sanitary ware and at some other enterprises.

The chemical and petrochemical industries play an ever-increasing role in the economic life of the country. Among their products, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, urea and ammonia should be noted, detergents, varnishes and paints.

Homs became a major center for the production of fertilizers in the 1980s. In addition to the plant with a capacity of 140 thousand tons of ammonia and nitric acid per year, in 1982 a new enterprise was put into operation there with a design capacity of 300 thousand tons of ammonia and 315 thousand tons of urea per year. In 1983, a plant for the processing of 800 thousand tons of phosphates per year was put into operation. It also produces calcium nitrate, sulfuric acid, ammonia and a number of other products.

The leading manufacturer of paints and varnishes is the state-owned company for paints and chemical products Omayyad. Its annual production is 15 thousand tons of products.

Syria plays an important role in the development of the food industry. Enterprises in this industry produce such products as pasteurized milk, butter and vegetable oil, flour, pasta, sugar, tobacco products, various drinks and juices. Great prospects In this area, they are associated with increasing the capacity for the production of canned vegetables and fruits, a noticeable impetus to the development of which was given with the commissioning of three canning factories in Hasek, Mayadini, and Idlib.

The sugar industry was established in 1950. Large factories are located in Damascus and Homs. Enterprises mainly refine raw cane sugar imported from Cuba and only partially process their own sugar beets.

The oil industry is represented by more than 400 small enterprises that produce cotton, sesame, olive, linseed and some other types of vegetable oils.

The relatively new branches of the Syrian industry include: machine-building, electronics, electrical engineering. Enterprises in these industries produce refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, stoves, electric motors, transformers, batteries, cables, tractors and other products. However, the production of these industries is largely based on the use of imported raw materials, materials, component parts and assemblies, which, in the face of tension in the monetary and financial sphere, limits the capabilities of the respective enterprises.

Agriculture in Syria

Although the absolute indicators characterizing the state of agriculture are growing, the relative ones are noticeably declining, reflecting the process of diversification of the economy, indicating the transformation of the country from an agrarian to an agro-industrial one. The share of agriculture in the gross domestic product (GDP) is 17%, due to its products 15% of the country's exports are provided, but the majority of the population is still employed in it - 53%. Land suitable for agriculture in Syria is 6.1 million hectares. At the same time, irrigated lands reach 1.09 million hectares, dry land - about 3.4 million hectares, 1.5 million hectares are allocated for fallow, more than 500 thousand hectares are not cultivated. Pastures spread over 8.3 million hectares, forest land on 523 thousand hectares, stony soils and sandstones - more than 3 million hectares, swamps and lakes 116 thousand hectares.

The conditions of agricultural production are only relatively favorable and stable crops are taken only from irrigated areas.

In order to better use the land fund and to determine priority areas in the development of agriculture, Syria was divided into 5 "agricultural stabilization zones" depending on the amount of precipitation and the duration of the rainy season.

The first zone includes territories with precipitation over 350 mm and is divided into 2 regions: with precipitation over 600 mm and with precipitation in the range of 350 - 600 mm, where it is possible to harvest 2 crops of wheat, leguminous and other summer crops per season 1 time in 3 of the year. The second zone covers areas with precipitation of 250 - 350 mm, where conditions are created for the collection of 2 crops of barley in one season, and wheat, leguminous and other summer crops are also grown. The third zone extends to areas with precipitation of at least 250 mm for at least six months, which ensures the collection of 1-2 crops of barley at least 1 time in 3 years. Under the fourth zone allotted lands where precipitation does not exceed 200 - 250 mm for six months and where barley and forage grasses are grown. The fifth zone includes areas where rain-fed agriculture is impossible.

Such a classification of lands was the first step towards identifying the most promising lands, through the intensification of which success in the development of agriculture can be ensured.

Another direction in increasing the efficiency of agricultural production is to strengthen its material and technical base by accumulating funds in capitalist-type farms, in cooperative and state enterprises.

Serious progress has been made in the agricultural sector in terms of its technical equipment. There are about 50,000 tractors of various capacities and 3,000 combines here. In addition, 80,000 pumps, 65,000 modern plows, more than 6,000 seeders, 3,000 stationary threshing machines, 25,000 mechanical sprinklers and about 1,000 sprayers are used, not counting thousands of manual ones.

An important event was the laws on the organization of agrarian relations and on the agrarian reform (1958), which limited the degree of feudal exploitation of the peasants, regulated the lease, the procedure for hiring, stipulated some measures of social protection of ordinary commodity producers.

Syria's agriculture is developing as a non-monocultural crop - 75 types of crops are harvested annually - and provides a wide range of food and industrial crops. Cultivated land is distributed under different types products as follows: up to 50% are cereals; 3% legumes; 5% vegetables and melons; 4% technical; 1% fodder and 11% fruit. Almost 1/3 of the cultivated area remains fallow.

In crop production, the most common type of commercial products is cereals, the largest areas under which are occupied by wheat, the main food crop. Historically established areas of wheat cultivation are the northeastern regions - Hasakeh, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, including the plains of El Jazeera, Howran, as well as Homs, Hama. Wheat is sown mainly on a rainfed land, the yields of which largely depend on weather conditions, and therefore are unstable. However, there is a tendency for a slow increase in yields due to the adoption of more advanced technologies, improved soil cultivation, the use of varietal seeds, the introduction of new social forms organization of production.

The next most important crop in the grain balance of the country is barley, the main areas of cultivation of which are formed around Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Hasek, Deir ez-Zor on lands that even slightly exceed the areas under wheat.

The third place in the production of cereals, although in a much smaller size compared to the above crops, is occupied by corn, the area under which tends to increase.

Sorghum has long occupied a prominent place in the grain balance of the country. For decades, it has been one of the most common crops cultivated in the rainfed areas of the foothills. Its popularity was determined by the high degree of utilization of cereals, resistance to weather conditions.

However, due to an increase in the standard of living and a change in nutritional standards, this plant is gradually being squeezed out of peasant fields.

Since the 1970s, there have been persistent attempts to cultivate rice in Syria. The main experiments with this crop are being carried out on abundantly irrigated lands in the Euphrates Valley in specially created farms as part of a pilot project. Predominantly early ripening forms with good taste qualities are introduced. The inclusion of rice in the local cereal assortment is due to its high marketability, the need to reduce imports and diversify the diet of the population.

So far, however, despite favorable forecasts, there is no tangible evidence in Syria of the completion of experiments and the transition to rice production on an expanded basis.

Pulses are cultivated in relatively small quantities, mainly for domestic consumption. The most popular crop is lentils, unpretentious to growing conditions, whose food and fodder varieties are constantly in high demand on the market. Its main production area is Aleppo Governorate, although patchy crops are also found in other areas. A large place in the crops of legumes is given to peas, which in some years surpass lentils in terms of such an indicator as sown land.

For food purposes, other types of legumes are also cultivated, in particular beans, beans, and some local varieties of legumes.

In the structure of agricultural production integral part includes the production of herbs that form a certain proportion of the forage fund. The main grass crop is vetch, harvested for grain and hay. The areas of its cultivation stretched from north to south along the Aleppo-Derya line. In addition to the wiki, the Arabian lupine has a distribution. On a smaller scale, the production of alfalfa and clover is practiced, the crops of which occupy mainly row-spacings in garden farms. In general, 40-60 thousand hectares are annually under crops of fodder grasses in Syria.

Syria produces 12 types of industrial crops. Among them, the leading role belongs to cotton. Over the past 10 years, the area under cotton has been 140-180 thousand hectares, although before it was much smaller. The largest crops are located in the Euphrates Valley, about a quarter of the gross cotton harvest falls on the foothills between Aleppo and Homs, a relatively small part of the crop is taken from plantations in the Latakia governorate. Since the beginning of the 1980s, there has been a consistent increase in yields, which do not fall below the mark of 400 thousand tons.

The second largest cultivated area is sesame, cultivated mainly in the Euphrates valley, between Raqqa and Abu Kemal, and partly in the governorates of Homs, Hama, and Latakia.

Syria is known as a major producer of world famous tobacco varieties, and tobacco growing is an important branch of agriculture. About 14 thousand hectares are occupied under tobacco crops, and its production averages 20 thousand tons and is concentrated mainly in the Latakia governorate. Tobaccos of the "Latakian" group are especially valued in European markets, and a variety of local tobacco - tumbak - is used by Narghile smokers in many countries of the East. Beet growing is also a promising branch of agriculture. The problem of increasing sugar production is acute in the country, in connection with which the expansion of crops and the increase in yields - actual task. In the mid-1970s, the demand to increase beet crops by reducing the area under other crops, in particular cotton, prevailed.

Nowadays, beets are grown in the western part of the country - Homs, El-Ghab, Tell-Salkhab, as well as in the east, in the Euphrates Valley, on areas of 30 - 33 thousand hectares. Sugar cane is also cultivated on land comparable in size. Other industrial crops are also grown, in particular sunflower, peanuts, Indian sorghum used for knitting mats and brooms, cumin, anise, and some others on small areas.

Syria is a major producer of vegetable and melon crops, of which the list of only the main ones includes up to 25 species. Cultivated forms differ in terms of maturation, in connection with which they enter the market evenly throughout a significant part of the year. The area occupied by them is stable and averages over a number of years 260 thousand hectares. Watermelons, tomatoes, potatoes, melons, cucumbers, cabbage, and okra are sharply distinguished by the size of the allotted wedge (about 70%). Their harvest is sold mainly on the domestic market.

Syria is also a traditional center of horticulture, in which 20 types of fruit crops are cultivated on an area exceeding 600,000 hectares. The most ancient and widespread is the culture of olives, unusually diverse in quality and appearance, plantings of which are systematically growing and now reach 400 thousand hectares. The areas of its production stretch along the coast, are located in the foothills, partly on the mountain slopes.

Syria is one of the largest centers of viticulture. The main plantations of this crop (67 thousand hectares) are concentrated in the governorates of Aleppo, Idlib, As-Suwayda, Homs. The most popular are local varieties with large light berries, which are distinguished by high palatability. There are more than 50 million vines in the country.

Of the other horticultural crops, pistachios, apples, almonds, dates, and cherries are the most common. Growing attention is paid to apricot - a promising export crop, the processed products of which - apricots, dried apricots - have medicinal properties. Of the citrus fruits, for which up to 20 thousand hectares are allocated, oranges stand out.

Animal husbandry is the second most important branch of agriculture in Syria, developing, however, mainly on an extensive basis. The dairy herd of the country has about 500 thousand heads, of which 60% are dairy cows. In general, the number of cattle, including camels, ranges from 700 to 800 thousand heads.

Small cattle are represented mainly by goats, the number of which is 1 - 1.2 million, and sheep, the number of which is extremely unstable and in different years varies from 10 to 12 million heads. There are other types of livestock used for transportation of goods or as tax, in particular horses and mules, the herd of which is declining and now amounts to 30 and 20 thousand heads respectively, as well as donkeys, the number of which is maintained at the level of 190 - 200 thousand.

Poultry farming, as a highly profitable industry, received an impetus for development in the 1970s, when capitalist-type poultry farms began to develop intensively, which for the most part belong to the category of suburban farms. The total number of livestock now reaches 19 million. Geese and ducks are bred in small quantities, and turkeys and pigeons in relatively large quantities.

The base for the development of beekeeping in the form of 120 - 150 thousand hives is also preserved, individual farms also do not abandon the occupation traditional for Syria and in former times, associated with the breeding of silkworms. Fishing still occupies a modest place in the structure of agricultural production, although during recent years there is an increase in the catch, which now exceeds 11 thousand tons per year. At the same time, sea fishing is losing ground to river fishing, which provides more than 75% of the total production of fishing farms.

Transport of Syria

Transport in Syria is underdeveloped. The most important role in the transportation of goods and passengers within the country is played by road transport. The movement of passenger and cargo flows is now carried out through a single network of roads, which continues to improve. The historically established system of roads was mainly concentrated in the western part of the country along the Mediterranean coast and along the north-south axis, which met economic needs and was determined by the level of economic development of the territories located here.

The main transport arteries of the country stretched from the Turkish border to the Jordanian along the line of Bab al-Hawa - Hama - Homs - Damascus - Daraa (470 km), from the Turkish border to the Lebanese - Kassab - Latakia - Banias - Tartus (170 km) and further on Tripoli, Beirut, Said, from the Lebanese border to the Iraqi - Damascus - Abu Shamat (300 km) to Baghdad. In the 1970s and 1980s, the length of improved roads increased significantly. Now the length of asphalt concrete highways reaches almost 40 thousand km. The development of the road network was accompanied by an increase in the car park. In the second half of the 90s, there were up to 490 thousand transport units of all types in the country. Compared with 1980, by the end of the decade, the number of pickups, minibuses, and trucks increased markedly.

35% is concentrated in Damascus and the capital governorate Vehicle and about 50% of passenger cars. The country's fleet is diverse. It has a large proportion of Japanese cars, there is a certain number of cars of Western European brands.

Rail transport in the national transport system ranks second after road transport, although in Syria it appeared much earlier: the first Damascus-Beirut railway line was opened in 1885. Historically, 2 centers of railway construction have developed in Syria: in the southern part, connected with Lebanon, a narrow gauge was laid, in the north a standard one was used. As a result, the road network was artificially broken. In 1995, the Syrian government bought all the railways that were available at that time, which were in the hands of foreign capital, and later began to build a network of roads that met international standards.

Air transport began to develop in Syria from the second half of the 1960s. Limitation national territory and the relatively small need to transport people and cargo by air, a factor that significantly constrains the use of air transport on domestic routes. Nevertheless, local air routes connect not only Damascus, Aleppo, El Qamishli, Latakia, Deir ez-Zor, Tadmor, Homs, where there are appropriate airfields and flight support services, but also some others. settlements where airstrips have been built. At the same time, all flights are carried out from the center to the periphery and back along linear routes, and the provincial cities are not connected with each other.

Civil aviation, originally created by the efforts of the state, is under the jurisdiction state organization"El-hutut el-jawiya es-suriya" - "Sirienear". In the mid-1990s, the national aircraft fleet consisted of 12 aircraft operated by Syrian crews.

By the beginning of the 1980s, Damascus International Airport (about 30 km from the capital), equipped with last word equipment and capable of receiving the most modern airliners, including airbuses, and processing large quantities cargo. The airfield has two runways 2.6 and 2.7 km long and 60 m wide. The airport's capacity is 2 million passengers per year.

Water transport is not widespread in Syria. Despite the presence of inland water bodies and rivers, there is practically no river navigation in the country due to the irregularity of the flow and the stormy nature of the rivers. Even on the most full-flowing Euphrates, river transportation is carried out mainly on short routes.

Own maritime transport, although Syria has access to the sea, is in its infancy and consists mainly of a few medium-sized bulk carriers moving within the Mediterranean basin. The functions of the small size fleet are limited to cabotage transportation in the sea section from Turkey to Lebanon.

The main volume of trade export-import operations is carried out through Latakia and Tartus - large national ports, as well as Baniyas, used as an oil loading terminal.

Pipeline transport is represented primarily by oil pipelines for the transit pumping of crude oil from Iraq and Saudi Arabia to the Mediterranean coast. Three highways on the route Kirkuk - Tripoli were built in different time in the 30s, 40s and 60s. In the 1950s, the Kirkuk-Banias and Abkayk-Saida lines were laid. The duplication of oil pipelines was caused by the low capacity of the first lines, a disadvantage that was eliminated by increasing the diameters of the subsequent ones.

A network of internal oil pipelines has been created in the country to transport liquid hydrocarbons from production sites to processing sites in Homs and Baniyas and for delivery to the oil terminal in the port of Baniyas. In 1968, the main line Karachuk-Homs-Tartus was laid with a length of 650 km and a capacity of 8 million tons per year. As of 2008, the total length of roads in Syria is 36,377 km. Of these: with a hard surface - 26,299 km, without a hard surface - 10,078 km.

Total length railways- 2,750 km. In Syria, two types of gauge are used at once. 2423 km of roads were laid with a standard gauge of 1435 mm, and 327 km - with a gauge of 1050 mm. The road with a gauge of 1050 mm was built Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century and connected Damascus with Medina. This thread is currently inactive. Railway communication is established with three neighboring states: Turkey, Iraq and Jordan. At present, the Tartus-Latakia line is under construction; it is planned to build railways Damascus - Dara and Deir ez-Zor - Abu Kemal.

The number of airports is 104 (1999), of which 24 have concrete runways. 3 have international status. The state airline, Syrianair, operates flights to more than 50 cities. The total length of pipelines is 1,304 km, of which 515 are oil pipelines.

The main ports on the Mediterranean Sea: Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas. In Tartus, there is a logistics base for the Russian Navy. Currently, work is underway to deepen the harbor with a view to the possible redeployment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol to Tartus.

Foreign trade of Syria

Foreign trade plays a big role in the economic life of Syria. The weak development of industry makes the country extremely dependent on imports of industrial goods of a wide range. Syria fully covers its needs in machinery and equipment, means of transport, ferrous metals and many other types of industrial products through imports.

On the other hand, due to the one-sided development of agriculture, Syria depends on the export of many types of agricultural products.

The main export items were and remain food, raw materials and fuel, which in the 70s-90s accounted for an average of over 75% of the total value of exports. An increasingly prominent role in Syrian exports is played by the export of chemical goods, equipment and finished industrial products. The country's exports included such products as dyes, plastics, detergents, perfumes, equipment for digging wells, winches, electrical equipment and household appliances, metal products, etc.

But in the commodity structure of industrial exports, the main place was occupied by cotton yarn, footwear, various textile products, food industry products, cement, etc., that is, technologically simple goods.

Despite the fact that the export of fuel has taken the main place in the export of the country, Syria is still forced to import oil and oil products in ever-increasing quantities. This is explained by the fact that for a long time the country received light oil from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and therefore its plant was built with the expectation of processing imported light oil, and not its own heavy oil.

Another important import item is finished industrial products, the import of which averages 20-22% of the total value of imports. The main place in it is occupied by the rolling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, metal structures, scientific instruments and instruments.

In the 1970s–90s, the developed capitalist states occupied a leading position in Syria's foreign trade. They accounted for over 50% of the total value of Syrian trade. Syria supplies these countries with oil, some agricultural products (dried onions, legumes, tobacco, cotton) and finished industrial products (cotton fabrics and yarn, clothing, handicrafts, perfumes). Syrian imports from this group of states are wide and varied, ranging from various machinery and equipment to household electrical appliances and lighters.

The largest trading partners of Syria among them are the states of the European Community (EU), primarily Italy, Germany, France - 35-40% of the total trade of Syria. The United States accounts for 4-5% of the total value of Syrian trade, Japan 3-4%. Syria is also taking steps to develop trade relations with other groups of states, primarily with countries of Eastern Europe, which are regular buyers not only of traditional Syrian export goods, but also of oil and oil products, industrial and consumer goods (artificial fabrics, sulfuric and sulphurous acids, triple superphosphate, transformers, etc.). Solving the tasks of expanding trade and increasing exports, Syria pays special attention to the development of trade and economic ties with developing countries. Syria's main trading partners among the newly-liberated states have traditionally been the Arab countries.

A characteristic feature of Syria's foreign trade policy in the 1970s-1990s was protectionism. The country applied various forms of foreign trade regulation, but the most important were licensing, foreign exchange controls and non-tariff restrictions.

Syria's total exports in 2008 amounted to $13.97 billion. The main exported goods are oil, minerals, fruits and vegetables, and textiles. The main buyers are Iraq 30.7%, Germany 9.8%, Lebanon 9.6%, Italy 6.4%, France 5.5%, Egypt 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.1%.

Syria's total imports in 2008 amounted to $15.97 billion. The main imported goods are industrial products and foodstuffs. The main suppliers are Saudi Arabia 11.7%, China 8.7%, Russia 7.5%, Italy 5.9%, Egypt 5.8%, UAE 5.7%.

Source - http://ru.wikipedia.org/
http://altsoch.narod.ru/
http://www.geografia.ru/
http://www.ekhoplanet.ru/