Syrian Investment Authority
    AR

    Why invest in Syria

    Geographical, natural, human and legislative fundamentals make Syria a promising gateway for investment in the region.

    Geographical characteristics

    First: Location and area

    The Syrian Arab Republic lies on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by T�rkiye to the north, Iraq to the east, Palestine and Jordan to the south, and Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The total area is about 18,517,971 hectares, of which roughly 6 million hectares are agricultural land, with the remainder consisting of mountains and steppe. The Syrian steppe is characterized by its ability to grow grasses and serve as natural pasture when sufficient rainfall is available.

    The estimated population is around 22 million people. Gross domestic product at producer prices (cost of production factors) in 2018 reached approximately 1,393 billion SYP, while GDP at factor cost (base year 2000) in the same year reached about 678 billion SYP.

    Second: Physical geography

    Syria can be divided, from a physical geography perspective, into four main regions:

    • Coastal region: Located between the mountains and the sea.
    • Mountain region: Includes mountain ranges and highlands extending from north to south, parallel to the coast.
    • Inland region (plains region): Includes the plains of Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Al-Hasakah and Daraa, and lies to the east of the mountain region.
    • Steppe region: Includes the desert plains in the southeast along the Jordanian and Iraqi borders.

    Agricultural stability zones

    Syria is divided into five agricultural stability zones according to the amount of rainfall and the reliability of agricultural seasons:

    • First stability zone: Annual rainfall exceeds 350 mm and includes:
      • Areas where annual rainfall exceeds 600 mm, where rain-fed crops are assured every year.
      • Areas where the annual rainfall ranges between 350�600 mm and does not fall below 300 mm in two-thirds of the years, ensuring at least two productive seasons every three years. Main crops include wheat, legumes and summer crops.
    • Second stability zone: Annual rainfall ranges between 250�350 mm and does not fall below 250 mm in two-thirds of the years, ensuring two barley seasons every three years. Wheat, legumes and summer crops can also be cultivated.
    • Third stability zone: Annual rainfall reaches around 250 mm and does not fall below this level in half of the years, ensuring one or two productive seasons every three years. The main crop is barley, with the possibility of cultivating some legumes.
    • Fourth stability zone (marginal): Annual rainfall ranges between 200�250 mm and does not fall below 200 mm in half of the years. This zone is generally suitable for barley cultivation or as permanent rangeland.
    • Fifth stability zone (steppe): Consists of the remaining lands of the country and is not suitable for rain-fed agriculture.

    Hydrological basins

    Water resources in Syria are distributed across a number of main hydrological basins, the most important of which are:

    • Badiya (steppe) basin
    • Coastal basin
    • Orontes (Al-Asi) basin
    • Euphrates and Aleppo basin
    • Yarmouk basin
    • Barada and Awaj basin
    • Tigris and Khabur basin

    Local rainfall and snowfall are the main sources of groundwater in these basins, with the exception of the Badiya and Orontes basins, which are also fed by external water sources.

    Administrative divisions

    The territory of Syria is divided into fourteen governorates. Each governorate is divided into districts, each district into sub-districts, and each sub-district includes a group of villages, which form the smallest administrative unit.

    A governor heads the governorate, a district director heads each district, and a sub-district director heads each sub-district. Each village is represented by a village council chaired by a mukhtar, who supervises the village and its affiliated farms. Governors are appointed by decree, district and sub-district directors are appointed by the Ministry of Interior, and mukhtars are appointed by the Minister of Local Administration or by his delegation.

    There are 68 districts (including the 14 districts of the governorate centers), and 227 sub-districts.

    Special administrative cases include:

    • The city of Damascus is considered an independent governorate under the name of Damascus Governorate.
    • Some villages are directly subordinate to the governorate center and are called �governorate-center villages�.
    • Some villages are directly subordinate to the district center and are called �district-center villages�.
    • Some sub-districts are directly subordinate to the governorate center and are called �governorate-center sub-districts�.

    Main economic resources

    Syria enjoys a diversified economic base, whose main components include:

    • Agriculture: Wheat, cotton, olives, sugar beet, citrus, as well as a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.
    • Extractive industries: Oil, gas and various mineral resources.

    Factors encouraging investment in Syria

    Syria is an important gateway for investment thanks to a set of fundamentals and factors that create an attractive investment climate and receive special attention from the state. The most prominent features of the investment climate include:

    • The strategic geographic location that makes Syria a meeting point of three continents.
    • Limited external indebtedness.
    • Special incentives, exemptions, facilities and guarantees for investment projects.
    • Suitable and upgradable infrastructure.
    • A relatively advanced legislative and institutional environment.
    • Equipped industrial and handicraft cities and zones that are constantly developing.
    • Availability and diversity of natural resources.
    • Qualified human resources with competitive labor costs.