Syrian (language)

Syrian Arab Republic الجمهورية العربية السورية (Arabic) al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "حماة الديار" (Arabic) Humat ad-Diyar Guardians of the Homeland
Capital and largest city	Damascus 33°30′N 36°18′E / 33.500°N 36.300°E / 33.500; 36.300
Official languages	Arabic
Ethnic groups	Syrian Arabs Arameans Kurds Turkomans Assyrians Circassians Armenians
Religion	87% Islam 10% Christianity 3% Druzism
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Bashar al-Assad
• Prime Minister	Imad Khamis
• Speaker of the People's Council	Hammouda Sabbagh
Legislature	People's Council
Establishment
• Proclamation of Arab Kingdom of Syria	8 March 1920
• State of Syria established under French Mandate	1 December 1924
• Syrian Republic established by merger of States of Jabal Druze, Alawites and Syria	1930
• Independence (Joint UN / French Mandate ended)	24 October 1945
• Last French troops leave	17 April 1946
• Secession from the United Arab Republic	28 September 1961
• Ba'ath party takes power	8 March 1963
• Current constitution	27 February 2012
Area
• Total	185,180 km2 (71,500 sq mi) (87th)
• Water (%)	1.1
Population
• July 2014 estimate	17,064,854 (54th)
• Density	118.3/km2 (306.4/sq mi) (101st)
GDP (PPP)	2010 estimate
• Total	$107.831 billion
• Per capita	$5,040
GDP (nominal)	2010 estimate
• Total	$59.957 billion
• Per capita	$2,802
Gini (2014)	55.8 high
HDI (2016)	0.536 low · 149th
Currency	Syrian pound (SYP)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+963
ISO 3166 code	SY
Internet TLD	.sy سوريا.

Coordinates: 35°N 38°E / 35°N 38°E / 35; 38

Syria (Arabic: سوريا‎‎ Sūriyā), officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية‎‎ al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a country in Western Asia, 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. The western two-thirds of Syria′s Golan Heights are since 1967 occupied by Israel and were in 1981 effectively annexed by Israel, whereas the eastern third is controlled by Syria, with the UNDOF maintaining a buffer zone in between, to implement the ceasefire of the Purple Line. Syria's capital and largest city is Damascus.