Syrian Arab Republic
Coor din ates: 3 5 °N 3 8°E Syria Sūriyā), officially known as the Syrian ﺳﻮرﯾﺎ :Syria (Arabic Syrian Arab Republic -al-Jumhūrīyah al اﻟﺠﻤﮭﻮرﯾﺔ اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ اﻟﺴﻮرﯾﺔ :Arab Republic (Arabic (Arabic) اﻟﺟﻣﮫورﻳﺔ اﻟﻌﺮﺑﻳﺔ اﻟﺳورﻳﺔ ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as- north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the Sūrīyah southwest. Syria's capital and largest city is Damascus. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Syrian Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Circassians,[8] Mandeans[9] and Turks. Religious groups include Sunnis, Flag Coat of arms Christians, Alawites, Druze, Isma'ilis, Mandeans, Shiites, Salafis, (Arabic) "ﺣﻣﺎة اﻟدﻳﺎر" :Y azidis, and Jews. Sunni make up the largest religious group in Anthem Syria. "Humat ad-Diyar" (English: "Guardians of the Homeland") Syria is an unitary republic consisting of 14 governorates and is 0:00 MENU the only country that politically espouses Ba'athism. It is a member of one international organization other than the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement; it has become suspended from the Arab League on November 2011[10] and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,[11] and self-suspended from the Union for the Mediterranean.[12] In English, the name "Syria" was formerly synonymous with the Levant (known in Arabic as al-Sham), while the modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires, including the Eblan civilization of the 3rd millennium BC.
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