Syrian Arab Republic : economy statistics and industry reports

Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic.

In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished.

In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawi sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country.

In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel.

During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return.

Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000.

Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.

During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah.

In May 2007 Bashar al-ASAD was elected to his second term as president.

Influenced by major uprisings that began elsewhere in the region, antigovernment protests broke out in the southern province of Dar'a in March 2011 with protesters calling for the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge, the legalization of political parties, and the removal of corrupt local officials.

Since then demonstrations and unrest have spread to nearly every city in Syria, but the size and intensity of protests have fluctuated over time.

The government has responded to unrest with a mix of concessions - including the repeal of the Emergency Law and approving new laws permitting new political parties and liberalizing local and national elections - and force.

However, the government's response has failed to meet opposition demands for ASAD to step down, and the government's ongoing security operations to quell unrest and widespread armed opposition activity have led to violent clashes between government forces and oppositionists.

International pressure on the ASAD regime has intensified since late 2011 as the Arab League, EU, Turkey, and the United States have expanded economic sanctions against the regime.

In addition, former UN Secretary-General Kofi ANNAN, appointed as the joint UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, since March 2012 has worked to promote a cessation of violence by both the ASAD regime and Syrian opposition.

Despite a brief lull in hostilities, however, fighting intensified through the end of May.

Some estimates put the death toll at well over 10,000 since fighting began in March 2011.