Syria by the numbers: Key figures in the crisis

Syria by the numbers:

— The number of people killed since the March 2011 start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad: 9,000.

— The number of Syrians who have fled their homes and taken refuge since the uprising began: 230,000.

— The size of Syria's armed forces: Estimated to be around 250,000 active personnel.

— The number of Syria's rebel forces: Estimates start at around 10,000.

— The number of U.N. observers on the ground in Syria: 7.

— The number of observers that U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon wants: 300.

— Amount of money pledged by Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Arab Gulf states to support Syria's rebels and encourage defections from the army: Millions of dollars.

— Amount of money actually transferred: None. Syrian opposition members and international officials say the Gulf states have yet to start distributing money because there is no clear way to make sure the money gets to the right people.

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Sources: The United Nations, the Norwegian Refugees Council and the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Beirut, and the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.