al-Jumhuriyah al-Arabiyah al-Suriyah

Political Status: Republic proclaimed in 1941; became independent on April 17, 1946; under military regime since March 8, 1963.

Area: 71,586 sq. mi. (185,408 sq. km).

Population: 16,906,000 (2020E—World Bank); 19,398,448 (2020E—U.S. Census).

[Page 1613]Major Urban Centers (2020E—World Population Review): DAMASCUS (1,570,000), Aleppo (1,600,000), Homs (775,000), Hamah (460,000), Latakia (340,000), Deirez-Zor (252,000), Ar Raqqah (177,000).

Official Language: Arabic.

Monetary Unit: Syrian Pound (official rate September 30, 2020: 1,256.00 pounds = $1US). The Syrian pound, formerly pegged to the U.S. dollar, has been pegged to a basket of currencies since 2007.

President: Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Bashar al-ASSAD (Ba’ath Party); sworn in July 17, 2000, May 27, 2007, and July 16, 2014.

Vice Presidents: Farouk al-SHARAA (Ba’ath Party); appointed by President Assad on February 21, 2006; and Najah al-ATTAR (ind.), ...