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The Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Western Asia bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Palestine to the southwest.

The name Syria formerly comprised the entire region of the Levant while the modern state encompasses the site of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the third millennium BC. In the Islamic erea, its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire. Damascus is widely regarded as one of the oldest continuous inhabited cites in the world.

Once the centre of the Islamic Empire, Syria covers an area that has seen invasions and occupations over the ages, from Romans and Mongols to Crusaders and Turks. A country of fertile plains, mountains, and deserts. It is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Alawite Shias and Druze, as well as the Arab Sunnis who make up a majority of the Muslim population.

 

 

 

• Full name: The Syrian Arab Republic
• Population: 22 million (UN, 2009)
• Capital: Damascus
• Area: 185,180 sq km (71,498 sq miles)
• Major language: Arabic
• Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Syrian pound = 100 piastres
• Main exports: Oil, gas
• International dialling code: +963