Syria Overview
Syria is located in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea with a coastline of about 200 kilometers. Syria borders Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel.
| Capital: | Damascus |
| Biggest city: | Damascus |
| State: | republic |
| Language: | Arabic |
| Religion: | Islam. Christianity |
| Surface: | 185 180 km² |
| Population: | 21.9 million (2013) |
| Population density: | 118 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 74 years |
| Illiteracy: | 20% |
| Currency: | Syrian pound (SYP) 1 pound = 0.02 kr |
| GDP per capita: | $ 5,000 (2010) |
| Time difference: | +1 hour |
| Electricity: | 220 V AC, 50Hz |
| National Day: | April 17 |
| Country area code: | 963 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | SY (See more abbreviations on Abbreviationfinder) |
| Business: | service sector 63%, agriculture 22%, industry 15% |
| Climate: | temperate; mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers; dry in the interior of the country |
Due to its geographical location, the country has always been a hub for different cultures, and due to its strategic position, in older times it has attracted many conquerors and has repeatedly been exposed to invasions by foreign peoples.
The Silk Road that led through Syria created contacts with Central Asia and China. Damascus was the center of the victorious Arab-Muslim Umayyad Empire, from which the influence of the Arabs extended all the way to India, the area of the Persian Gulf, North Africa and Spain. Many of the crusades took place on Syria’s present land.
Modern Syria has no ties to the older state formations and is an Arab state that was formed during the division of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War and in 1922 became a French NF mandate. Syria became independent in 1946.
Tourism in Syria has become a very important source of income. The number of tourists in Syria has increased so sharply that the state has enacted new laws that allow foreign investment in the tourism industry.
The tourism industry is based on the country’s history and culture, sunbathing and swimming, shopping, backpacking, mountaineering, winter sports and the desert and more.
WORLD HERITAGE
The following objects in Syria are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.
- Old Town of Damascus (1979)
- Old Town of Bosra (1980)
- The ruined city of Palmyra (1980)
- Old Town of Aleppo (1986)
- The citizens of Krak des Chevaliers and Qal ?? at Salah El-Din (2006)
- Forgotten cities, a group of settlements abandoned 700-900 AD. (2011)
ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Electricity and electrical outlets in Syria
Voltage: 220 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of plug: C, E, L
Need an adapter: No, you do not need an adapter.
Type C (Europlug)
Europlug is a European standard (EN 50075) for sockets. It is designed to be used in most electrical outlets in Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Type E (CEE 7/5)
CEE 7/5, also called type E, is a standard that i.a. used in France. It is not compatible with type F, which is used in many other European countries.
Type L (CEI 23-16 / VII)
CEI 23-16 / VII, also called type L, is an Italian standard.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Damascus
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 7 |
| Day °C | 12 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 29 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 33 | 27 | 20 | 13 |
| Night °C | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| Rain (mm) | 20 | 30 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 30 |
| Rainy days | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Soltim / day | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
Aleppo
Aleppo is both a city and a province in northern Syria. The city has about 1.6 million residents (2008), and is the country’s second largest city after Damascus.
There is traditionally a competition between Aleppo and Damascus regarding which of the cities is the oldest still inhabited. Aleppo’s population consists mostly of Sunni Muslim Arabs, but the city also has significant groups of Armenians and Kurds. Armenians live in individual neighborhoods, where they have created an Armenian community. There are about 60,000 Armenians in Aleppo.
In 1986, the ancient city of Aleppo was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Damascus
According to Countryaah, Damascus is the capital of Syria, and has over 4 million residents (2007). Damascus is one of the oldest cities still inhabited and is mentioned in the Bible, among other places. The city was first Aramaic, but came under King David to the Jews, to later belong to the Assyrians, Persians, Alexander the Great, the Seleucids and the Romans.
In 635, the city was conquered by the Arabs, making it the capital, especially during the Umayyad dynasty between 661 and 750. The city was besieged in vain by the Crusaders, but captured and burned in 1401 by the Mongols. The city was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918. According to the Peace of Versailles in 1919, the city and the rest of Syria became a French mandate in 1920, which it was until independence in 1946. The
National Museum, which opened in 1919, shows several archeological and historical objects. Here you will find old writings from the 14th century, 4000 year old sculptures from Mari, statues from Palmyra, a replica of a synagogue from the 200s, copies of the Koran from the 13th century and old weapons and medical tools.
In 1980, the old town of Damascus was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
