Syria - Tourism and Travel

Syria, officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic, is located in southwest Asia, in the Middle East. It has an area of 71,498 miles (185,180 kilometers).

Syria has a short coastline on the Mediterranean and borders Israel and Lebanon on the southwest.

Inland from the Mediterranean there is a plateau that is traversed by the Euphrates River from the northwest to the southeast.

There are mountains along the borders with Israel and Lebanon.

Along the coastal regions, there is a Mediterranean climate.

Inland, the climate is hotter and dryer.

The Syrian Desert is covered in gravel and contains wadis - river valleys that are dry for the majority of the year.

The capital of Syria is Damascus.

Syria has a population of 21,906,000.

Most of the people live along the coast or in river valleys.

89% of Syrians are Arabs and the rest are Kurds. There are also Armenians, Circassians and Turkmen.

Arabic is the official language. Other languages spoken in include French, Armenian, Kurdish, Circassian, Assyrian, Aramaic and Turkic languages.

90% of the population is Muslim, with 74% being Sunni Muslim, The rest are Christian.

Important exports are oil, oil-related products, cotton, textiles, grains and fruit.

The official currency of Syria is the Syrian pound, which is worth 100 piastres.