Syria

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Syria's Information


Capital	Damascus
Languages	Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English
Ethnic Groups	Arab 90.3%, Kurdish, Armenian, and other 9.7%
Religion	Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%, Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo)
Government	Presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime
Independance	17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Area	185,180.00 km²
Water Area	1,550.00 km²
Land Area	183,630.00 km²
Population	17,185,170.00 Significant population density along the Mediterranean coast; larger concentrations found in the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo (the country's largest city), and Hims (Homs); more than half of the population lives in the coastal plain, the province of Aleppo, and the Euphrates River valley
Location	Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	Iraq 599 km, Israel 83 km, Jordan 379 km, Lebanon 403 km, Turkey 899 km
GDP(PPP)	$50,280,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$2,900.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, and textiles.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery, electric power machinery, food, and livestock.
Climate	Tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); persistent and extensive cloudiness all year
Terrain	Primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west

Where is Syria?

Located in the Middle East, Syria has a 2,363.00 km border with Iraq (599 km), Israel (83 km), Jordan (379 km), Lebanon (403 km) and Turkey (899 km). It has a 193.00 km coastline. Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with a UN patrolled buffer zone. Sections of the Syria and Lebanon border are also unclear.

Syria's capital city is Damascus, a city located in the south-western part of the country at the foothills of Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Damascus is part of the greater metropolitan area that is home to five million residents. The city is of great religious and historical importance due to the presence of holy sites and monuments as well as other cultural sites. In 2008, Damascus was named the Arab capital of culture. Since Damascus is located in the desert the temperatures are high reaching 40 degrees Celsius, while coldest temperatures reach -12 degrees Celsius.

Geography

Syria has a mean elevation of 514 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate with a rainy season from June to August. Its terrain is mostly semiarid and arid, with mountains in the west.

Population

Syria has a population of 17,185,170 making it the 65th largest in the world. The highest population density is found along the Mediterranean coast.

Arabic is the official language. The major ethnic group is Arab. The majority of the population identifies as Muslim.

The official language in Syria is Arabic. It is a Central Semitic language and consists of 28 letters of the alphabet. Before the introduction of Arabic into the country in the 7th century, Aramaic was the dominant language. Even though Arabic is the language used in educational institutions, it is not the native language of everyone. The language consists of different dialects spoken in various regions in the country. These dialects are Mesopotamian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, and Bedawi Arabic. 85% of Syrians are Arabic speakers. 9% speaks Kurdish, Armenian is spoken by approximately 1.6%, and 0.3% uses Aramaic language, while 0.1% speaks Domari. Syrian Arabic is written from the right to the left, while Arabic numbers are written from left to right. The minority languages found in Syria are Kurdish which is mainly used by the Kurdish community, Domari is primarily spoken by people from the Dom community, Lomavren used by Lom community, Aramaic, Kabardian, Assyrian, and Armenian.

Government

Syria is an independent country. It gained independence from League of Nations mandate in 1946. Its constitution was last ratified in 2012.

The Arab Republic of Syria has a unitary semi-presidential representative system of government with the head of state is the president, who appoints ministers who works under the Prime Minister. The country has a unicameral parliamentary system with members elected to serve for a period of four years. The political landscape has been dominated for a long time by the Ba áth party, but things changed after the new constitution provided for the multi-party system. With the enactment of the new constitutional order, the president's term has been reduced to a single seven-year term.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Syria's GDP is $50,280,000,000.00 (USD) with $2,900.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 109th largest economy and its citizens the 186th richest in the world. The currency of Syria is the Pound (SYP).

Its major export partners are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Its main exports are crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, and textiles. Its major import partners are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. Its major imports include machinery, electric power machinery, food, and livestock.

Flag

The Syrian tricolored green-white and black flag with three stars has been used since 1980 when it was officially adopted. The flag is a variant of the independence flag that has since changed over the years but retaining the symbolic colors that represent the three significant Islamic dynasties. The Syrian National Coalition, which controls parts of the country, is using the independence flag. Over time Syria has used several flags during its alliance with other Arab states but retained the basic tricolor design with minor changes to the stars in the middle.