7/14/2017 Syria country profile - BBC News

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Syria country profile

12 July 2017 Middle East

Syrian civil war

Once the centre of the Islamic Caliphate, Syria covers an area that has seen invasions
and occupations over the ages, from Romans and Mongols to Crusaders and Turks.

A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, it is home to diverse ethnic and
religious groups, including Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Christians, Druze, Alawite Shia and
Arab Sunnis, the last of whom make up a majority of the Muslim population.

Modern Syria gained its independence from France in 1946, but has lived through periods of
political instability driven by the conflicting interests of these various groups.

Since 2011 political power, long held by a small mainly Alawite elite, has been contested in a
bitter civil conflict initially sparked by the Arab Spring that turned into a complex war involving
regional and international powers.

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FACTS
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The Syrian Arab Republic

Capital: Damascus

Population 21.1 million

Area 185,180 sq km (71,498 sq miles)
Major language Arabic
Major religion Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy 74 years (men), 78 years (women)
Currency Syrian pound
UN, World Bank Getty Images

LEADERS

President: Bashar al-Assad

GETTY IMAGES

In power since succeeding his father in 2000, Bashar al-Assad is fighting for control of his
country after protests against his rule turned into a full-scale war.

He inherited a tightly controlled and repressive political structure from long-time dictator Hafez
al-Assad, with an inner circle dominated by members of the Assad family's minority Alawite
Shia community.

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But cracks began to appear in early 2011, in the wake of the "Arab Spring" wave of popular
dissent that swept across North Africa and the Middle East.

MEDIA

GETTY IMAGES

The Syrian uprising has left a fractured media environment, split between areas controlled by
the government, Islamic State militants and other armed groups.

Scores of journalists and citizen journalists have been killed since the start of the revolt in
2011.

Syria was the world's deadliest country for journalists in 2014, says Reporters Without
Borders. Islamic State jihadists "enforce an information dictatorship" in the areas they control.

Read full media profile

TIMELINE

Some key dates in Syria's history:

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1918 October - Arab troops led by Emir Feisal, and supported by British forces, capture
Damascus, ending 400 years of Ottoman rule.

1920 - San Remo conference splits up newly-created Arab kingdom by placing Syria-Lebanon
under a French mandate, and Palestine under British control.

1946 - Independence.

1958-61 - Short-lived union of Syria with Egypt as the United Arab Republic.

1967 - Egypt, Jordan, and Syria are defeated in the Six-Day War with Israel. Israel seizes the
Golan Heights.

1970 - Hafez al-Assad comes to power in a coup. His rule is characterised by repression and
a major arms build-up.

1973 - Egypt and Syria launch surprise attack on Israel in October to try reverse defeats of
1967.

1976 - Syria intervenes in the Lebanese civil war. It maintains military presence there for next
three decades and exerts significant influence on Lebanese politics.

1982 - Muslim Brotherhood uprising in the city of Hama is suppressed in a month-long siege
by the military, who kill tens of thousands of civilians.

2000 - President Assad dies and is succeeded by his son Bashar.

2005 - Syrian forces withdraw from Lebanon under international pressure following
assassination of Lebanese premier Rafiq al-Hariri.

2011 - Unrest inspired by "Arab Spring" uprisings. Confrontation between government and
opposition soon develops into civil war that draws in world powers and triggers refugee crisis.

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GETTY IMAGES

Read full timeline

Related Topics

Syria Syrian civil war

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Related Internet links

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Related Internet links

Ministry of Tourism

Syria Gate (official site)

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