Syria Facts: 44 Informative Facts About Syria

Last updated on June 9th, 2021

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It has a total area of 185,180 square km. Damascus is its capital and largest city. Arabic is its official languages. Its official currency is Syrian pound (SYP). It is bordered by Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan. It has high mountains, deserts, and fertile plains. With the following informational facts about Syria, we’ll explore more about its history, culture, civil war and crises.

Informative facts about Syria for kids

1. The two stars in the Syrian Flag represent the previous union between Syria and Egypt.

2. Syria is a founding member of the United Nations.

3. The largest lake in Syria, Lake Assad, is actually man-made and has only existed since 1968 (maximum capacity of 11.7 cubic kilometers, the maximum surface area of 610 square kilometers.)

Sculpture of a lion at the National Museum of Damascus, Syria.

4. The National Museum of Damascus contains relics and artifacts from every age, starting with the Prehistoric Age and extending to the modern Classical Age.

Flag of Syria

Flag of Syria
Flag of Syria. Image credit – CIA

5. Damascus (commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham), the capital city of Syria, is called the “Jasmine City.” It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

6. The Assyrian New Year falls on April 1st. Celebrated with the arrival of spring, Kha b-Nisan literally means the first of the month of Nisan.

7. The Shouting Valley is the meeting point of four countries: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. It is an “echo point,” and people often use it to communicate with their relatives on the other side.

The shouting valley. Image credit – Wikimedia.org

8. The city of Damascus gets its name from Damask, a variety of cotton fabric rich in exquisite patterns.

9. Syria was the largest Arab state to emerge from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.

10. Syria is currently suspended from the Arab League (suspended on 16 November 2011.)

11. The only Pope to ever visit a mosque was John Paul II. He visited the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus in 2001.

Umayyad moskee in Damascus. Image credit – Martijn.Munneke

Facts about Syrian crises

12. Syria was under emergency laws for a staggering period of 48 years from 1963 to 2011. In 2011, the Syrian Civil War started.

13. Though relatively isolated, you can find Syrians scattered throughout the world because of its civil war.

14. Present day Syria is a battleground of the whole world, with troops from nearly 34 countries fighting a complex web of wars. Their main enemy is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/Levant.

15. The present Syrian conflict has created many global problems. Europe has been hit by the worst migration crisis since World War II. The two major global superpowers, Russia and the United States, are moving towards another era of cold war, as well.

16. In December, 2015, the U.S. completed a record 9000 airstrikes in Syria. Two months later, Russia joined in with a 400+ strikes in just 6 days.

Twin-Explosion in southeastern Kobane on 8th October 2014. Image credit – Karl-Ludwig Poggemann

17. ISIS and the Syrian Government are fighting a water war to drain out water from each other’s territory.

18. The Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, also known as the Arab Spring, fueled the 2011 Civil War in Syria.

19. The Syrian refugee crisis is the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. It deeply affected 14 million residents who were forced to flee or face persecution from religious fanatics. According to the U.N., it will take $7.7 billion to meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable Syrians in 2016.

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