Official Name: Al-Jumhuriyah al-'Arabiyah as-Suriyah (Syrian Arab Republic).

Area: Middle East

Size: 185.180 km²

Coastline: 193 km

Independence: from Franc September 1936

Form of Govt.: Unitary multiparty republic

Head of Govt.: President

Capital: Damascus

Largest City: Damascus

Demographics (2005): 19,043,000.    103 /km²

Arabs, Kurds

GDP per Capita (2005): $5,348

Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood;

Geography: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west. Syria consists mostly of arid plateau, although the northwest part of the country bordering the Mediterranean is fairly green. The Northeast of the country "Al Jazira" and the South "Hawran" are important agricultural areas. The Euphrates, the longest river in Syria, flows from Turkey to Iraq. The second longest river, the Orontes, originates in the Lebanon

Climate: Syria has a Mediterranean climate on the coast characterized by hot dry summers and mild wet winters. The mountainous regions have moderate summers, although the interior plateaus have very hot summers and cold winters while the Hamad region has a true desert climate. The coolest month is January and the hottest are July and August. Average annual precipitation is 304 mm but varies from region to region. Average temperature ranges in Damascus are from 0 to 12 degrees in January to 18 to 37 degrees in August.