Syria

Archaeologists have demonstrated that civilization in Syria was one of the most ancient on earth. Around the excavated city of Ebla in northern Syria, an Italian mission led by Prof.

During the second millennium BCE, Syria was occupied successively by Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Arameans as part of the general disruptions associated with the Sea Peoples; the Phoenicians settled along the coastline of these area as well as in the west (Now Lebanon & The current

Since approximately 10 000 BC Syria was one of centers of Neolithic culture (PPNA) where agriculture and cattle breeding appeared for the first time in the world. The following Neolithic period (PPNB) is represented by rectangular houses of Mureybet culture.

The modern Syrian state was established as a French mandate and attained independence in April 1946, as a parliamentary republic. The post-independence period was tumultuous, and a large number of military coups and coup attempts shook the country in the period 1949-1970.

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.

The population of Syria is 74% Sunni Muslim, with a 13% Shia and Alawite Muslim population, 10% Christian and 3% Druze. Since the 1960s, Alawite military officers have tended to dominate the country's politics.

Syria is arid, relying very much upon water coming down from the mountains in Turkey. Most of the country is flat, but has mountains towards the border of Lebanon. The east is desert, the western coast has a mediterranean climate.

Syrian economy is relatively weak, but there has recently been many initiatives to open it up. Syria has during the recent years become more open towards Western powers, and there has been ease on internal opposition.

Syria has 2 vice-presidents, one with responsibility for Political and Foreign affairs, the other for Internal and Party affairs. Prime minister since 2003 is Muhammad Naji al-Otari.

A newer version of this article is available: see Syria at Schools Wikipedia SOS Children works in Syria. For more information see SOS Children in Syria, Africaالجمهوريّة العربيّة السّوريّة Al-Jumhūriyyaḧ al-ʻArabiyyaḧ as-Sūriyyaḧ (Arabic) Image:Syrlogo.

Syria ( Arabic:سوريا), is a country in the Middle East. It borders Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north.

Historically, Syria has often been taken to include the territories of Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, and parts of Jordan, but excluding the Jazira region in the north-east of the modern Syrian state.

Map of Syria Map of Syria Syria (Arabic: سوريا ‎ Sūriyā or سورية Sūriyah), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية ), is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon, the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Cyprus to the

Syria was formerly a French mandate and attained independence in 1946, but can trace its roots to the fourth millennium BC. Its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire.

Syria gained independence in April 1946. Officially a Republic, Syria is under Emergency Law since 1963 and governed by the Baath Party; the head of state since 1970 has been a member of the Assad family.

January 2011 reached Syria in mid-March, when residents of a small southern city took to the streets to protest the torture of students who had put up anti-government graffiti.

June 24 Thousands of Syrians turned out for weekly protests in the country’s most restive towns and cities, denouncing as insincere an overture by President Bashar al-Assad for dialogue and testing the ability of the military and the government’s already-stretched security forces to contain

Syria's crackdown has been condemned internationally, as has President Assad, a British-trained doctor who many had hoped would soften his father's iron-handed regime.

citizens visiting Syria should be aware that any encounter with a Syrian citizen could be subject to scrutiny by the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) or other security services.

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Since March 1963, the Syrian Arab Republic has been ruled by an authoritarian regime dominated by the Socialist Ba'ath Party. While the ruling Ba'ath party espouses a largely secular ideology, Islamic traditions and beliefs provide a religious foundation for the country's customs and practices.

SyriaCountry Specific Information * Print * Email * Recent Embassy Notices for American Citizens * Travel Warning for Syria On this page »

as-Suriya, the Syrian Arab Republic ) is one of the larger states of the Middle East and has its capital in Damascus. Syria is bordered to the north by Turkey, to the east by Iraq, by Jordan and Israel to the south, and by Lebanon to the south-west.

Syria has a population of 21,906,000 people (UN, 2009 estimate), of which 6 million are concentrated in the capital Damascus.

WARNING: Travel to Syria is not recommended at this time due to a state of severe political crisis. Since January 2011, the unrest within the country has continued to intensify and many people have been injured or killed by government security forces.

Ancient Syria also included Lebanon, most of present-day Israel and Jordan, and part of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Settled c. 2100 B.C. by Amorites, the region was later conquered by Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

Syria consists of a coastal zone with abundant water supplies, a mountain zone that includes the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, and a portion of the Syrian Desert. The Euphrates River is its most important water source and only navigable river.

Syria was a province of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 until 1918, and the part comprising present-day Syria and Lebanon became a French League of Nations mandate in 1920.

forcibly took over Syria, then left in 1946, granting it its independence. Contents - * 1 People * 2 Government * 2.

Syria is currently a Ba'athist dictatorship. The government was accused by many of playing a role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

The Syrian Arab Republic is a Middle Eastern country, bordered by Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey. The capital is Damascus. Other important cities include Aleppo and Hama. Most settlement is near the Mediterranean coast, with the interior consisting largely of steppe.

northern Syria and Iraq to the head of the Persian Gulf.

coincide with ancient Syria, which was the strip of fertile land lying between the eastern Mediterranean coast and the desert of northern Arabia. The capital is Damascus (Dimashq), on the Barada River, situated in an oasis at the foot of Mount Qasiyun.

After Syria gained its independence in 1946, political life in the country was highly unstable, owing in large measure to intense friction between the country's social, religious, and political groups. In 1970 Syria came under the authoritarian rule of Pres.

Map of SyriaMap of Syria President: Bashar al-Assad (2000) Prime Minister: Muhammad Naji al-Otari (2003) Land area: 71,062 sq mi (184,051 sq km); total area: 71,498 sq mi (185,180 sq km) Population (2010 est.

Slightly larger than North Dakota, Syria lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Lebanon and Israel on the west, Turkey on the north, Iraq on the east, and Jordan on the south.

Syria Main Page 2. Regional Conflicts Continue Through the End of the Century 3. Syria is Repeatedly Accused of Supporting Terrorist Groups 4.

backwater - Syria is a modern, efficient and very proud nation with an administration that is becoming more liberal and outward looking by the day. It needs and deserves travellers to bear witness to this fact.

the world to think, Syria is not populated by terrorists, zealots and other bogeymen. In fact, Syrians are among the most friendly and hospitable people in the world, and most visitors to their country end up developing a lifelong infatuation with its gentle charms.

mean that Syria has lost sight of its past. The country has more than its fair share of significant historical sites, all of which are respectfully maintained by the authorities.

After the Turkish defeat in World War I, Syria was mandated to France and became independent with the ejection of Vichy troops by the Allies in 1941. From 1958 to 1961, Syria was united with Egypt as the United Arab Republic.

President of the Syrian Arab Republic is Bashar al-Assad, he is also Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. Bashar al-Assad became president after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who held office from 1970 until his death in 2000.

Syria was the site of various early civilizations, most notably that of the Phoenicians.

modern state of Syria can trace its roots to the fourth millennium B.C.E. Syrian scholars and artists contributed to Hellenistic and Roman thought and culture. Its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire.

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic is a Middle Eastern country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north.

Because of its strategic geographic location, Syria has historically been a focus of transit trade among many countries of the Middle East and is a vital factor in Arab politics and in Arab-Israeli hostilities.

Syria contains the Orontes River. East of the rift are mountain ranges, including the Anti-Lebanon Mts. (which include Mount Hermon, 9,232 ft/2,814 m, Syria's loftiest point) and scattered ranges in NW Syria.

Syria falls into two main geographical regions, a western region and a much larger eastern region. The western region, which includes about two thirds of the country's population, can be subdivided into four parallel north-south zones.

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AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's economy, reeling from three months of unrest, faces currency pressures that could deplete reserves and undermine President Bashar al-Assad's chances of political survival, businessmen and diplomats said.

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops shot dead 11 villagers on Wednesday, residents said, as authorities pressed on with a tank-led assault that has driven thousands of refugees across the northwest border with Turkey. | Video Continue Reading Iran says U.S.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's opposition, weakened by half a century of oppression under the Baath party, is united in demanding change but divided over how to achieve it.

Ethnic Syrians are of Semitic stock. Syria's population is 90% Muslim-74% Sunni, and 16% other Muslim groups, including the Alawi, Shi'a, and Druze-and 10% Christian. There also is a tiny Syrian Jewish community.

Since 1963, Syria has been under Emergency Law, which effectively suspends most constitutional protections. Branches: Executive-president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative-unicameral People's Council.

Syrian Arab Socialist Union or ASU, Syrian Communist Party (two branches); Syrian Social Nationalist Party; Unionist Socialist Party; and other parties not legally recognized but quasi-tolerated, generally considered opposition-oriented but enfeebled and reluctant to challenge the government.

File -In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, people throw rice and rose petals at Syrian troops as they pull out of the southern city of Daraa, Syria, Thursday, May 5, 2011.

In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and acquired by the AP, Syrian anti-government protesters gather in the coastal town of Banias, Syria, Friday, May 6, 2011.

Prominent opposition figures and critics of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime gather for a meeting in Damascus, Syria, Monday, June 27, 2011.

Modern Syria was created as a French mandate and attained independence in April 1946, as a parliamentary republic. The post-independence period was rocky, and a large number of military coups and coup attempts shook the country in the period 1949-1970.

The name Syria derives from ancient Greek name for Syrians, Σύριοι Syrioi, which the Greeks applied without distinction to the Assyrians. A number of modern scholars argue that the Greek word is traced back to the cognate Ἀσσυρία, Assyria, ultimately derived from the Akkadian

Syria's current president is Bashar al-Assad, who won a referendum on extending his presidency for second term, garnering 97.62 percent of votes in 2007 and is the son of Hafez al-Assad, who held office from 1970 until his death in 2000.

administered the area as Syria until granting it independence in 1946. The new country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic.

Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005.

separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country.