Syria
country in West Asia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Syria 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.
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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.[7]
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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.[8]
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.[9][better source needed]
Cold War
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.[10]
Meanwhile, the Ba'athist party seized power with a coup in 1963 to establish a junta.[11][12] 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,[11][12] featured by systematic oppression and widespread human rights abuses,[11][12] which was passed on to Bashar when Hafiz passed away in 2000.[11][12]
21st century
Most Syrians believe in Islam, while an ethnoreligious Christian minority, called the Syriac Christians, exists.[13]
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[14] and chemical attacks,[15][16] which killed over 400,000 Syrians.[15][16] Amid the war, the Kurds took over a sizeable part of northern Syria, namely the Rojava.[17] In 2016, Assad regained most of Syria with help from military forces from Russia and Iran.[18]
2020s
A myriad of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic[19] and pro-Russian Western leftist opposition to NATO intervention,[20][21] had made the civil war a frozen conflict for several years until December 2024.[22]
In December 2024, regrouped rebel forces launched large-scale multi-pronged offensives[22] amid weakened local Russian and Iranian military presence,[23] reportedly due to the countries' respective involvement in the invasion of Ukraine and conflict with Israel.[22][23] Aleppo, Homs and Daraa,[24] three of the largest Syrian cities, fell to the rebels within a week,[22] who also encircled Syria's capital Damascus.[22][25]
Fall of Ba'athist rule
On December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad fled the capital as the rebels stormed in.[26] Assad's protecting power Russia claimed that Assad had left Syria[27] for Moscow.[28] Rebels inside the capital announced the end of the six-decade Ba'athist rule in Syria.[27][29]
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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.[source?]
Politics and government
The Syrian transitional government has been in control, since March 2025.[30]
In March 2025, the 2012 constitution was set aside, and a new interim constitution came in its place.
Syria is a republic. A Constitution of Syria was started on 13 March 1971,[31][better source needed] making Syria a de jure secular socialist state. Islam was the majority religion. A new constitution came into place in 2012.[source?]
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.[31] 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. The Ba'ath Party controls nearly all newspapers.[32][better source needed]
Human rights
Syria's human rights are among the worst in the world, according to human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch.[33][better source needed] The authorities kidnap democracy and human rights activists, censor websites and impose travel bans on their targets.[source?]
Military
The President of Syria is commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces. The armed forces stood down with the fall of the Ba'athist rule on December 8, 2024.[27][29]
There are about 400,000 troops. Ethnic Kurds have their own army called YPG. [Before the fall of the previous government], men [had to] go in the military when they [were] age 18.[34]
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.[source?]
Transport
Syria has three international airports (Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia). They are hubs for Syrian Air. Foreign airlines also fly to them.[35][better source needed] Most Syrian cargo is carried by Chemins de Fer Syriens, the Syrian railway company.[source?]
Demographics
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.[source?]
Foreign relations
Syria has diplomatic relations with Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, and Sudan.
US-Syria foreign relations; The presidents of the two countries had a meeting (2025); Twenty-five years earlier, there was a meeting at that level.[38] In 2025, the U.S. started (taking away or) lifting sanctions against Syria.[39][40] U.S. soldiers have been patroling with Syrian forces (in Syria), as late as 2025's fourth quarter.[41]
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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.[source?]
Other information
The parliament of Syria has 210 members; Seven of those are women (October 6, 2025).[42]
Related pages
References
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