AT A GLANCE

LEADER: Bashar al-Assad has held the presidency since 2000 and remains in office, though a number of countries no longer recognize him as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

Syria’s economy has Syrian pound. Agriculture and oil were Syria’s two primary pre-war exports. Both industries have been severely disrupted (oil production was 667,000 barrels a day in 2002 but is just 15,000 barrels a day now), with sanctions also stifling trade.