Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

Syria: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

News •

Saudi Arabia turns to Syria for help as fighting with Houthis escalates • Nov. 8, 2026, 1:57 PM ET (AP)
US woman convicted of getting Islamic State training after becoming teen bride to a fighter • Oct. 27, 2026, 5:34 PM ET (AP)
Jordan says it attacked militants in Syria tied to church assault. Syria says civilians killed • Oct. 27, 2026, 3:25 AM ET (AP)
Jury deliberates in trial of New Yorker who became a teen bride to an Islamic State fighter • Oct. 22, 2026, 3:57 PM ET (AP)
Lebanon opens investigation into Syrian militia leader's abduction and transfer to Syria • Oct. 16, 2026, 3:29 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Syrian Arab Republic • Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah • Sūrīyah
Head Of State And Government President: Ahmed al-Sharaa (interim)
Capital Damascus
Population (2026 est.) 23,781,0003
Form Of Government interim government1
Official Language Arabic
Official Religion none2
Official Name Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Sūriyyah (Syrian Arab Republic)
Total Area (Sq Km) 185,180
Total Area (Sq Mi) 71,498
Monetary Unit Syrian pound (S.P)
Population Rank (2026) 59
Population Projection 2030 28,647,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi (2026) 332.6
Density: Persons Per Sq Km (2026) 128.4
Urban-Rural Population Urban: (2024) 58% • Rural: (2024) 42%
Life Expectancy At Birth Male: (2021) 70.6 years • Female: (2021) 74.4 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate Male: (2021) 97.2% • Female: (2021) 90.8%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000) (2022) 15,883
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$) (2022) 710
1 On December 8, 2024, rebel forces led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmed al-Sharaa) toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad and appointed an interim government led by technocrats from the rebel-led Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) that since 2017 had been based in Idlib. Syria’s 2012 constitution was suspended on December 12 and Sharaa announced on December 29 that the process to draft a new constitution may take two or three years.2According to the 2012 constitution, Islam was required to be the religion of the head of state and was the basis of the legal system. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the predominant group running the interim government, also takes inspiration from Islamic jurisprudence.3The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that, by November 2017, more than 5.3 million Syrian refugees had left the country as a result of the Syrian Civil War.

Photos and Videos

Syria
Political map of Syria showing international boundaries, major cities, and provinces. Neighboring countries Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon are labeled, with the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The map includes a locator inset highlighting Syria's position in the Middle East.
The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, features prominent minarets and a large central dome, surrounded by city buildings and satellite dishes under a cloudy sky.
Map highlighting Syria in the Middle East, shaded in tan, with surrounding countries labeled, including Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the west. The Mediterranean Sea is shown to the west of Syria, and the capital city, Damascus, is marked.
Map of Syria showing physical features such as major mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, and salt flats. Key features include the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, Mount Hermon, the Euphrates River, Lake Al-Asad, and the Orontes River. Neighboring countries-Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon-are labeled, and an inset locator map shows Syria's position within the Middle East.
Map showing the Tigris and Euphrates river basin and its drainage network across Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, with color shading for elevation, major dams, canals, lakes, and boundaries with neighboring countries. The green areas indicate lower elevations along the river valleys, while higher elevations are shaded in brown and orange. A small locator map in the corner shows the basin's position within the Middle East.
Ancient stone columns and arches of Bostra's Roman ruins in Syria, with a tall, partially intact gateway framed against the sky in the background.
Damascus
A sheepherder walks with a flock of sheep along a dirt path near traditional domed mud-brick buildings on the outskirts of a Syrian village near Aleppo.
Two large wooden waterwheels stand beside a stone aqueduct over a calm river in Hamah, Syria.
When was the ancient citadel of Aleppo built?
National anthem of Syria
See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
Pompey
Pompey the Great
Roman statesman
Hadrian
Hadrian
Roman emperor
Leading a revolutionary offensive
Ahmed al-Sharaa
president of interim government of Syria
Trajan
Trajan
Roman emperor
Hafiz al-Assad, President of Syria, shown in a black-and-white headshot wearing a suit and patterned tie, photographed in 1980.
Hafez al-Assad
president of Syria
default image
Michel ʿAflaq
Syrian political leader
Gabinius, bronze bust; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
Aulus Gabinius
Roman politician
default image
Khalid Bakdash
Syrian politician
default image
Akram al-Hawrani
Syrian politician
default image
Nizār Qabbānī
Syrian poet and diplomat
default image
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Roman statesman
default image
Anṭūn Saʿādah
Syrian politician
default image
Adib al-Shishakli
Syrian military officer
default image
Sayf al-Dawlah
Ḥamdānid ruler
default image
Zangī
Iraqi ruler
Shukri al-Quwatli.
Shukri al-Quwatli
president of Syria
default image
Sir Max Mallowan
British archaeologist
default image
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio
Roman politician
default image
Hāshim al-ʿAtāsī
president of Syria
Nūr al-Dīn mausoleum
Nūr al-Dīn
Muslim ruler

Related Places

A map of the continent of Asia, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities, as well as parts of Europe, Africa, and surrounding oceans.
Asia
continent
Damascus
Damascus
national capital, Syria
The Middle East: Countries, Key locations, and Major Cities
Middle East
region, Asia, Africa, and Europe
View of densely packed buildings in Aleppo, Syria, with the historic Citadel of Aleppo, a large stone fortress, visible on a mound in the background.
Aleppo
Syria
Palmyra
Palmyra
Syria
Shebaa Farms
Shebaa Farms
area along the border of Lebanon and the Golan Heights
default image
Al-Lajāʾ
region, Syria
Norias of Hama
Hama
Syria
Latakia, Syria
Latakia
Syria
Homs: mosque of Khālid ibn al-Walīd
Homs
Syria
Map highlighting the location of Daraa in southwestern Syria, near the borders with Jordan and Israel. Surrounding countries including Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are also labeled, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, West Bank, and Gaza Strip. An inset globe in the upper left shows the broader regional context.
Daraa
Syria
Sweida (Al-Suwaydāʾ), Syria
Sweida
Syria
Map highlighting the location of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria, with surrounding countries labeled, including Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the south, and Lebanon, Israel, and Cyprus to the west near the Mediterranean Sea. An inset globe in the upper left shows the broader regional context.
Deir al-Zour
Syria
Map showing the location of Tartus on the western coast of Syria along the Mediterranean Sea. Surrounding countries, including Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Cyprus, are also labeled for regional context.
Tartus
Syria
Golan Heights
Quneitra
Syria

Related Quizzes

The President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinale Palace (cropped out), shakes hands with the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, Rome, Oct. 17, 2009. egypt protests 2011, protests in egypt 2011
Before They Were World Leaders: Middle East Edition
Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)
Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz
Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz
Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz
Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Countries of the World
7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia
Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz
Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
The Country Quiz
Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Countries & Their Features
Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.
Which Country Is Larger? Quiz
Tomb of Mohammed Bin Ali, Salalah, Oman.
A View of the Middle East
Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.
Geography Fun Facts
10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres
You Name It!