Official name:
Syrian Arab Republic.
Area:
185,180 sq km (71,498 sq mi).
Capital:
Damascus.
Head cities:
Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Lattakia, Hama, Tartus.
Population:
17,000,000.
Official language:
Arabic.
Religions:
Islam, Christianity.
Economy:
Currency: 1 Syrian pound (Lera) = 100 piastres.
Elevations:
highest: Mount Hermon 2,814 m (9,286 ft);
lowest: sea level, along the coast.
Government:
Type: republic.
Legislature: People's Assembly.
Political subdivisions: 13 provinces and 1 governorate.
Borders:
Syria is bordered by Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and the
Mediterranean Sea.
Land & Resources:
A wide range or land forms and climate conditions are found in Syria although
much of the country consists of relatively flat desert. A series of hills and
mountain ranges roughly parallel the narrow coastal plain, including the
"Jebel al-Druze" and the "Lebanon Mountains". Most of the
interior consists of a plateau, across which a line of hills runs from southwest
to northeast. In the southeast is the Syrian desert.
Temperatures:
Typically range from 7 C (45 F) in January to 27 C (80 F) in August, and normal
annual rainfall varies from 750 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in). Winters in the
interior can be cold, especially in the north, where temperatures often fall
below freezing. Summers are hot, particularly in the east; daily maximum
temperatures exceed 40 C (100 F) over much of the interior between June and August.
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