SYRIA

Map of Syria

Full country name: Syrian Arab Republic

Area: 185,180 sq km (72,150 sq mi) Slightly larger than North Dakota

Population: 17 million

Capital city: Damascus (pop 6 million)

DEMOGRAPHICS

People: Arabs (90%), Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, Turks

Language: Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian, Turkish, English

Religion: 74% Sunni Muslim, 16% other Muslim, 10% Christian

DEMOGRAPHICS

GDP: $63.86 billion (2005 est.)Industry:

PetroleumTextilesfood processingBeveragesTobaccophosphate rock mining

Currency: Syrian pound48.5 Syrian pound = $1 US (2004)

ECONOMY

Syrian Arab ArmySyrian Arab NavySyrian Arab Air ForcePolice and Security ForceConscription force

24 months upon reaching age 18Active troops: 319,000

Infantry Support Weapons: 2,750 Battlefield squad support weapons such as

mortars

MILITARY

Syria has been a country of conflict.Syria has been under the rule of many

ancient empires.Rome, Persia, Egypt, and Babylon

Came under Turkish rule in 1516 and remained under their control for four centuries.

Came under French occupation in 1919.Finally gained independence in 1946.

HISTORY

The country lacked political stability and experienced military coups.

They united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic.

In September 1961 they separated and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished.

In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country.

President al-ASAD died in July 2000, his son, Bashar al-ASAD took power.

HISTORY CONT.

Lebanese president invited Syria in 1976 after a bloody civil war

Entered country 1 June 1976Suppressed Palestinian forces and Soviet-

backed Muslim militiaResistance to Israeli occupation

LEBANON OCCUPATION

~14,000 Syrian troops occupied LebanonSyria exerted control over government

economical and security interests in regionSyria left Lebanon 27 April 2005

LEBANON OCCUPATION

Bashar Hafez al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He has served as President since 2000, when he succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for 30 years prior to his death.

Bashar Al-Assad

SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

The "independence flag" of Syria, used before the Ba'athist coup in 1963, has been widely used by protesters as an opposition flag and has been adopted officially by the Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army.

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it.

The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were part of the wider Middle Eastern protest movement known as the Arab Spring.

Protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family has held the presidency in Syria since 1971, as well as the end of Ba'ath Party rule.

When and why this war was developed?

The Arab Spring is a media term for the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests (both non-violent and violent), riots, and civil wars in the Arab world that began on 18 December 2010.

What is the “Arab Spring” ?

The Syrian opposition is an umbrella term for groups and individuals calling for regime change in Syria and who oppose

its Ba'athist government.

National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces

Syrian National Council Local Coordination Committees of Syria Free Syrian Army & Higher Military Council Kurdish Supreme Committee

Some countries that supports Syrian Opposition are: Pakistan, Iraq, Qatar, United States, Israel, United Kingdom, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Syrian Opposition

In June 2013, the death toll was updated to 92,900–100,000 by the United Nations. According to various opposition activist groups, between 72,960 and 96,430 people have been killed, of which about half were civilians, but also including 58,500 armed combatants consisting of both the Syrian Army and rebel forces, up to 1,000 opposition protesters and 1,000 government officials.

Consequences

04/21/2023 21

A PRESENTATION BY

SAI KRISHNA Y