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Syria

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This page is about the modern state of Syria. For other uses, see Syria (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 35°N 38°E / 35°N 38°E / 35; 38

Syria officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in the Middle East, the west part of Asia. It borders Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine. Its western part faces the Mediterranean Sea and shares a maritime border with Cyprus, while its eastern and northern parts are mountainous. Syria's national capital is Damascus.

Syrian Arab Republic
اَلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْسُوْرِيَّة (Arabic)
al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah
Flag of Syria
Anthem: 
Syria (orthographic projection) disputed.svg
Controlled territory shown in dark green; Syria's claim over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shown in light green
Syria - Location Map (2024) - SYR - UNOCHA.svg
StatusUN member state under a transitional government
Capital
and largest city
Damascus
33°30′N 36°18′E / 33.500°N 36.300°E / 33.500; 36.300
Arabic[b] (Levantine Arabic)
Kurdish (Kurmanji)[c]
Syrian Turkish[d]
Neo-Aramaic (Turoyo)[e]
Other
Ethnic groups
(2021)[3][4][5][6][7]
80–90% Arabs
9–10% Kurds
1–10% others
Religion
(2024)[8][9]
Demonym(s)Syrian
GovernmentTransitional government
• President
Ahmed al-Sharaa
Mohammed al-Bashir
LegislatureInterim Legislative Council
Establishment
8 March 1920
1 December 1924
14 May 1930
• End of the French mandate
17 April 1946
• Part of the United Arab Republic
22 February 1958 – 28 September 1961
8 March 1963
8 December 2024
Area
• Total
Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). (87th)
• Water (%)
1.1
Population
• 2025 estimate
Neutral increase 25,255,139[11][12] (57th)
• Density
Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). (70th)
GDP (PPP)2021 estimate
• Total
$50.28 billion[13]
• Per capita
$3,300[13]
GDP (nominal)2022 estimate
• Total
$9.8 billion[13]
• Per capita
$800
Gini (2022)▼ 26.6[14]
low
HDI (2022)Steady 0.557[15]
medium · 157th
CurrencySyrian pound (SYP)
Time zoneUTC+3 (Arabia Standard Time)
Driving sideright
Calling code+963
ISO 3166 codeSY
Internet TLD.sy
سوريا.

The biggest city is Aleppo. It has been embroiled in civil war since March 2011. The religious makeup of Syria is 74% Sunni, 11% Alawite, 10% Christian, 3% Druze, 1% Ismaili Shia 0.4% Twelver Shia and 0.1% Yazidi.[16]

History

Before 20th century

Syria has a very long history. It was a land of Phoenicians, which then became part of the Achaemenid Empire, Roman Empire, and then the Eastern Roman Empire. In those days people in Syria spoke the Syriac language and used the Syriac alphabet, while the Syrian city Antioch was one of the important cities in Christendom.

Islamization

The Rashidun Caliphate took over Syria from the Eastern Roman Empire in the 6th century. Most of the indigenous population converted to Islam and adopted the Arabic language. The region then became an important province of the subsequent Muslim empires under the name of Bilād ash-Shām.[17]

20th century

When World War I started, the Ottoman Empire ruled Syria and many other places. When it ended, France controlled Lebanon and Syria. Britain had Iraq, Jordan and Palestine. They drew a border between Iraq and Syria in 1920. France controlled Syria until 1946 when Syria became its own country.[18][better source needed]

Cold War

 
The line in the middle of this map is the border drawn in 1920 separating Iraq and Syria.

Syria was part of the United Arab Republic with Egypt between 1958 and 1961. Syria fought some wars with Israel. Its former territory Golan Heights has been governed by Israel since 1967.[19]

Meanwhile, the Ba'athist party seized power with a coup in 1963 to establish a junta.[20][21] In 1970, Hafiz al-Assad, the father of Bashar al-Assad, took over with another coup and turned the Ba'athist Syrian state into a dynastic totalitarian state,[20][21] featured by systematic oppression and widespread human rights abuses,[20][21] which was passed on to Bashar when Hafiz passed away in 2000.[20][21]

21st century

Most Syrians believe in Islam, while an ethnoreligious Christian minority, called the Syriac Christians, exists.[22]

2010s

In 2011, anti-regime protests were brutally suppressed by President Bashar al-Assad, sparking off a civil war against Assad. Assad went on to commit countless atrocities against Syrians, including massacres, starving sieges[23] and chemical attacks,[24][25] which killed over 400,000 Syrians.[24][25] Amid the war, the Kurds took over a sizeable part of northern Syria, namely the Rojava.[26] In 2016, Assad regained most of Syria with the superior firepower of Russia and Iran.[27]

2020s

A myriad of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic[28] and pro-Russian Western leftist opposition to NATO intervention,[29][30] had made the civil war a frozen conflict for several years until December 2024.[31]

In December 2024, regrouped rebel forces launched large-scale multi-pronged offensives[31] amid weakened local Russian and Iranian military presence,[32] reportedly due to the countries' respective involvement in the invasion of Ukraine and conflict with Israel.[31][32] Aleppo, Homs and Daraa,[33] three of the largest Syrian cities, fell to the rebels within a week,[31] who also encircled Syria's capital Damascus.[31][34]

Fall of Ba'athist rule

On December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad fled the capital as the rebels stormed in.[35] Assad's protecting power Russia claimed that Assad had left Syria[36] for Moscow.[37] Rebels inside the capital announced the end of the six-decade Ba'athist rule in Syria.[36][38]

Transitional government

The united opposition announced that Mohammed al-Bashir, a previous leader of the provisional Salvation Government in Turkish-controlled northwest Syria, was named as the head of the transitional government, expected to serve until March 2025.[39]

Geography

Syria is between latitudes 32° and 38° N, and longitudes 35° and 43° E. It is mostly arid plateau. The area bordering the Mediterranean is fairly green. The Euphrates, Syria's most important river, crosses the country in the east. The climate in Syria is dry and hot. Winters are mild.

Politics and government

Regarding a presidential election in the future: "it [can take or] would take between four and five years to hold presidential elections", according to media's (2025)paraphrasing of Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new leader.[40]

A transitional government has been put in power. It will keep power until at least March 1, 2025.

The Syrian constitution and parliament were suspended on December 12, 2024. The suspension is supposed to last until the transitional period is finished.


Syria is a republic. The old Constitution of Syria was started on 13 March 1971,[41][better source needed] making Syria a de jure secular socialist state. Islam was the majority religion. A new constitution has been in place since 2012.

Branches of government

The executive branch is the president, two vice presidents, the prime minister, and the Council of Ministers. The constitution says the president must be a Muslim.[41] It does not make Islam the state religion. According to the 2012 constitution, the president is elected by the Syrian people in a direct election. The People's Council is the legislative branch.[better source needed]

State control

Nearly all of Syria’s radio and television outlets are state owned.[42][better source needed]

Human rights

Syria's human rights are [2024] among the worst in the world, according to human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch.[43][better source needed] As of 2024, the authorities kidnap democracy and human rights activists, censor websites and impose travel bans on their targets.

Military

Main page: Syrian Armed Forces

The President of Syria is commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces. There are about 400,000 troops. Ethnic Kurds have their own army called YPG. The Males must go in the military when they are age 18.[44] The armed forces stood down with the fall of the Ba'athist rule on December 8, 2024.[36][38]

Governorates

Syria has fourteen Governorates, or muhafazat. The governorates are divided into sixty districts. The governorates are:

Economy

Syria is a middle-income country. The economy is based on agriculture, oil, industry and tourism.

Transport

Syria has three international airports (Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia). They are hubs for Syrian Air. Foreign airlines also fly to them.[45][better source needed] Most Syrian cargo is carried by Chemins de Fer Syriens, the Syrian railway company.

Demographics

Population in Syria[46][47]
Year Million
1971 6.6
1990 12.7
2009 21.9
Source: OECD/World Bank/UNO

Most people live in the Euphrates valley and along the coastal plain, a fertile strip between the coastal mountains and the desert. Education is free from ages 6 to 12. All children this age must attend school.

Sports

The most popular sports in Syria are football, basketball, swimming, and tennis. Damascus was home to the fifth and seventh Pan Arab Games. Many popular football teams are based in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and Latakia.

Syria Media

Related pages

Notes

  1. ↑ After the fall of the Assad regime, it was briefly relinquished. Shortly thereafter, it was reinstated by the Syrian transitional government. However, on 18 January 2025, a de facto new anthem, In Pursuit of Glory, was played in a football match after the Syrian Football Association notified FIFA that they were using a new anthem. Ever since then, it has been unclear whether this anthem will still be used.
  2. ↑ Standard Arabic has been the sole working language since 2025.
  3. ↑ Spoken by Kurdish population, and has an official status in Kurdish-led SDF-controlled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
  4. ↑ Spoken by Turkmen population[2]
  5. ↑ Spoken by Assyrian population, and it is a regional official language (as Syriac) in Jazira Region of AANES, also traditionally spoken in Maaloula, Jubb'adin and Al-Sarkha
  6. ↑ Syria does not have an official flag since the fall of the Assad regime. This flag is unofficial and is therefore de facto.
  7. ↑ Although widely used in Syrian transitional government websites and documents, the coat of arms of Syria is unofficial since the fall of the Assad regime and therefore is de facto.

References

  Wikivoyage has a travel guide about: Syria
  1. ↑ https://almashhad.com/article/773112298002792-News/191647995589717-%D8%AD%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AF/
  2. ↑ Behnstedt, Peter (2008). "Syria". In Versteegh, Kees; Eid, Mushira; Elgibali, Alaa; Woidich, Manfred; Zaborski, Andrzej (eds.). Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics. Vol. 4. Brill Publishers. p. 402. ISBN 978-90-04-14476-7.
  3. ↑ "Syria: People and society". The World Factbook. CIA. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "Syria (10/03)".
  5. ↑ "Syria's Religious, Ethnic Groups". 20 December 2012.
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Khalifa2013.
  7. ↑ Shoup, John A. (2018), The History of Syria, ABC-CLIO, p. 6, ISBN 978-1440858352, Syria has several other ethnic groups, the Kurds... they make up an estimated 9 percent...Turkomen comprise around 4-5 percent of the total population. The rest of the ethnic mix of Syria is made of Assyrians (about 4 percent), Armenians (about 2 percent), and Circassians (about 1 percent).
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :4.
  9. ↑ "Why Syria's reconstruction may depend on the fate of its minorities". 18 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "Syrian ministry of foreign affairs". Archived from the original on 11 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Syria Population". Datacommons.org. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  12. ↑ https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/syria-population/
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Syria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "World Bank GINI index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  15. ↑ "HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2023-24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. pp. 274–277. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "Religion in Syria - 1943 Syrian Census". Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  17. ↑
  18. ↑ "Report of the Commission Entrusted by the Council with the Study of the Frontier between Syria and Iraq". World Digital Library. 1932. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3
  22. ↑
  23. ↑
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1
  26. ↑
  27. ↑
  28. ↑
  29. ↑
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1
  33. ↑
  34. ↑
  35. ↑
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2
  37. ↑
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1
  39. ↑
  40. ↑ https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrias-sharaa-says-it-will-take-4-5-years-hold-presidential-election-2025-02-03/. Retrieved 2025-02-13
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 "Constitution of Syria". Retrieved 22 October 2008.
  42. ↑ "Freedom House report on Syria (2010)" (PDF). Freedom House. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  43. ↑ Syria among worst for rights abuses: HRW report. Reuters. 2011-01-24. https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/24/us-syria-rights-idUSTRE70N5S620110124. Retrieved 2017-08-31. 
  44. ↑ Syria – Overview. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  45. ↑ "Syria – travel guides at Wikivoyage". Wikivoyage.org. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  46. ↑ CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion Archived 2009-10-12 at the Wayback Machine Population 1971–2008 IEA pdf Archived 2012-01-06 at the Wayback Machine pages 83–85
  47. ↑ "UNData app". data.un.org. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
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