Syria

This article is about the modern state of Syria. For other uses, see Syria (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Styria.

Syrian Arab Republic
ٱلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْعَرَبِيَّة ٱلْسُوْرِيَّة (Arabic)
al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya as-Sūriya
Motto: وَحْدَةٌ، حُرِّيَّةٌ، اِشْتِرَاكِيَّةٌ
Waḥda, Ḥurriyya, Ishtirākiyya
"Unity, Freedom, Socialism"
Anthem: حُمَاةَ الدِّيَارِ
Ḥumāt ad-Diyār
"Guardians of the Homeland"

Syria proper shown in dark green; Syria's territorial claims over the Turkish Hatay Province and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights shown in light green
Capital
and largest city
Damascus
33°30′N 36°18′E / 33.500°N 36.300°E / 33.500; 36.300
Official languagesArabic[1]
Ethnic groups
[2][3][4]
90% Arabs
9% Kurds
1% others
Religion
[2]
Demonym(s)Syrian
GovernmentUnitary neo-Ba'athist presidential republic[5] under a totalitarian[6] hereditary dictatorship
• President
Bashar al-Assad
Najah al-Attar
Faisal Mekdad
Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali
Hammouda Sabbagh
LegislaturePeople's Assembly
Establishment
8 March 1920
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[7] km2 (71,500 sq mi) (87th)
• Water (%)
1.1
Population
• 2024 estimate
Increase 25,000,753[8] (57th)
• Density
118.3/km2 (306.4/sq mi) (70th)
GDP (PPP)2015 estimate
• Total
$50.28 billion[9]
• Per capita
$2,900[9]
GDP (nominal)2020 estimate
• Total
$11.08 billion[9]
• Per capita
$533
Gini (2022)Positive decrease 26.6[10]
low inequality
HDI (2022)Steady 0.557[11]
medium (157th)
CurrencySyrian pound (SYP)
Time zoneUTC+3 (Arabia Standard Time)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Drives onright
Calling code+963
ISO 3166 codeSY
Internet TLD.sy
سوريا.

Syria,[a] officially the Syrian Arab Republic,[b] is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. Within the region of the Middle East, it is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic that consists of 14 governorates as subdivisions. Damascus is Syria's capital and largest city. With a population of 25.0 million, it is the 57th most populous country in the world and 8th most populous in the Arab world. Syria is spread across an area of 185,180 square kilometres (71,500 sq mi), making it 87th largest country in the world.

A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group. The name "Syria" historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant, and known in Arabic as al-Sham. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC. Damascus and Aleppo are cities of great cultural significance. During the Islamic rule, Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate and a provincial capital for the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt. The modern Syrian state was established in the mid-20th century after centuries of Ottoman rule, as a French Mandate. The newly created state represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Syrian provinces. It gained de jure independence as a parliamentary republic in 1945 when the new Republic became a founding member of the United Nations, an act which legally ended the former French mandate. French troops departed in April 1946, granting de facto independence.

The post-independence period was tumultuous, with multiple military coup attempts shaking the country between 1949 and 1971. In 1958, Syria entered a brief union with Egypt, which was terminated in the 1961 coup d'état and was renamed as the Arab Republic of Syria in constitutional referendum. The 1963 coup d'état carried out by the military committee of the Ba'ath Party established a one-party state and ran Syria under emergency law from 1963 to 2011, effectively suspending constitutional protections for citizens. Internal power-struggles within Ba'athist factions caused further coups in 1966 and 1970, which eventually resulted in the seizure of power by Hafiz al-Assad. He effectively established an Alawi minority rule to consolidate power within his family. After Assad's death, his son Bashar al-Assad inherited the presidency in 2000. Since 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a multi-sided civil war, with involvement of different countries.[c] Three political entities – the Syrian Interim Government, Syrian Salvation Government, and Rojava – have emerged in Syrian territory to challenge Assad's rule.

Syria is now the only country that is governed by Ba'athists, who advocate Arab socialism and Arab nationalism. The country's Ba'athist government is a totalitarian dictatorship with a comprehensive cult of personality around the Assad family, and has attracted widespread criticism for its severe domestic repression and war crimes. Being ranked 4th worst in the 2024 Fragile States Index, Syria is one of the most dangerous places for journalists. Freedom of press is extremely limited, and the country is ranked 2nd worst in 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Syria is the most corrupt country in the Middle East and North Africa and was ranked the 2nd lowest globally on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index. The country has also become the epicentre of a state-sponsored multi-billion dollar illicit drug cartel, the largest in the world.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference CoSAR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Syria: People and society". The World Factbook. CIA. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Syria (10/03)".
  4. ^ "Syria's Religious, Ethnic Groups". 20 December 2012.
  5. ^
  6. ^
    • Khamis, B. Gold, Vaughn, Sahar, Paul, Katherine (2013). "22. Propaganda in Egypt and Syria's "Cyberwars": Contexts, Actors, Tools, and Tactics". In Auerbach, Castronovo, Jonathan, Russ (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Propaganda Studies. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 422. ISBN 978-0-19-976441-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    • Wieland, Carsten (2018). "6: De-neutralizing Aid: All Roads Lead to Damascus". Syria and the Neutrality Trap: The Dilemmas of Delivering Humanitarian Aid Through Violent Regimes. London: I. B. Tauris. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7556-4138-3.
    • Ahmed, Saladdin (2019). Totalitarian Space and the Destruction of Aura. Albany, New York: Suny Press. pp. 144, 149. ISBN 9781438472911.
    • Hensman, Rohini (2018). "7: The Syrian Uprising". Indefensible: Democracy, Counterrevolution, and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism. Chicago, Illinois: Haymarket Books. ISBN 978-1-60846-912-3.
  7. ^ "Syrian ministry of foreign affairs". Archived from the original on 11 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Syria Population". World of Meters.info. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Syria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  10. ^ "World Bank GINI index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "Regional group votes to suspend Syria; rebels claim downing of jet". CNN. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.


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