Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. Its capital and largest city is Damascus. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the majority Syrian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Mandaeans, and Greeks. Religious groups include Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, Druze, Isma’ilis, Mandaeans, Shiites, Salafis, and Yazidis. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, making up roughly 74% of the population, and Sunnis are the largest religious group.

Syria is a unitary republic consisting of 14 governorates and is the only country that politically espouses Ba’athism. It is a member of one international organization other than the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement. The name “Syria” historically referred to a wider region, broadly synonymous with the Levant, and known in Arabic as al-Sham.

Resource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria