Syria Overview Nations // Middle East/North Africa

OVERVIEW The Syrian Arab Republic is bordered on the north by Turkey, the east by Iraq, the south by Jordan, the southwest by Israel and the west by Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea. Prior to the start of a civil war in 2011, Syria had a population of about 19 million, and the country was home to around 500,000 Palestinian and 1.3 million Iraqi refugees. Kurds, who lived mostly in northeastern Syria, made up 9 percent of the population. The secular Arab Socialist Resurrection Party...