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Arab Nationalism and Syria Essay

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Description of Country Syria is a country located in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey. The modern nation of Syria did not exist until the 20th century, although the idea of Syria has been in existence since at least the time of the Prophet Muhammad. The name “Syria”, was first used by the Greeks, historically identifying the region at the eastern end of the Mediterranean lying between Egypt and Asia Minor. Greater Syria, the larger region (called this to distinguish it from the nation-state with the same name today), located at the crossroads of three continents, possesses a long and abounding history. It was an arena of conflict for centuries, serving as an invasion route for numerous …show more content…

In November 1970, Hafiz al-Asad, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party, seized power in a bloodless mutiny and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990’s Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-Asad, his son, Bashar al-Asad, was approved as president by popular vote in July 2000. Syria is now identified as a republic under an authoritarian, military-dominated regime. (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sy.html) Syria is has 185,180 square kilometers of land area, including the 1,295 square kilometers of the Golan Heights occupied since 1967 by Israel, which in 1981 was added on. Syria is comparable in size to North Dakota, with a population in 18,881, 361. In addition, about 40,000 people live in Golan Heights – approximately 20,000 Arabs and 20,000 Israeli settlers. Syria has a population growth rate of 2.3% due to a birth rate of 27.76 births/1,000 people and a death rate of 4.81 deaths/1,000 people with a sex ratio of 1.05 males to 1 female. Syria is comprised of 90.3% Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, and other make up fractions of the remaining 9.7%. 74% of the population is Sunni Muslim, 16% is other Muslim (includes Alawite and Druze), various denominations of Christian make

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