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| Location: |
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
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| Geographic coordinates: |
35 00 N, 38 00 E
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| Map references: |
Middle East
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| 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
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| Area - comparative: |
slightly larger than North Dakota
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| Land boundaries: |
total:
2,253 km
border countries:
Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
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| Maritime claims: |
contiguous zone:
41 NM
territorial sea:
35 NM
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| 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
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| Terrain: |
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west
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| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point:
unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point:
Mount Hermon 2,814 m
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| Natural resources: |
petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower
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| Land use: |
arable land:
28%
permanent crops:
4%
permanent pastures:
43%
forests and woodland:
3%
other:
22% (1993 est.)
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| Irrigated land: |
9,060 sq km (1993 est.)
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| Natural hazards: |
dust storms, sandstorms
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| 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
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| 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
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| Geography - note: |
there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1999 est.)
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