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Syria
What is the capital of Syria?
The capital of Syria is Damascus, located on the Barada River in an oasis at the foot of Mount Qasioun.
Who became president of Syria after Hafez al-Assad’s death?
After Hafez al-Assad’s death in 2000, his sonBashar al-Assad became president of Syria.Ahmed al-Sharaa became president in 2025 after Assad’s overthrow.
Which mountain range marks Syria’s border with Lebanon?
The Anti-Lebanon Mountains mark Syria’s border with Lebanon.
What is the most important water source in Syria?
The Euphrates River is the most important water source and the only navigable river in Syria.
What event led to the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011?
Deeply rooted internal tensions led to protests, inspired by a broaderArab Spring uprising throughout the Middle East. The government’s attempts to suppress the protests escalated the uprising into acivil war, but ultimately did not prevent the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
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Syria,country located on the east coast of theMediterranean Sea in southwesternAsia. Its area includes territory in theGolan Heights that has been occupied byIsrael since 1967. The present area does not coincide with ancient Syria, which was the strip of fertile land lying between the eastern Mediterranean coast and the desert of northernArabia. The capital isDamascus (Dimashq), on theBarada River, situated in an oasis at the foot of Mount Qasioun (Qāsiyūn).
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 theauthoritarian rule of Pres.Hafez al-Assad, whose foremost goals included achieving national security and domestic stability and recovering the Syrian territory lost to Israel in 1967. Assad committed his country to an enormous arms buildup, which put severe strains on the national budget, leaving little for development. After Assad’s death in 2000, his sonBashar al-Assad became president. Despite some early steps toward political reform, Bashar al-Assad ultimately continued his father’s authoritarian style of government, using Syria’s powerful military and security services to quash political dissent. Long-suppressed internal tensions led to the outbreak of theSyrian Civil War in 2011. Assad’s brutal response to the civil war failed to keep him in power and, after atremendous amount of death and destruction, he was finally deposed in December 2024.
- Head Of State And Government:
- President:Ahmed al-Sharaa (interim)
- Capital:
- Damascus
- Population:
- (2025 est.) 23,607,0003
- Form Of Government:
- interim government1
- Official Language:
- Arabic
- Official Religion:
- none2
- Official Name:
- Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Sūriyyah (Syrian Arab Republic)
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 185,180
- Total Area (Sq Mi):
- 71,480
- Monetary Unit:
- Syrian pound (S.P)
- Population Rank:
- (2025) 59
- Population Projection 2030:
- 28,647,000
- Density: Persons Per Sq Mi:
- (2025) 330.3
- Density: Persons Per Sq Km:
- (2025) 127.5
- Urban-Rural Population:
- Urban: (2024) 58%
- Rural: (2024) 42%
- Life Expectancy At Birth:
- Male: (2022) 72.8 years
- Female: (2022) 75.8 years
- Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate:
- Male: (2021) 97%
- Female: (2021) 92%
- Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000):
- (2022) 15,883
- Gni Per Capita (U.S.$):
- (2022) 710
- On December 8, 2024, rebel forces led by
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmed al-Sharaa) toppled the government ofBashar al-Assad and appointed an interim government led by technocrats from the rebel-led Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) that since 2017 had been based inIdlib . Syria’s 2012 constitution was suspended on December 12 and Sharaa announced on December 29 that the process to draft a new constitution may take two or three years. - According to the 2012 constitution, Islam was required to be the religion of the head of state and was the basis of the legal system.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham , the predominant group running the interim government, also takes inspiration from Islamic jurisprudence. - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that, by November 2017, more than 5.3 million Syrian refugees had left the country as a result of the Syrian Civil War.
Land
Syria is bounded byTurkey to the north, byIraq to the east and southeast, byJordan to the south, and byLebanon andIsrael to the southwest.
Relief
Syria has a relatively short coastline, which stretches for about 110 miles (180 km) along the Mediterranean Sea between the countries of Turkey and Lebanon. Sandy bays dent the shore, alternating with rocky headlands and low cliffs. North ofTartus, the narrow coastal strip is interrupted by spurs of the northwestern Al-Anṣariyyah Mountains immediately to the east. It then widens into theAkkar Plain, which continues south across the Lebanon border.
TheAl-Anṣariyyah mountain range borders the coastal plain and runs from north to south. The mountains have an average width of 20 miles (32 km), and their average height declines from 3,000 feet (900 meters) in the north to 2,000 feet in the south. Their highest point, at 5,125 feet (1,562 meters), occurs east ofLatakia. Directly to the east of the mountains is theGhāb Depression, a 40-mile (64-km)longitudinal trench that contains the valley of theOrontes River (Nahr Al-ʿĀṣī).
TheAnti-Lebanon Mountains (Jabal Al-Sharqī) mark Syria’s border with Lebanon. The main ridge rises to a maximum height of 8,625 feet (2,629 meters) near Al-Nabk, while the mean height is between 6,000 and 7,000 feet (1,800 to 2,100 meters).Mount Hermon (Jabal Al-Shaykh), Syria’s highest point, rises to 9,232 feet (2,814 meters).
Smaller mountains are scattered about the country. Among these areMount Al-Durūz, which rises to an elevation of some 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) in the extreme south, and theAbū Rujmayn and Bishrī Mountains, which stretch northeastward across the central part of the country.
The undulating plains occupying the rest of the country are known as theSyrian Desert. In general their elevation lies between 980 and 1,640 feet (300 and 500 meters); they are seldom less than 820 feet (250 meters) abovesea level. The area is not a sand desert butcomprises rock and gravel steppe; a mountainous region in the south-central area is known asAl-Ḥamād.
Drainage
TheEuphrates River is the most important water source and the only navigable river in Syria. It originates in Turkey and flows southeastward across the eastern part of Syria (seeTigris-Euphrates river system). TheEuphrates Dam, constructed on the river at Tabqa, was completed in the 1970s. The reservoir behind the dam, Lake Al-Asad, began to fill in 1973.
TheOrontes is the principal river of the mountainous region. It rises in Lebanon, flows northward through the mountains and the Ghāb Depression, and enters the Mediterranean nearAntioch, Turkey. TheYarmouk River, a tributary of theJordan River, drains the Jabal Al-Durūz andHauran regions and forms part of the border with Jordan in the southwest.
Scattered lakes are found in Syria. The largest isAl-Jabbūl, a seasonal saline lake that permanently covers a minimum area of about 60 square miles (155 square km) southeast of Aleppo. Other major salt lakes are Jayrūd to the northeast of Damascus and Khātūniyyah to the northeast ofAl-Hasakah. Lake Muzayrīb, a small body of fresh water, is located northwest ofDaraa; the larger Lake Qattinah (LakeHoms), a reservoir, is west of Homs.
Most of the country’s drainage flows underground. On the surface,impervious rocks—consisting of clay, marl (clay, sand, or silt), and greensand—cover a relatively small area. Porous rocks cover about half of the country and are mainly sandstone or chalk. Highly porous rocks consist of basalt and limestone. Water penetrates the porous rocks, forming underground springs, rivers, or subterranean water sheets close to the surface. Although the springs are profuse, the water sheets are quickly exhausted and may turn saline in areas of low precipitation.
Soils
Because of aridity, vegetation plays only a secondary role in soilcomposition. With the exception of the black soil in the northeastern region ofAl-Jazīrah, soils are deficient in phosphorus and organic matter. The most common soils are various clays and loams (mixtures of clay, sand, and silt). Some are calcareous (chalky); others, especially in the area of the Euphrates valley, contain gypsum. Alluvial soils occur mainly in the valleys of the Euphrates and its tributaries and in the Ghāb Depression.
Abdul-Rahman HamidéClimate
Temperature and precipitation
The coast and the western mountains have aMediterranean climate with a long dry season from May to October. In the extreme northwest there is some light summer rain. On the coast summers are hot, with mean daily maximum temperatures in the low to mid-80s F (upper 20s C), while the mild winters have daily mean minimum temperatures reaching the low 50s F (low 10s C). Only above about 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) are the summers relatively cool. Inland the climate becomes arid, with colder winters and hotter summers. Maximum temperatures in Damascus andAleppo average in the 90s F (mid-30s C) in summer, while temperatures reach average lows in the mid-30s to low 40s F (1 to 4 °C) in winter. In the desert, atTadmur andDeir al-Zour, maximum temperatures in the summer reach averages in the upper 90s to low 100s F (upper 30s to low 40s C), with extremes in the 110s F (mid- to upper 40s C). Snow may occur in winter away from the coast, and frosts are common.
The coast and western mountains receive 30 to 40 inches (760 to 1000 mm) of precipitation annually. Annual precipitation decreases rapidly eastward: the steppe receives 10 to 20 inches (250 to 500 mm),Mount Al-Durūz receives more than 8 inches (200 mm), and the desert area of Al-Ḥamād receives less than 5 inches (130 mm). Precipitation is variable from year to year, particularly in the spring and autumn months.
Charles Gordon Smith