Syrian Arab Republic | |
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Motto: وَحْدَةٌ ، حُرِّيَّةٌ ، اِشْتِرَاكِيَّةٌ Waḥdah, Ḥurrīyah, Ishtirākīyah ("Unity, Freedom, Socialism") | |
Anthem: حُمَاةَ الدِّيَارِ Ḥumāt ad-Diyār ("Guardians of the Homeland") | |
Capital and largest city | Damascus 33°30′N 36°18′E / 33.500°N 36.300°E |
Official languages | Arabic[1] |
Recognised languages |
|
Ethnic groups (2014[2]) | 90% Arab 10% Other |
Religion | 87% Islam 10% Christianity[3] 3% Druze[4] |
Demonym(s) | Syrian |
Government | Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential Ba’athist republic under an authoritarian hereditary dictatorship[5] |
Bashar al-Assad | |
Hussein Arnous | |
Hammouda Sabbagh | |
Legislature | People's Council |
Establishment | |
8 March 1920 | |
• State of Syria under French mandate | 1 December 1924 |
14 May 1930 | |
• De jure Independence | 24 October 1945 |
• De facto Independence | 17 April 1946 |
• Left the United Arab Republic | 28 September 1961 |
8 March 1963 | |
27 February 2012 | |
Area | |
• Total | 185,180[6] km2 (71,500 sq mi) (87th) |
• Water (%) | 1.1 |
Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 17,500,657 (66th) |
• 2010 census | 21,018,834 |
• Density | 118.3/km2 (306.4/sq mi) (70th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2015 estimate |
• Total | $50.28 billion[3] |
• Per capita | $2,900[3] |
GDP (nominal) | 2014 estimate |
• Total | $24.6 billion[3] (167) |
• Per capita | $831[3] |
Gini (2014) | 55.8[7] high |
HDI (2019) | ![]() medium · 151st |
Currency | Syrian pound (SYP) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +963 |
ISO 3166 code | SY |
Internet TLD | .sy سوريا. |
Syria is a country in the Middle East, the west part of Asia. It borders (from south to north) on Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey. Its western part faces the Mediterranean Sea and it shares a maritime border with Cyprus. Its eastern and northern parts are mountainous.
The current president and head of state is Bashar al-Assad. Syria's national capital is Damascus. The biggest city is Aleppo. The Syrian civil war began in 2011.
The population of Syria is 74% Sunni, 12% Alawi Shia, 10% Christian, 3% Druze, 1% Ismaili Shia 0.4% Twelver Shia, and 0.1% Yazidi.[9]