SYRIA

1. SYRIA By: Shashank Kaul, Dhruv Patel, Camden O'Neill, Philip Paik

2. Geography of Syria

3. Contiguous countries • Iraq 605 km • Israel 76 km • Jordan 375 km • Lebanon 375 km • Turkey 822 km

4. 64 districts of syria • ALLEPPO (220 miles.) • The legend holds that prophet Abraham once milked his cow atop its hill. • Aleppo dominated the trade routes connecting East and West and is known as today’s second largest Syrian citystill plays a key economic role. • Most important sites: medieval Suqs (which are covered and wind through the old city for more than 8 miles, Grand Mosque, National Museum.

5. HOMS100 miles. Homs contains an important oil refinery and many major factories, plants and mills. • HAMA90 miles An old and timeless city famed by its Norias- the huge wooden waterwheels that have been scooping water from the Orontes and pouring it into irrigation canals for centuries. Important sites: Museum, Grand Mosque. At 35 miles, north-west: the ruins of APAMEA, • LATAKIA120 miles One of the 5 cities built in the 3rd century B.C. Today it is Syria's principal port on the Mediterranean.medieval castles and archeological sites.

6. POPULATION -2.6 Million people -74% Sunni Muslim -16% Other Muslim Groups -10% Other (predominantly Christian)

7. Ethnic Groups -Arabs -Kurds -Aramaic tribes -French decedents from settlers -Greek Decedents -Circassians ( indigenous culture group) -Turcoman

8. History • Early Second Millennium BC – Conquered by the Hittite Kingdom • Later conquered by the Persians • 64AD Romans conquer Syria and name it a Roman Province • Afterwards the Byzantine Empire conquered Syria • Then conquered by the Islamic Empire • Finally is conquered by the Ottoman Turks • 1967 – Syria wins Independence

9. Economy • The economy revolves around agriculture, oil, industry, and tourism. • There GDP is 64.7 billion dollars • There GDP growth is -14%-- -20 • Labor Force is 5.642 million people • Their unemployment is 12.3% • Their revenues is 11.69 billion dollars • Expenses are 17.87 billion dollars

10. Sectors of the economy • Agriculture- wheat, barley, sugar, and cotton are the most grown crops. Water and energy are the biggest issues facing it. • Mining- Phosphates are the major minerals exploited in Syria. Other major minerals are cement, salt, steel. • Oil- syria is the only significant oil producing country in the Eastern Mediterranean region. However it only produces .5% of the global production

11. Cont. • Industry and Manufacturing- accounted for 27.3 % of the domestic products and employed about 16% of the labor force. • Tourism- 1.1 million people have visited Syria by 2002. • Labor- Population growth rate is 2.37%. Around 70% of the work force earn less then 100 dollars per month

12. Civil War • The Civil War is between forces loyal to the Ba’ath party and those seeking to destroy it • It began on March 15 2011 • The protesters demand the resignation of the President Bashar al-Asssas • More then 40000 people have died and more then 400000 people have left the country

13. How it started • In January 2011, revolution in Tunisia marked the start of the so-called Arab Spring. • In March 2011, violence broke out in Daraa, Syria, after a group of children and teenagers were arrested for writing political graffiti. Dozens of people were killed when security forces cracked down on protesters. • Since then, the violence has only increased, spreading throughout the country and became a full fledge civil war.

14. Citation…. • http://www.caroun.com/Countries/Asia/Syria-MajorCities.htm • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html • "History of Syria." Made in Syria. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.made-in-syria.com/history-of-syria.html>.