Area of Syria - the oldest Assyrian state

Ancient Assyrian state with the richest history, unique architecture, where active mosques, hammams and medieval markets coexist alongside the ancient ruins. These are all Syria, a unique and amazing Middle Eastern country, washed by the waters of the Mediterranean, Cyprus, Levantine seas and neighboring with Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan , Iraq and Israel. Despite the centuries-old history of these places, the modern statehood of today's Syria barely totals 70 years. But this is not the subject of this article. We are to get acquainted with the geography and ancient history of the state, find out what the area of Syria is in thousand km2, what are the features of the landscape of this country.

Introduction

From the fourth millennium BC. These blessed lands began to be settled by permanent settlers. Centuries were changing, states were formed, blossomed, died, new ones were formed, and Syria's area was never empty. An excellent climate with a warm mild winter and a sunny but not exhausting hot summer is always attractive. Comfortable soft dry weather is here throughout the year. Only from November to March, with the onset of winter, rare rains of small duration are spilled. Winter temperatures are + 7-9 ° C, in summer - 25-30 ° C. Deserted and mountainous areas surprise tourists with night chills, in winter the thermometer often shows temperatures below zero.

The successful location of the country, including a narrow coastal plain with a coastline of 183 km, and extensive desert plateaus, and mountains that protect against the western windswipes, as if specially created for people's lives. Therefore, the capital of the country, Damascus, existing not one millennium, is one of the most ancient cities on Earth, constantly and densely populated. Today, according to official figures, it is home to approximately 2 million people.

Historical reference

These ancient lands occupied by Syria, saw many states, at different times blossoming here. After the decline of the Egyptian rule on the banks of the Euphrates, the state of Ebla was formed, which was subsequently won by Akkad. Then many small states appeared on this territory, only from the year 661 in the region Islam was established, and Damascus became the official capital of the famous Arab caliphate. The area of Syria in thousand km2 changed over time.

In the Middle Ages, the region was ruled by crusaders. Their states in the 15th century conquered and plundered the troops of Tamerlane, and from that time Syria became a constituent part of the Ottoman Empire. Independent country became only after the end of the Second World War in 1946. Founded about 5 thousand years ago, today Damascus is the main city of the country, the full name of which is the Syrian Arab Republic. The official state language is Arabic. The area of Syria is more than 185.2 thousand km ² . According to this indicator, the state is on the 87th place in the modern world.

Syria: area and population

According to the data of 2015, the country is populated by 18.5 million people. Rural people make up 46% of the total population, but the lack of stability in the country today does not allow this to be confirmed. More than 70% of the population profess Islam, Christians in Syria about 10%.

Despite the predominant majority of the Arab population, among the inhabitants of the country there are Kurds (9%), Armenians (2%), Assyrians (0.3%), representatives of Caucasian nationalities (0.3%).

Landscape

The area of Syria is very impressive, and the terrain of the localities is diverse: mountain landscapes are replaced by flat rivers. Legendary Tigris and Euphrates flow throughout its territory. The length of the Euphrates is 680 km. The water arteries of the country are not only large, but also historically famous rivers.

In the Dutch occupied by Israel at a height of 2814 m above sea level, Mount Hermon is located. The lake of rare beauty Al-Assad is the largest reservoir in the country, occupying almost 675 square kilometers.

Cities and history

The Arab Republic has amazing, almost fabulous sights. The area of Syria contains a huge layer of history, which continues to live in monuments and structures. Huge legacy of previous civilizations, each of which left traces of its former power. These lands have witnessed the glory of Alexander the Great, the conquests of Tamerlane, the courage of Saladin.

Damascus is the oldest of the capitals of the world, which originated at the intersection of trade routes and became the center of Mediterranean Eastern trade. To the south of the capital is the city of Bosra, built of black basalt. The city's main attraction is the Roman theater, turned into an impregnable citadel.

Second after Damascus, the Syrian city of Aleppo is famous not only for its amazing historical monuments, but also for the fact that it is populated mainly by Christians.

It is impossible to list all the wonders of these unique lands. It does not really matter which area of Syria, the important thing is that almost all of it is a real open-air museum.