The Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) is on the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Turkey, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. The population of Syria as of 2011 was 24,504,000 and very young—the median age was only 21.1. In the 2011 Human Development Report, Syria was assessed as having medium human development, ranking 119th in the world. The economy is hampered by high unemployment, 8.6 percent, with a gross domestic product estimated at $5,100 per capita in 2011.

History and Social Structure

Modern-day Syria has been inhabited for approximately several millennia. Over the course of its history, Syria has been occupied by some of the most powerful empires to ever exist. Occupiers included the Canaanites, Phoenicians, and Romans; Syria later served as the seat of the Umayyad Empire, and ...

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