Syria

Syria is a country in the south-west of Asia and is located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Damascus; other important cities are Aleppo, Ḥamāh, Latakia, and Homs. Syria has an estimated population of 21,987,000 (2014). The official language of the Country is Arabic, and the monetary unit is the Syrian pound (S.P). Since 2000, Syria's president is Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father, Hafiz al-Assad, who had reigned since 1971. There is no official state religion, but the vast majority of the Syrians are Muslims. About 75 percent of them are Sunnis. The second largest group are the ʿAlawites. Christians are a minority there, representing only about ten percent of the Syrian population.[1]

Syria became independent in 1946, after it had been governed under a French mandate since 1920. Before that, Syria was a part of the Ottoman Empire, which got shattered in WWI. [2]

Map of Syria

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[1]"Syria." Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/place/Syria#toc29952

[2]"Syria." Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/place/Syria/History