Area Total | 187,437 sq km |
Climate | mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus |
Natural Resources | petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower |
Imports | Russia 32.4%, Turkey 16.7%, China 9.5% (2017) – machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper |
Government | presidential republic |
Capital | Damascus |
Population | 19,454,263 (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Arab ~50%, Alawite ~15%, Kurd ~10%, Levantine ~10%, other ~15% (includes Druze, Ismaili, Imami, Nusairi, Assyrian, Turkoman, Armenian) |
Language | Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French, English |
Exports | Lebanon 31.5%, Iraq 10.3%, Jordan 8.8%, China 7.8%, Turkey 7.5%, Spain 7.3% (2017) – crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat |
News about Syria
- Al-Sibai: Necessity of providing funding to Syria and supporting its national programsby Mhamad on May 1, 2024
New York,SANA- Eng. Samar Al-Sibai, stressed the need to strengthen support and provide adequate funding for Syria, support its national programs related to the population issue, and support early recovery and reconstruction projects to address the material, economic and social obstacles that prevent the return of refugees and displaced persons. Al-Sibai, […]
- Former Minnesota ISIS member who says he regrets fighting with them in Syria faces up to 12 years behind bars when he's sentenced todayon May 1, 2024
Abdelhamid Al-Madioum (left), 27, pleaded guilty to providing material support to, ISIS, a designated terrorist organization. He turned himself in 2019 and was held at the Ghweran prison (left) in Syria.
- 'Tens of millions' of people secretly use WhatsApp in countries where it's banned - including China and North Korea, messaging platform's boss revealson May 1, 2024
WhatsApp is banned in countries such as China, but this isn't stopping 'millions' from using it with help from VPN services.
- Yalda transfer power station in Damascus countryside put into serviceby rafah on May 1, 2024
Damascus countryside, SANA-On the occasion of Labor Day, Prime Minister Hussein Arnous on Wednesday inaugurated Yalda transfer power station, in Damascus countryside, with a capacity of 30 megavolt-ampere (MVA). Delivering a speech after the inaugurating, Premier Arnous stressed the importance of putting this project into service to improve the reality of […]
- Cabinet congratulates workers on Labour Dayby Baraa on May 1, 2024
Damascus, SANA- The Cabinet congratulated the working class on the occasion of International Labour Day, voicing high appreciation to the Syrian workers who made great sacrifices. The Cabinet stressed that Workers’ Day symbolizes dedication to work, and constitutes an incentive to continue exerting all national efforts and capabilities in order to raise […]
- 41st Annual Conference of Syrian Society of Ophthalmologists kicks off in Damascusby Baraa on May 1, 2024
Damascus / SANA- With the participation of more than 25 physicians from Arab and foreign countries, the 41st Annual Conference of the Syrian Society of Ophthalmologists was launched Wednesday, at Damascus-based Sheraton Hotel. Delivering a speech during the conference, the Minister of Health, Hassan al-Ghabash, said that the Ministry pays a great attention […]
- Syria elected as member of ACSAD Executive Boardby Baraa on May 1, 2024
Riyadh-SANA-Syria was elected Wednesday as a member of the Executive Board of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD). This came during the Centre’s General Assembly meetings held in Riyadh, with the participation of the Syrian delegation headed by Ayman Soussan, the Syrian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and the …
- More than 44 thousand hectares were planted in Damascus countrysideby fedaa on May 1, 2024
Damascus countryside,SANA- With the participation of women and men farmers, 44,770 hectares were planted in Kiswa area of Damascus countryside, overcoming all obstacles, , the most important of which is the lack of fuel. Kiswah area was destroyed as a result of terrorism, and most of the areas went out of production, but with the …
- Israeli enemy continues targeting villages and towns in southern Lebanonby rafah on May 1, 2024
Beirut, SANA- The Israeli enemy continued targeting villages and towns in southern Lebanon, as it struck on Tuesday night, with missiles, the towns of Kafr Kila and Mays al-Jabal, the eastern area. The Israeli forces targeted with artillery the outskirts of Aitaroun town, while they struck the villages of the western and central areas with …
- Israeli occupation forces arrest fifteen Palestinians in the West Bankby manar on May 1, 2024
Occupied Jerusalem, SANA- the Israeli occupation troops arrested 15 Palestinians in different areas of the West Bank. Wafa Agency reported that the occupation forces stormed several neighborhoods in the cities of Al-Bireh and Qalqilya, the towns of Duma in Nablus, Ein ‘Arik in Ramallah, the Dheisheh camps in Bethlehem, Aqabat Jabr and Ein Al-Sultan in …
- More martyrs and wounded in ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza Stripby manar on May 1, 2024
Occupied Jerusalem, SANA-A number of Palestinians were martyred and others were injured Wednesday in ongoing Israeli occupation aggression on the war-ravaged Gaza Strip for the 208st day in a row. “The occupation aircraft bombed a residential building in the center of Gaza City and a group of Palestinians in Mughraqa area in Deir Al-Balah in the …
- United Nations official warns invading Rafah will be “a tragedy beyond words”by manar on May 1, 2024
New York, SANA-UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, warned that Israeli invasion of southern blockaded Gaza Strip city of Rafah which is crowded with more than 1.5 million Palestinians, will be “a tragedy beyond words”. “The simplest truth is that a ground operation in Rafah will be […]
- Israel strikes back at Iran: Explosions rock airbase in city linked to Tehran's nuke program but US denies nuclear facilities were targeted after Netanyahu launched attack in defiance of Bidenon April 29, 2024
Israel has conducted strikes on a target in Iran, defying President Joe Biden's warnings over plunging the Middle East further into conflict.
- ANDREW NEIL: Not only is Cameron talking nonsense about Brexit and migration, his own catastrophic blunders in Libya and Syria have fuelled the crisison April 26, 2024
Old habits die hard. When things go wrong in this country (as they do with monotonous regularity these days), it is still the default position of diehard Remainers to blame Brexit for all our ills.
- Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli accuses Bella Hadid of spreading fake news with photo of 'starving Gaza child' and blasts 'Didn't you learn from your sister's mistake?' in reference to Gigi's Palestine blunderon April 25, 2024
Bella Hadid shared the picture that was originally from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria and came from a 2021 documentary directed by Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.
- Bella Hadid is fact-checked by Instagram for posting pictures of kids in Syrian war while sharing support for Palestine: 'Gaza on my mind'on April 23, 2024
On Monday, the supermodel, 27, shared an image of children in Yarmouk after an assault by dictator Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.
- Five rockets are fired from Iraq towards US military base in Syriaon April 21, 2024
Two security sources and a senior army officer said a rocket launcher fixed on the back of a small truck had been parked in Zummar border town with Syria.
- Drones that hit Iran were 'more like toys' says country's Foreign Minister as he claims they did NOT come from Israelon April 21, 2024
Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said drones that hit Iran yesterday were 'more like toys' and did not come from Israel.
- Satellite imagery reveals damage at Iranian air base following Israeli strike after Tehran launched unprecedented 300-drone attack on Jewish state - amid fears that Middle East tinderbox could explodeon April 21, 2024
Though Iran claimed no damage was suffered by any military bases, an analysis of satellite imagery captured over Isfahan on Friday revealed that the Shikari air base was hurt on Friday.
- ANDREW NEIL: With Iran ever closer to getting the Bomb, Israel and its new Arab allies MUST unite to bring down the medieval mullahs before it's too lateon April 20, 2024
Israel listened to its allies. Yesterday's retaliation for Iran's mass missile and drone attack last weekend was limited and carefully calibrated, just as its friends had urged.