Damascus

Damascus دمشق
Damascus at sunset
Flag and Seal
Nickname:  City of Jasmin
Damascus
Coordinates: 33°30′47″N 36°17′31″E / 33.51306°N 36.29194°E / 33.51306; 36.29194
Country	Syria
Governorates	Damascus Governorate, Capital City
Government
• Governor	Bishr Al Sabban
Area
• City	105 km2 (41 sq mi)
• Urban	77 km2 (30 sq mi)
Elevation	680 m (2,230 ft)
Population  (2009 est.[1])
• City	1,711,000
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Area code(s)	Country code: 963, City code: 11
Demonym	Damascene
Website	Damascus Governorate
Sources: Damascus city area[2]

Damascus is the capital city of Syria. In Arabic, its name is Dimashq (دِمَشْق‎). It is the largest city in Syria with about 4.8 million people living there.^[source?] Damascus is thought to be one of oldest cities in the world that still has people living in it. It is believed that people started living in Damascus as long ago as 8000 BC to 10,000 BC (12000 years ago).

1. ↑ Central Bureau Of Statistics in Syria: Chapter 2: Population & Demographic Indicators Archived 2011-02-13 at the Wayback Machine Table 3: Estimates of Population actually living in Syria in 31 December 2011 by Mohafazat and six (in thousands)
2. ↑ Albaath.news statement by the governor of Damascus, Syria Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic), April 2010