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| Anthem | "Guardians of the Homeland" | ||||
| Capital | Damascus | ||||
| Largest city | Aleppo | ||||
| Language | Arabic | ||||
| Religion | Islam; Christianity | ||||
| Demonym | Syrian | ||||
| Government | Unitary state; Semi-presidential republic | ||||
| Legislature | Parliament of Syria | ||||
| Established | May 14, 1930 | ||||
| Independence | from French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon | ||||
| declared | April 17, 1946 | ||||
| Currency | Syrian pound (SYP)
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Syria (Arabic: سوريا or سورية, Sūriyā or Sūrīyah), officially the Syrian Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية السورية Al-Jumhūriyyah Al-Sūriyyah), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Assyria to the northeast, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, Israel and Palestine to the southwest. Its capital Damascus is among the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.
The modern Syrian state was established after World War I as a component of French mandate, and represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Arab Levant. It gained independence in April 17, 1946, as a parliamentary republic.