Facts in brief about Syria
Capital: Damascus.
Official language: Arabic.
Official name: Al-Jumhuria Al-Arabia
Al-Suria (The Syrian Arab Republic).
Area: 185,180 kmz. Greatest
distances— east-west, 829 km; north- south, 748 km. Coastline- -151
km.
Elevation: Highest— Mount Hermon,
2,814 m above sea level.
Lowest— sea levef along the coast.
Population: Estimated 1996population -15,283,000;
density, 82 people per km2; distribution, 53 per cent urban, 47 per
cent rural. 1981 census—9,046,144. Estimated2001 population— 18,125,000.
Chief products: Agriculture—
cotton, wheat, barley, milk, grapes, sugar beet. Manufacturing—
textiles, fertilizer, petroleum products, cement, glass, processed foods. Mining—
petroleum, phosphates.
National anthem: "Homat El
Diyar" ("Guardians of the Homeland").
Money: Currency unit— Syrian pound.
One pound = 100 piastres
Important dates in Syria
2300's B.C. The Akkadians conquered
northern and eastern Syria.
c. 1500 B.C. The Arameans arrived in
Syria.
732 B.C. The Assyrians conquered most of
Syria.
539 B.C. Syria became part of the Persian
Empire.
331 B.C. Alexander the Great gained
control of Syria.
64 B.C. Syria fell to the Romans.
A.D. 637 Muslim Arabs invaded and took
control of Syria.
1516 The Ottoman Turks added Syria to
their empire.
1914-1918 Syrians and other Arabs revolted against Turkish rule during World War
I.
1914-1919 France received
Syria as a League of Nations mandate.
1946 Syria gained complete independence
from France.
1947 Syrian and other Arab troops invaded
Israel. The United Nations (UNI eventually arranged a cease-fire.
1967 Israel defeated Syria, Egypt, and
Jordan in a six-day war, and Israel occupied Syria's Golan Heights.
1973 Syria joined several other Arab
nations in another war against Israel. Cease-fires ended the fighting.
1976 Syria sent troops into Lebanon in an
effort to stop a civil war there.
1981 Israel claimed legal and political
authority in the Golan Heights. Syria denounced this action.
1991 Syrian troops joined the allied
forces and helped end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.
The Syrian countryside consists of rolling plains, fertile valleys, and barren deserts. About
half of all the Syrian people live in rural villages. On the plains of
northwestern Syria, rural villagers build beehive-shaped houses of stone or
sun-dried mud bricks.
Damascus is Syria's capital and largest city. Much of Damascus is modern, like
the section shown above. But the city is thousands of years old, and some
ancient sections still exist.
Syria's flag, which was adopted in 1980, bears traditional Arab colours. Two green stars
appear on the flag.
The coat of arms shows a hawk. This bird was the emblem of the tribe of Muhammad, the
founder of Islam.
Syria is a country in southwestern Asia. It lies at the eastern end of the
Mediterranean Sea and borders on five other countries.
A Syrian villager wearing traditional clothing sits at her doorstep and prepares
vegetables for her family's dinner.
Tabka Dam is the largest in Syria. Completed in 1973, it created a large lake,
Lake Assad, which provides irrigation water for crops such as cotton, cereals,
and fruit. The associated hydroelectric power station was completed in 1977 and
is Syria's main source of electricity.
The Orontes River Valley is one of Syria's main farming regions. It has a dry climate, and
farmers rely on irrigation. The water wheel is part of an ancient irrigation
system.
Ruins of Palmyra stand in central Syria. This ancient city thrived more than 2,000 years
ago as a major stop for caravans.
Syria is an Arab country at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a
land of rolling plains, fertile river valleys, and barren deserts. Damascus is
Syria's capital and largest city.
Syria is an extremely ancient land with a
rich cultural heritage. Some of the oldest known civilizations grew up there.
The first alphabet was developed in Syria, and Syrian artists and scholars
greatly influenced the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.
Syria lies along major trade routes
linking Africa, Asia, and Europe. Camel caravans followed these routes more
than 4,000 years ago carrying goods between Asia and Mediterranean ports. Such
Syrian cities as Damascus and Aleppo grew up along the caravan routes and
became centres of world trade as early as 2000 B.C.
Syrians have also profited from
agriculture. The country is located at the western end of a rich farmland that
is called the Fertile Crescent (see Fertile Crescent). Farmers grow
chiefly cotton and wheat on the rich Syrian plains.
Most Syrians are Muslim Arabs, but the
population also includes several ethnic and religious minorities. About a
fourth of all workers are farmers. Syrian industries are expanding, and many
rural people have moved to the cities to seek industrial jobs.
Government
Syria is a republic. Its Constitution,
adopted in 1973, calls the nation a socialist popular democracy. Syrians
18 years or older may vote.
National government. A president is Syria's head of state and most powerful government
official. The people elect the president to a seven-year term. A 250- member
People's Council makes the laws in Syria. Voters elect members of the People's
Council to four-year terms.
The president heads the Baath Party, which
controls
Syrian politics. The
party's power rests on its control of the nation's armed forces. The Baath
Party is committed to socialism and to the political union of all the Arab
countries. Syria has four other legal political parties. They and the Baath
Party form a socialist organization known as the National Progressive Front.
Local government. Syria is divided into 13 provinces and the city of Damascus, which is
considered a separate unit. The national government appoints all provincial
governors and other chief local officials. Each province also has a people's
council made up of elected and appointed members.
Courts. The Court of Cassation is Syria's highest court of appeals for civil,
commercial, and criminal cases. Each of Syria's religious communities has its
own courts for such matters as marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
Armed forces. About 400,000 people serve in Syria's armed forces. All eligible males
may be conscripted for 30 months of military service. Women may volunteer for
service.
People
Population and ancestry. For Syria's total population, see the Facts in brief table with
this article. Most of the people live in the western part of the country. More
than 1 million people live in Damascus. Syria has four other cities with more
than 150,000 people. They are, in order of size, Aleppo, Horns, Latakia, and
Hama.
About 90 per cent of all Syrians speak
Arabic, Syria's official language, and consider themselves to be Arabs. Most of
them are descended from people called Semites who settled in ancient
Syria. Non-Arab Syrians include Armenians and Kurds. Their ancestors came from
the north. Most of these Syrians still speak Armenian or Kurdish in everyday
life.
Way of life. About half of all Syrians live in rural areas, mostly in small villages.
A few rural people, called Bedouins, are nomads. The rest of the
population lives in cities or towns.
Some of Syria's cities are among the
oldest in the world. They have narrow, winding streets and ancient market
places. But the cities also have newer sections where life resembles that in
most Western cities. The people live in modern houses or apartments and work in
such fields as government and industry.
Many villagers live much as their
ancestors did hundreds of years ago. They farm small plots and build houses of
stone or of sun-dried mud bricks. Bedouins live in tents and move about the
countryside grazing their livestock.
Some Syrians, especially in rural areas,
wear traditional clothing, such as billowy trousers and a large cloth head
covering. In the cities and towns, most people wear Western-style clothing.
Syrians eat bread as their main food. Most also eat cheese and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Lamb dishes are commonly served, and they are always prepared for special
occasions. Syrians, like other Arabs, enjoy strong black coffee. They also
drink milk, tea, beer, and arak (a strong spirit made from dates).
Family ties are close among most Syrians.
Many parents share their home with their sons and the sons' families. As in
most Islamic cultures, women in Syria traditionally have had little freedom.
However, increasing educational opportunities and exposure to Western ideas are
gradually improving their position.
Religion. Muslims make up about 90 per cent of Syria's population. Most of them
belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. Syria also has smaller groups of Muslims,
including Alawites and Shiites. Christians account for most of the rest of the
people. The Armenian Orthodox, Creek Catholic, Creek Orthodox, and Syrian
Orthodox churches have the most members. Some Syrians are Druses. They
practise a secret religion related to Islam. Syria also has a small number of
Jews.
Religion, especially Islam, is a powerful
political and social force in Syria. Many Syrians feel strong ties to their
religious group, and these ties have often hindered national unity.
Education. Syrian law requires all children from 6 to 11 years old to go to school.
However, many children do not attend school because of a shortage of classrooms
and teachers. About half of all adult Syrians cannot read or write.
Universities operate in Aleppo, Damascus, Horns, and Latakia.
Arts. Syria's cultural heritage goes back thousands of years. Since ancient
times, Syrian craftworkers have been famous for their beautiful glassware,
metalwork, and textiles. Semites who lived in Syria and Palestine developed
the first alphabet about 1500 B.C Basic ideas in architecture, shipbuilding,
and ironwork also originated in Syria.
Syria's greatest contribution to the arts
has been in literature, the Arabs' supreme art. Two of Syria's finest poets
were al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 900's, and al- Maarri, who lived in the
1000's. During the 90ffs, the Syr
ian al-Farabi became one of Islam's
leading philosophers. Important Syrian writers of the 1900's include Omar
Abu-Rishe, Ahmad Arnaut, Shafiq Jabri, Nizar Kab- bani, and Ali Ahmad Said.
Land and climate
Syria can be divided into three main land
regions. They are, from west to east: (1) the coast, (2) the mountains, and
(3) the valleys and plains.
The coast is a narrow strip of land that extends along the Mediterranean Sea from
Turkey to Lebanon. Moist sea winds give the region a mild, humid climate. Temperatures
average about 9° C in January and about 27° C in July. About 100 centimetres of
rain falls yearly. The coast is one of the few areas where crops do not have to
be irrigated, and most of the land is cultivated.
The mountains run mostly from north to south. The region includes the Jabal an
Nusayriyah range east of the coast; the Anti-Lebanon Mountains along the border
with Lebanon; and the Jabal ad Duruz, a mountain southeast of the Anti-Lebanon
range. The western slopes of the Jabal an Nusayriyah and Jabal ad Duruz are
well populated, and most of the land is cultivated. The Anti-Lebanon Mountains
have a dry, stony surface and are thinly populated.
The mountains catch sea winds blowing
inland and force them to drop their moisture on the western side of the
mountains. Thus, the western slopes have up to 100 centimetres of rain yearly,
but the land to the east remains dry. Temperatures average about 5° C in January
and about 22° C in July.
The valleys and plains include fertile river valleys, grassy plains, and sandy deserts. The
Orontes River and mountain streams water the plains along the eastern edge of
the mountains. These plains have rich, productive farmlands and are the home
of most of Syria's people. The Euphrates River and its tributaries provide
water for a developing agricultural area in the northeast. Most of the rest of
Syria is covered by deserts and by dry grasslands where Bedouins graze their
livestock.
Little rain falls in the valleys and
plains region. Temperatures average about 5° C in January and about 31 ° C in
July.
Economy
Syria is a developing country with good
potential for economic growth. The government controls most of the economy, but
the majority of farms, small businesses, and small industries are privately
owned.
Natural resources. Syria's most valuable natural resources are agricultural land and
petroleum. The Euphrates and Orontes rivers provide irrigation water for
farmlands. In addition, hydroelectric power is produced at Syria's huge Tabka
Dam on the Euphrates River.
Service industries account for 60 per cent of the total value of Syria's economic
production. They employ about 40 per cent of the country's workers. The leading
service industries in Syria are wholesale and retail trade, and government
services. Aleppo, Damascus, and Latakia are the leading centres of trade. Much
of the money spent on government services in Syria goes to military activities.
Other service industries include education, finance, health care, and
utilities.
Agriculture. Cotton and wheat are Syria's main crops. Farmers also grow barley, sugar
beet, tobacco, and such fruit and vegetables as grapes, olives, and tomatoes.
Bedouins raise cattle, goats, and sheep.
Most Syrian farmers work small plots of
land. Some use old-fashioned wooden ploughs and do many tasks by hand. However,
government funds for agricultural development have helped provide modern
machinery for many small farms. Syria also has a few large, state- owned farms.
On about 90 per cent of Syria's land, the rainfall is too light and irregular
for growing many kinds of crops. Irrigation thus plays a vital role in Syrian
agriculture.
Mining makes up 7 per cent of Syria's production value. Petroleum is Syria's
chief mineral product. Most of the petroleum comes from fields in the
northeastern part of the country. Phosphate rock is another important source of
mining income. Phosphate, which is used to make fertilizer, is mined in the
Palmyra area of central Syria. The country's other mineral products include gypsum,
limestone, and natural gas.
Manufacturing accounts for 6 per cent of the value of Syria's production. The
manufacture of cotton fabrics and other textiles is one of Syria's most
important industries. Other chief products include beverages, cement,
fertilizer, glass, processed foods, and sugar. Syria also has a growing
oil-refining industry. The main industrial centres are Damascus, Aleppo, Homs,
and Latakia.
Foreign trade. Syria's chief exports are petroleum, raw cotton, and woollens and other
textiles. Other exports include food products, phosphates, and tobacco. Major
imports include fuels, grain, machinery, metals and metal products, and motor
vehicles. Syria's main trading partners include France, Germany, Great Britain,
Italy, the United States, Lebanon and other nearby countries, and countries in
Eastern Europe.
Transportation and communication. Few Syrians own a car, and most people travel by bus. Damascus has an
international airport. The port of Latakia on the Mediterranean Sea handles
most of Syria's foreign trade. About 20 per cent of all Syrians own a radio,
and about 6 per cent own a television set The country has 10 major daily
newspapers.
History
Until 1918, Syria included much of what
are now Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon and parts of Turkey. This region, often
called Greater Syria, has a long, colourful past. Throughout history,
Syria's rich soil and location
on major trade routes have made the
country a valuable prize. As a result, Syria was a constant battleground and
became part of many empires.
Semitic settlement Unidentified peoples lived in northern Syria before 4500 B.C. The first
known settlers in Syria were Semites who probably arrived about 3500 B.C They
established independent city-states throughout the region. One city-state,
Ebla, flourished in northern Syria sometime between 2700 and 2200 B.C Ebla was
a powerful kingdom with a highly advanced civilization. See Ebla.
Various Semitic groups ruled parts of
Syria until 539 B.C For example, the Akkadians conquered much of northern and
eastern Syria during the 2300's B.C About 2000 B.C, the Canaanites moved into
the southwest, and the Phoenicians settled along the Mediterranean coast.
Phoenician sailors carried Syrian culture throughout the Mediterranean world.
By 1700 B.C, the Amorites ruled much of
eastern Syria. The Arameans arrived in Syria about 1500 B.C Their culture
gradually spread through most of Syria. By 1200 B.C, Damascus was a prosperous
Aramean city.
The Hebrews entered southern Syria during
the late 1200's B.C and introduced the belief in one God into Syrian culture.
In 732 B.C, the Assyrians conquered most of Syria. They ruled until 612 B.C,
when the Babylonians took control.
The age of non-Semitic rule. Persian forces defeated the Babylonians in 539 B.C and made Syria part
of the Persian Empire. Greek and Macedonian armies under Alexander the Great
conquered the Persians in 333 B.C Alexander and his successors, the Seleucids,
spread Greek culture throughout the Middle East. The Seleucid emperors ruled
from 312 to 64 B.C. During their reign, trade flourished, and many agricultural
advances were made.
Syria fell to the Romans in 64 B.C Syrians
then lived under the Roman system of law for nearly 700 years, first as part of
the Roman Empire, then of the East Roman Empire, and finally of the Byzantine
Empire. During this period, Christianity was born and developed in a part of
Greater Syria called Palestine. It became the state religion of Syria in the
A.D. 300’s.
The Muslim Arabs. Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula invaded Syria and drove out the
Byzantine forces in 636. Islam gradually replaced Christianity, and Arabic
became the common language. Beginning in 661, a vast Muslim empire was governed
from Damascus by the Umayyad dynasty. In 750, the Umayyads were overthrown.
The Abbasid dynasty gained control of the empire and ruled it from Baghdad.
Christian crusaders from Europe invaded Syria during the late 1000's. They hoped to regain
the Holy Land (Palestine) from the Muslims. Saladin, ruler of Egypt, swept into
Syria to fight the crusaders. By the late 1100's, Saladin had become the ruler
of most of Syria.
The Mamelukes and Ottomans. From 1260 to 1516, Syria was governed by the Mameluke dynasty of Egypt.
In 1516, Ottoman Turks conquered Syria and made it part of their huge empire.
Ottoman rule lasted about 400 years. During the late ISOffs, European explorers
discovered sea routes to India. Syria's position as a trade centre then
declined. By the 1700's, the power of the Ottoman Empire was growing weak.
Western ideas began to influence many areas of Syrian life. By 1900, many Syrians
were demanding independence.
World War 1 to independence. During World War I (1914-1918), Syrians and other Arabs revolted against
the Turks and helped the United Kingdom (UK) fight the Ottoman Empire. The
Arabs had agreed to aid the UK in return for its support of Arab independence.
But after the war, the League of Nations divided Greater Syria into four
states: Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Transjordan. It also gave France a mandate
to manage Syrian affairs (see Mandated territory). Most Syrians resented French
control, the presence of French troops, and the division of their land. The
French encouraged economic growth and brought many improvements to Syria, but
the Syrians demanded independence.
Independence. France withdrew all its troops from Syria in 1946, and Syria gained
independence. Many Syrians then wanted to reunite Greater Syria. In 1947,
however, the United Nations (UN) divided
Palestine into a Jewish state (Israel) and an Arab state. Israel became
independent in 1948. Syrian and other Arab forces then invaded Israel, but the
UN finally arranged a cease-fire. About 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled the new
Jewish state and became refugees in Arab countries.
Many Syrians blamed their government for
failing to prevent the division of Palestine. In 1949, army officers overthrew
the government. During the next 20 years, control of the government changed
hands many times through military revolts.
In an effort toward establishing Arab
unity, Syria joined Egypt in 1958 in a political union called the United Arab
Republic (U.A.R.). But Egypt threatened to take complete control, and Syria
left the U.A.R. in 1961.
During the early 1960's, Syria's Baath Party
rose to power. The government took over most industry and all international
trade in Syria. In 1971, Hafez al-Assad, a Baathist leader and airforce
general, became president of Syria. Assad is a member of the Alawite sect of
Islam.
The continuing Arab-lsraeli conflict. During the early 1960's, border clashes between Syrian and Israeli
troops occurred frequently. On June 5,1967, war broke out between Israel and
the Arab states of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. After six days of fighting, Israel
had won the war and occupied much Arab land. This included an area called the
Golan Heights, in the southwestern corner of Syria. Thousands of Arabs then
fled from territory occupied by Israel to neighbouring Arab countries.
Fighting between Syria and Israel continued
to erupt from time to time in the Golan Heights. Tension was increased by the
presence in Syria of Arab refugees from Palestine and the Golan Heights.
In October 1973, Syria joined other Arab
states in another war with Israel. Cease-fires ended most of the fighting by
November 1973. But Syrian and Israeli forces continued fighting each other
until May 1974. In 1981, Israel claimed legal and political authority in the
Golan Heights. Syria and many other nations denounced this action. Arab-lsraeli
peace talks began in 1991.
Recent developments. Today, Syria plays a key role in the Middle East. In 1976, Syria sent
troops into Lebanon with the approval of the Lebanese government in an effort
to stop a civil war there. The Syrian forces have periodically engaged in
fighting against participants in the Lebanese conflict. Most of the fighting in
Lebanon ended in 1991. But the Syrian forces remained.
In August 1990, Iraq invaded and occupied
Kuwait. Syria was part of the alliance formed to oppose the occupation. War
broke out in January 1991, and the allies defeated Iraq in February. About
20,000 Syrian troops took part in the war effort. See Persian Gulf War.
In September 1993, a peace agreement was
signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel. It allowed limited
Palestinian self-rule in some Israeli- occupied territories. The agreement
jeopardized the Syrian-lsraeli peace talks but, in 1994, talks continued about
sovereignty of the Golan Heights.
Related articles in World Book include:
Aleppo
Arabs
Hafez al-Assad,
Bedouins Clothing
Damascus
Druses
Euphrates River
Golan Heights
Latakia
Middle East
Palestine
Palmyra
Phoenicia
Treaty of Sevres
Outline
Government
National government
Local government
Courts
Armed forces
People
Population and ancestry
Way of life
Land and climate
The coast
The mountains
The valleys and plains
Economy
Natural resources
Service industries
Agriculture
Mining
History
Questions
What are Syria's main agricultural
products?
When did Syria gain full independence from
France?
What is the chief religion in Syria?
Who were the first known settlers in
Syria?
For what products have Syrian craftworkers
been famous since ancient times?
Who is Syria's most powerful government
official?
Why was ancient Syria a major trade
centre?
What is Syria's largest industry?
What are the goals of Syria's Baath Party?
How do Syria's mountains affect the
distribution of rainfall in the country?
Syrian Desert is a triangular desert plateau that extends northward from the An Nafud
Desert of northern Arabia. For location, see Saudi Arabia (terrain map). It
lies roughly between 30 and 36 degrees north latitude. The plateau is from 610
to 910 metres above sea level on the west. It slopes downward to the Euphrates
River, its eastern boundary. The southern two-thirds of the plateau is rocky.
A volcanic zone on the west is dotted with huge boulders of black basalt. The Jabal
Unayzah, a mountainous area about 910 metres high, stands above the central
part of the plateau. Deeply cut wadis (dry watercourses) wind down from
it to the Euphrates.
The northern third of this triangular
plateau is a flat sandy plain that forms the natural bridge between Syria and
Iraq. A chain of limestone hills rises along the western edge of the plain.
The desert contains historic ruins and several towns that have grown up around
oases.
The famous caravan city of Palmyra is the
best known of these towns. Two roads have been built across the desert.
