Outline of Syria

The Flag of Syria

The Coat of arms of Syria

An enlargeable map of the Syrian Arab Republic

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Syria:

Syria – country in Western Asia, that borders 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. Civilization in Syria was one of the most ancient on earth. Syria is part of the Fertile Crescent, and from approximately 10,000 BCE it was one of the centers of Neolithic culture where agriculture and cattle breeding appeared for the first time in the world. Over the millennia, Syria has been conquered and settled by many different peoples. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, it is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Assyrians, Kurds, Turkmens, Circassians, Armenians, Greeks, Arameans (of Maaloula and Jubb'adin), Black people of Yarmouk Basin, Romani, Druze, Alawite, Christians, Shias and Sunnis. The latter make up the majority of the population.

Since March 2011, Syria has been embroiled in civil war in the wake of uprisings (considered an extension of the Arab Spring, the mass movement of revolutions and protests in the Arab world) against Assad and the neo-Ba'athist government. In 2024, the Assad regime was toppled by several opposition militias and organizations. As of 2025, the country is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa and a transitional government, which aims to lead a transitional period of up to five years.

General reference

Pronunciation: Sūriyah or Sūriyā
Common English country name: Syria
Official English country name: Syrian Arab Republic
Common endonym(s): List of countries and capitals in native languages
Official endonym(s): List of official endonyms of present-day nations and states
Adjectival(s): Syrian
Demonym(s): Syrians
Etymology: Name of Syria
International rankings of Syria
ISO country codes: SY, SYR, 760
ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:SY
Internet country code top-level domain: .sy

Geography of Syria

Geography of Syria

Syria is: a country
Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
- Eurasia
  - Asia
    - Western Asia
      - Southwest Asia
- Middle East
  - Levant
- Time in Syria
  - Time zone: UTC+02, summer UTC+03
- Extreme points of Syria
  - High: Jabal el-Sheikh 2,814 m (9,232 ft)
  - Low: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
- Land boundaries: 2,253 km

Turkey 822 km

Iraq 605 km

Jordan 375 km

Lebanon 375 km

Israel 76 km

Coastline: Mediterranean Sea 193 km

Population of Syria: 24,672,760 - 57th most populous country
Area of Syria: 185180 km²
Atlas of Syria

Environment of Syria

Climate of Syria
- Climate change in Syria
Environmental issues in Syria
Geology of Syria
Wildlife of Syria
- Fauna of Syria
  - Birds of Syria
  - Mammals of Syria

Natural geographic features of Syria

Islands of Syria
Lakes of Syria
Mountains of Syria
- Volcanoes in Syria
Rivers in Syria
World Heritage Sites in Syria

List of ecoregions in Syria

Administration of Syria

Administrative divisions of Syria

Governorates of Syria
- Districts of Syria

Provinces of Syria

Governorates of Syria

Al-Hasakah
Aleppo
Damascus
Daraa
Deir ez-Zor
Hama
Homs
Idlib
Latakia
Quneitra
Raqqa
Rif Dimashq
Suwayda
Tartus

Districts of Syria

Al-Hasakah District
Al Qamishli District
Al-Malikiyah District
Ra's al-'Ayn District
'Ayn al-'Arab District
Afrin District
Al Bab District
As-Safirah District
A'zaz District
Jabal Sam'an
Jarabulus District
Manbij District
Raqqa District
Ath-Thawrah District
Tal Abyad District
As-Suwayda District
Salkhad District
Shahba District
As-Sanamayn District
Daraa District
Izra' District
Abu Kamal District
Mayadin District
Deir ez-Zor District
As-Suqaylabiyah District
Hama District
Masyaf District
Muhardeh District
Salamiyah District
Al-Mukharram District
Al-Qusayr District
Ar-Rastan District
Homs District
Palmyra District
Talkalakh District
Arihah District
Harem District
Idlib District
Jisr ash-Shugur District
Ma'arrat al-Numan District
Al-Haffah District
Jableh District
Latakia District
Qardaha District
Fiq District
Quneitra District
Al-Qutayfah District
An-Nabk District
Al-Tall District
Darayya District
Markaz Rif Dimashq
Duma District
Qatana District
Yabrud District
Zabadani District
Ash-Shaykh Badr District
Baniyas District
Duraykish District
Safita District
Tartus District

Municipalities of Syria

List of cities in Syria
List of towns and villages in Syria

Demography of Syria

Demographics of Syria

Government and politics of Syria

Politics of Syria

Form of government: Provisional government
Capital of Syria: Damascus
Elections in Syria
Political parties in Syria

Branches of the government of Syria

Government of Syria

Executive branch of the government of Syria

Head of state: President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa
- List of presidents of Syria
- List of vice presidents of Syria
Head of government: Prime Minister of Syria, Mohammed al-Bashir
- List of prime ministers of Syria
Cabinet of Syria
- Government ministries of Syria

Legislative branch of the government of Syria

Legislature of Syria (Unicameral)
- List of speakers of the Parliament of Syria

Judicial branch of the government of Syria

Court system of Syria Judiciary of Syria

High Judicial Council
Court system of Syria
- Court of Cassation of Syria
- High Constitutional Court of Syria
- Civil and criminal courts of Syria
- Military courts of Syria
- Security courts of Syria
Supreme Court of Syria

Foreign relations of Syria

Arab League monitors in Syria
Diplomatic missions in Syria
- List of ambassadors of Canada to Syria
- List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Syria
- United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria
- United States Ambassador to Syria
Diplomatic missions of Syria
- Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations

International organization membership

International organization membership of Syria The Syrian Arab Republic is a member of:^[1]

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA)
Arab Federation for Engineering Industries (General Organization for Engineering Industries)^[2]
Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
Arab Monetary Fund (AMF)
Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Group of 24 (G24)
Group of 77 (G77)
Interkosmos Spaceflight Program
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Criminal Court (ICCt) (signatory)
International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
International Development Association (IDA)
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Islamic Development Bank (IDB)
League of Arab States (LAS)
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
United Nations (UN)
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Universal Postal Union (UPU)
World Customs Organization (WCO)
World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU)
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

Syria is one of only 7 U.N. members which is not a member of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Law and order in Syria

Constitution of Syria
Crime in Syria
- Human trafficking in Syria
- Terrorism in Syria
Human rights in Syria
- Freedom of religion in Syria
- Human rights violations during the Syrian civil war
- LGBT rights in Syria
- Law enforcement in Syria
Visa requirements for Syrian citizens

Military of Syria

Command
- Commander-in-chief:
  - Ministry of Defence of Syria
Forces
- Army of Syria
- Navy of Syria
- Syrian Air Force
  - List of Syrian Air Force bases
  - List of Syrian Air Force squadrons
- Syrian Republican Guard
Military history of Syria
Military ranks of Syria

History of Syria

History of Syria, by period

Syria during the Stone Age
- Levantine corridor – relatively narrow land route of migrations between the Mediterranean Sea to the northwest and deserts to the southeast that connects Africa into Eurasia. It is believed that early hominids spread from Africa to Asia and Europe via the Horn of Africa and the Levantine corridor (named after the Levant, which includes Syria).
- Cradle of civilization – term referring to locations identified as the sites of the emergence of civilization. In Western European and Middle Eastern cultures, it has frequently been applied to the Ancient Near Eastern Chalcolithic (Ubaid period, Naqada culture), especially in the Fertile Crescent (Levant and Mesopotamia).
  - Mesopotamia – area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, corresponding to modern-day Iraq, the northeastern section of Syria and to a lesser extent southeastern Turkey and smaller parts of southwestern Iran. Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization in the West.
- Natufian culture – Epipaleolithic culture that existed from 13,000 to 9,800 years ago in the Levant. It was unusual in that it was sedentary, or semi-sedentary, before the introduction of agriculture.
  - Tell Abu Hureyra – archaeological site located in the Euphrates valley in modern Syria. The remains of the villages within the tell come from over 4,000 years of habitation, spanning the Epipaleolithic and Neolithic periods. The inhabitants of Abu Hureyra started out as hunter-gatherers but gradually transitioned to farming, making them the earliest known farmers in the world.
- Tell Aswad – large prehistoric, Neolithic Tell, about 5 hectares (540,000 sq ft) in size, located around 48 kilometres (30 mi) from Damascus in Syria.
- Tell Ramad – prehistoric, Neolithic tell at the foot of Mount Hermon, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Damascus in Syria. The tell was the site of a small village of 2 hectares (220,000 sq ft), which was first settled in the late eighth millennium BC.
- Halaf culture – prehistoric period that existed between 6,100 - 5,100 BC primarily in the Khabur River, and is considered a continuous development of the Late Neolithic
  - Tell Halaf – prehistoric, Neolithic tell in Al-Hasakah, a few kilometers from Ras al-Ayn near the Syria-Turkey border. Considered the type-site of Halaf culture, with the name meaning "made of former city"
Syria during the Bronze Age
- Canaanites – Semitic-speaking civilization of the Levant, with significant religious importance
- Amorites – Northwest Semitic-speaking Bronze Age peoples from the Levant, establishing several city states such as Andariq, Yamhad, and Andarig
- Eblaites (Ebla city-state) – One of the earliest kingdoms in Syria, its remains now constitute a tell southwest of the city of Aleppo
- Ugarites – Ancient port city in northern Syria, ruling an area roughly equating to the modern Latakia governorate
- Akkadian Empire – First ever empire in the world
- Arameans – Northwest Semitic semi-nomadic and pastoralist people who originated in what is now modern Syria (Biblical Aram) during the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
- Bronze Age collapse – sudden and culturally disruptive transition in the Aegean Region, Southwestern Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age, during which the palace economy characterising the Late Bronze Age was replaced by the isolated village cultures of the Greek Dark Ages. Prior to and during the Bronze Age Collapse, Syria became a battle ground between the empires of the Hittites, Assyrians, Mitanni and Egyptians, and the coastal regions came under attack from the Sea Peoples. From the 13th Century BCE the Arameans came to prominence in Syria, and the region outside of the Phoenician coastal areas eventually became Aramaic speaking.
Syro-Hittite states – Various Luwian and ancient Aramean regional polities, lasting from the collapse of the Hittite New Kingdom until their conquest by the Assyrian empire
Phoenicia – City states along the Levantine region, with the core of its culture located in Arwad
Achaemenid Empire – also known as the Persian Empire, primarily based in what is now modern day Iran
Seleucid Empire – Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period
- Roman–Syrian War – also known as the Antiochene War, fought between the Roman Republic and the Seleucid Empire
Syria (Roman province) – Early Roman province annexed by the Roman Republic, existed until its division into Coele Syria and Phoenice
- Syria Palaestina – renamed Roman province formerly known as Judaea in what is now the region of Palestine
- List of Roman governors of Syria
Palmyrene Empire
- Palmyra – ancient city in central Syria and prosperous regional center
Syria in the Middle Ages
- Byzantine Syria – Coele Syria (formerly part of the Roman province of Syria)
- Muslim conquest of the Levant –
  - Rashidun Caliphate – First Islamic caliphate, incorporated Syria after the death of Muhammad
  - Umayyad Caliphate – Second Islamic caliphate, led by the Umayyad dynasty
    - Bilad al-Sham – Islamic Syria, province of the four successive caliphates
  - Great Seljuq Empire – Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire lead by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks
  - Ayyubid dynasty
  - Mongol invasions of Syria – starting in the 1240s, the Mongols made repeated invasions of Syria or attempts thereof. Most failed, but they did have some success in 1260 and 1300, capturing Aleppo and Damascus and destroying the Ayyubid dynasty.
  - County of Edessa – 12th century crusader state and centre of intellectual life within the Syriac Orthodox Church
  - Principality of Antioch – 12th century crusader state, mostly of Armenian and Greek Orthodox population
  - Ilkhanate – Mongol khanate with rule established over Syria in 1255
  - Mamluk Sultanate – State that ruled over Syria after the Mongols, before its invasion by the Ottoman Empire
Early modern period
- Ottoman Empire
  - Ottoman Syria
    - Timeline of Ottoman Syria history
Modern history of Syria
- Kingdom of Syria (8 March–24 July 1920)
- State of Syria (1924–1930)
- First Syrian Republic (1930–1950)
- Second Syrian Republic (1950–1963)
- Ba'athist Syria
  - 1963 Syrian coup d'état
  - 1966 Syrian coup d'état
  - 1970 Syrian Corrective Revolution
  - Islamic uprising in Syria
    - Hama massacre
  - 1999 Latakia protests
  - Damascus Spring
  - Ain es Saheb airstrike
  - Syria Accountability Act
  - 2004 Al-Qamishli riots
  - Damascus Declaration
  - Operation Orchard
  - 2008 Abu Kamal raid
  - Syrian civil war (15 March 2011 to present)
    - Casualties of the Syrian civil war
    - Cities and towns during the Syrian civil war
    - Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
    - Human rights violations during the Syrian civil war
    - International demonstrations and protests relating to the Syrian civil war
    - International reactions to the Syrian civil war
    - List of articles related to the Syrian civil war
    - List of bombings during the Syrian civil war
    - List of bombings during the Syrian civil war
    - List of heritage sites damaged during Syrian civil war
    - List of journalists killed during the Syrian civil war
    - Refugees of the Syrian civil war
    - Russia's role in the Syrian civil war
    - Sectarianism and minorities in the Syrian civil war
    - Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon
    - Syrian reactions to the Syrian civil war
    - Timeline of the Syrian civil war
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2011)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2011)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2011)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2012)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2012)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2012)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2013)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–December 2013)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–July 2014)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (August–December 2014)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–July 2015)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (August–December 2015)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2016)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2016)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2016)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2017)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2017)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2017)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2018)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2018)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2018)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2019)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2019)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (September–December 2019)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2020)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2021)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2022)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (2023)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–October 2024)
      - Timeline of the Syrian civil war (November 2024–present)
  - Fall of the Assad regime
  - Formation of the Syrian transitional government
  - Western Syria clashes (Assad loyalist insurgency)

History of Syria, by region

History of the Middle East
- History of the Levant
  - History of Syria
    - History of Aleppo
      - Ancient City of Aleppo
      - List of rulers of Aleppo
      - Timeline of Aleppo history
    - History of Antioch
      - Battles of Antioch
      - Siege of Antioch
      - Siege of Antioch (1268)
    - History of Damascus
      - List of rulers of Damascus
      - Timeline of Damascus history
    - History of Hama
    - History of Homs
      - First Battle of Homs
      - Second Battle of Homs
      - Siege of Homs

History of Syria, by subject

History of religion in Syria
- History of Eastern Christianity
  - History of Syriac Christianity
- Islamization of Syria
Military history of Syria
- 1972 Israeli air raid in Syria and Lebanon
- List of massacres in Syria
- List of wars involving Syria
- List of Syrian flying aces
- Terrorism in Syria
Mongol invasions of Syria

Culture of Syria

Architecture of Syria
- List of castles in Syria
- List of cathedrals in Syria
Cuisine of Syria
- Beer in Syria
Languages of Syria
Media of Syria
Museums in Syria
National symbols of Syria
- Coat of arms of Syria
- Flag of Syria
- National anthem of Syria
Prostitution in Syria
Public holidays in Syria
Smoking in Syria
Scouting and Guiding in Syria
- Scouts of Syria
World Heritage Sites in Syria

Art in Syria

List of Syrian artists
Cinema of Syria
- List of Syrian films
Literature of Syria
Music of Syria
Television in Syria

People of Syria

Armenians in Syria
Assyrians in Syria
Iraqis in Syria
List of Syrian people
- List of Druze
- List of people from Damascus
- List of people from Homs
- List of people from Latakia
- List of Syrian Armenians
- List of Syrian artists
- List of Syrian defectors

Religion in Syria

List of monasteries in Syria
Christianity in Syria
- Eastern Orthodoxy in Syria
- Roman Catholicism in Syria
- List of cathedrals in Syria
- Syriac Christianity
Hinduism in Syria
Islam in Syria
- List of mosques in Aleppo
- List of mosques in Damascus
- List of mosques in Syria
Judaism in Syria

Sports in Syria

Football in Syria
- List of football clubs in Syria
- List of football stadiums in Syria
- Syria national football team results
  - Syria national football team results 2009
  - Syria national football team results 2010
- Syrian Premier League top scorers
Syria at the Olympics
- List of flag bearers for Syria at the Olympics
Rugby union in Syria

Economy and infrastructure of Syria

Economy of Syria

Agriculture in Syria
- Forestry in Syria
Banking in Syria
- Central Bank of Syria
- Commercial Bank of Syria
Communications in Syria
- Telecommunications in Syria
List of Radio Towers in Syria
- - Telephone numbers in Syria
  - Television in Syria
  - Internet in Syria
- Media in Syria
  - List of radio stations in Syria
  - Newspapers in Syria
Companies of Syria
Currency of Syria: Pound
- ISO 4217: SYP
Damascus Securities Exchange
Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 75th (seventy-fifth)
Energy in Syria
- Nuclear energy in Syria
- Power stations in Syria
- Oil industry in Syria
Mining in Syria
Tourism in Syria
Transport in Syria
- Air transport in Syria
  - Airlines of Syria
  - Airports in Syria
- Rail transport in Syria
- Vehicle registration plates of Syria
Waste management in Syria
- Water supply and sanitation in Syria
Water in Syria
- Water supply and sanitation in Syria
- Water resources management in Syria

Education in Syria

Academic grading in Syria
List of schools in Syria
List of universities in Syria
List of medical schools in Syria

Health in Syria

List of medical schools in Syria
Smoking in Syria

References

^ "Syria". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
^ "Arab Federation for Engineering Industries".

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of Syria

Search

Syria Syrian search engine

Etymology

Syria and Asyria Etymology

Government

Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
E.sy, the First Complete Governmental Online Services
The Syrian Baath Party
Syrian Parliament
Syria:country study, Lib. of Congress

Culture

Society

syriapath for Syrians and Syrian expats
Syria-Events A website which keeps track of upcoming events and activities in Syria
A short video song about Syria and its main landmarks

News

amude.net^[usurped] political news (in Kurdish)
knntv.net political news (in Arabic)
esyria.sy the first complete Syrian portal
syria-news.com popular local news website
syriatodaynews.com news agency
sana.org SANA Syrian Arab News Agency, government news agency
rtv.gov.sy Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV
champress.net Cham Press, a complete roundup of news about Syria (in Arabic and English)

Cities & Towns

Travel

Syria travel guide from Wikivoyage

[CIA_World_Factbook-1] "Syria". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-23.

[2] "Arab Federation for Engineering Industries".

[1]

[2]

Outline of Syria

General reference

Geography of Syria

Environment of Syria

Natural geographic features of Syria

Administration of Syria

Provinces of Syria

Districts of Syria

Municipalities of Syria

Demography of Syria

Government and politics of Syria

Branches of the government of Syria

Executive branch of the government of Syria

Legislative branch of the government of Syria

Judicial branch of the government of Syria

Foreign relations of Syria

International organization membership

Law and order in Syria

Military of Syria

History of Syria

History of Syria, by period

History of Syria, by region

History of Syria, by subject

Culture of Syria

Art in Syria

People of Syria

Religion in Syria

Sports in Syria

Economy and infrastructure of Syria

Education in Syria

Health in Syria

See also

References

External links