A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. In English, the name "Syria" was formerly synonymous with the Levant (known in Arabic as al-Sham), while the modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC. Its capital Damascus and largest city Aleppo are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Languages: Arabic
Ethnic Groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Belief Systems: Islam, Christianity
Demographics:
Population: 21.8 million people (World Rank: 54th) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 308 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 96th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 1.66 %/yr (World Rank: 76th) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 74.6 years (World Rank: 105th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 21.9 years (World Rank: 136th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of Syria
Worldatlas.com
Syria
World Factbook
Syria - Country Profile
U.S. Library of Congress
Syria - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Travel Info for Syria
Travelnotes.org
Syrian Embassy
in Washington D.C.
Syrian Government Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger
