Syria is a country in Western Asia, one of the 17 entries this site files under that subregion. Treaties and official documents call it Syrian Arab Republic. Government sits in Damascus.
It covers 185,180 km², which ranks it 90th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Senegal and just ahead of Cambodia. That makes it a fraction smaller than Belarus.
The population is about 24.7 million, placing it 57th of 250 by population — between North Korea above it and Mali below. Within Western Asia alone it is the 6th largest of 17 and the 5th most populous.
Geography and neighbours of Syria
Plotted on a globe it falls at 35.0° north, 38.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 3,896 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach China, Japan and South Korea — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 5 neighbours: Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye. The largest of them by area is Türkiye, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 158.9 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Who lives in Syria
Population divided by land area gives roughly 133 people per square kilometre, which makes it more crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Someone from Syria is a Syrian.
Officially it is monolingual: Arabic. Another 24 entries list Arabic too — among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and the Comoros.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 22nd most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 8.0% of everyone living in Western Asia.
The practical details for Syria
The currency is the Syrian pound (£, SYP). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
Its internet country code is .sy. Calls from overseas start with +963. Standard country codes: sy and SYR.
Damascus is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Syria shares borders with 5 countries:
Fun facts about Syria
- In land area it is a fraction smaller than Belarus.
- Websites based there use the .sy domain.
- Its capital city is Damascus.
- Ranked by land area, Syria is 90th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- Within Western Asia it is the 6th largest of 17.
- China and Japan sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
Syria — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Syria?
- The capital of Syria is Damascus.
- What currency does Syria use?
- Syria uses the Syrian pound, written £ (currency code SYP). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Which countries border Syria?
- Syria borders 5 countries: Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye. Türkiye is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Syria?
- The official language of Syria is Arabic. It is also official in 24 other entries on this list.
- Is Syria a country?
- Yes. Syria is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- How big is Syria?
- Syria covers 185,180 km², ranking 90th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Belarus.
- What is the population of Syria?
- Syria has a population of about 24.7 million, which makes it the 57th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. North Korea sits just above it and Mali just below.
- Where is Syria located?
- Syria is in Western Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 35.0° north and 38.0° east, roughly 3,896 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
