Area
185,180 square kilometres (71,498 square miles).
Population
17,800,000 people (the official estimate for 2002).
Population
Density
96.1 people per square kilometre (the official estimate for 2002).
Capital
Damascus.
Population of Damascus
2,228,000 people (the official estimate for 2003)
Geography
Some key geographical facts:
Syria can be divided geographically into 4 main areas, the fertile
plain in the northeast, the plateau, coastal and mountain areas
in the west, the central plains, and the desert and grass land region
in the central and south eastern areas.
The Euphrates flows from Turkey in the north, through the Syrian
Arab Republic, down to Iraq in the south east.
It is the longest river in the Syrian Arab Republic, the total length
being 2,330 kilometres (1450 miles), of which 600 kilometres (370
miles) pass through the Syrian Arab Republic.
The Khabur River supports the al-Khabur Basin in the north east.
Government
Syria has been Republic since 1973. The country
gained independence in 1946.
The Head of State has been President Bashar al-Assad
since 2000.
The Head of Government has been Prime Minister
Muhammad Naji al-Otari since 2003.
Language
French, Arabic and English are the main languages spoken in Syria,
Kurdish is also spoken by a small minority.
Religion
Over 80 % Muslim (mostly Sunni), with sizeable Christian (mostly
Orthodox and Catholic) groups and Jewish minorities.
Time
Zone
Greenich Mean Time (GMT) + 2 (GMT + 3 from 30 March to 30 September).
Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. European style 2 pin plugs. |
