Syria
| Syrian Arab Republic
الجمهورية العربية السورية
al-Jumhūriyyah al-‘Arabīyah as-Sūriyyah |
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| Anthem: "Homat el Diyar" "Guardians of the Land" |
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| Capital | Damascus 33°30′N 36°18′E / 33.5°N 36.3°E |
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| Largest city | Aleppo | |||||
| Official language(s) | Arabic1 | |||||
| Demonym | Syrian | |||||
| Government | Ba'athist Single Party State | |||||
| - | President | Bashar al-Assad | ||||
| Legislature | People's Council | |||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | from France | 17 April 1946 | ||||
| - | from the United Arab Republic | 28 September 1961 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 185,180 km2 (89th) 71,479 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 1.1 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | July 2012 estimate | 22,530,746[1] (53rd) | ||||
| - | Density | 118.3/km2 (101st) 306.5/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2011 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $105.238 billion[2] (65th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$5,043[2] (114th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | US$60.210 billion[2] (66th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$2,958[2] (118th) | ||||
| HDI (2011) |  0.632[3] (medium) (119th) |
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| Currency | Syrian pound (SYP) |
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| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||||
| Drives on the | Right | |||||
| Internet TLD | .sy, سوريا. | |||||
| Calling code | 9632 | |||||
| 1 | Arabic is the official language; spoken languages and varieties are: Syrian Arabic, North Mesopotamian Arabic, Kurmanji Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, Turkish[4] | |||||
| 2 | 02 from Lebanon | |||||
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Syria is a country in the Middle East, the west part of Asia. It borders (from south to north) on Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey. Its western part faces the Mediterranean Sea. Its eastern and northern parts are mountainous.
The current president is Bashar al-Assad. He is also head of state. Syria's national capital is Damascus.
The population of Syria is 74% Sunni, 12% Alawi, 10% Christian, and 3% Druze.
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History[change]
Syria has a very long history. It was a land of Phoenicians. Later it became a part of the Roman Empire and then the Eastern Roman Empire. In those days people spoke the Syriac language. The city Antioche was great and one of the important cities in the world of Christianity. People began to speak the Arabic language. Today most Syrian people believe in Islam but there are Christians too.
Syria was part of the Arab League with Egypt once. Syria had some wars with Israel and some territories like the Golan Plateau were occupied by Israel.
As of December 2012 the Syrian people are engaged in a very bloody civil war opposing President Bashar Al Assad (or formerly Bashar Al Jahesh).
Geography[change]
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[change]
Syria is a republic. The old Constitution of Syria was started on 13 March 1971.[5] It made Syria as a secular socialist state. Islam was the majority religion. A new constitution has been in place since 2012.
Branches of government[change]
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[5]. It does not make Islam the state religion. According to the 2012 constitution, the president is elected by Syrian people in a direct election.
The People's Council is the legislative branch.
State control[change]
Nearly all of Syria’s radio and television outlets are state owned. The Ba'ath Party controls nearly all newspapers.[6]
Human rights[change]
Syria's human rights are among the worst in the world, according to human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch.[7] The authorities arrest democracy and human rights activists, censor websites, detain bloggers, and have travel bans.
Governorates[change]
Syria has fourteen Governorates, or muhafazat. The governorates are divided into sixty districts. The governorates are:
- Al Hasakah
- Al Ladhiqiyah
- Al Qunaytirah
- Ar Raqqah
- As Suwayda
- Dara
- Dayr az Zawr
- Dimashq
- Halab
- Hamah
- Homs
- Idlib
- Rif Dimashq
- Tartus
Military[change]
The President of Syria is commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces. There are about 400,000 troops. Males must go in the military when they are age 18.[8]
Economy[change]
Syria is a middle-income country. The economy is based on agriculture, oil, industry, and tourism.
Transport[change]
Syria has three international airports (Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia). They are hubs for Syrian Air. Foreign airlines also fly to them.[9] Most Syrian cargo is carried by Chemins de Fer Syriens, the Syrian railway company.
Demographics[change]
| Population in Syria[10] [11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Million | ||
| 1971 | 6.6 | ||
| 1990 | 12.7 | ||
| 2009 | 21.9 | ||
| Source: OECD/World Bank/UNO | |||
Most people live in the Euphrates River 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[change]
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.
Civil war 2011-[change]
Since 2011, there has been a civil war between pro-government supporters and rebels who oppose the government. Over 80,000 people have been killed in this war according to United Nations.[12] The United Nations Security Council has condemned the mass killing in Syria in May 2012 but in vain.
Other pages[change]
References[change]
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide about: Syria |
- ↑ "Central Intelligence Agency. November 2, 2011 est". Cia.gov. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Syria". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=463&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=58&pr.y=20. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2010". United Nations. 2010. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Table1.pdf. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ↑ "World Directory of Minorities: Syria Overview". Minority Rights Group International. http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=5266&tmpl=printpage. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Constitution of Syria". http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/sy00000_.html. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ↑ "Freedom House report on Syria (2010)". Freedom House. http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/pfs/371.pdf.
- ↑ "Syria among worst for rights abuses: HRW report". Reuters. 2011-01-24. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/24/us-syria-rights-idUSTRE70N5S620110124.
- ↑ Syria – Overview. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ↑ "Syria – travel guides at Wikivoyage". Wikivoyage.org. http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Syria#Get_in. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
- ↑ CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion Population 1971–2008 IEA (pdf pages 83–85
- ↑ Arab Republic "UNdata". Profiles of World Countries as per UNO information. UNO. http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Syrian Arab Republic. Retrieved April 14 2012.
- ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/02/world/meast/syria-civil-war
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