Syria 🇸🇾

Quick facts

• Capital: Damascus
• Continent: Asia
• Population: 22,125,249
• Area: 185,180 km²
• Density: 119 people per km²
• Currency: SYP
• Languages: Arabic
• ISO code: SY

Where Syria sits

Syria 🇸🇾 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Damascus. It covers 185,180 square kilometres — 87th in the world — and is home to about 22,125,249 people, 60th globally.

The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.

How Syria compares

Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Syria sits closest to Sri Lanka and Mali. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Cambodia and Uruguay.

At 119 people per square kilometre it is about 2.0 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.

Arabic is an official language in 25 countries here, among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and Comoros, and 20 others. The SYP is used by Syria and no one else.

To see Syria next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.

How to remember Syria

Damascus is one of the oldest continuously lived-in cities in the world, so think 'D for Damascus, D for dates back thousands of years'. For the flag, check the stars: three red stars is the current flag.

The flag of Syria: green, white and black, with three red stars

🇸🇾 The flag is since 2025, three horizontal stripes of green, white and black with three red stars on the white stripe; from 1980 to 2024 the flag was red, white and black with two green stars, which older quizzes may still show. Green, white, black and red are the Pan-Arab colours shared by several flags in the region. The three-star flag was Syria's flag when it became independent in 1946, and it was brought back as the official flag in 2025.

Region and neighbours

Syria is a country in Western Asia on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, part of the Levant. It shares land borders with 5 countries: Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon.

• Turkey 🇹🇷 — capital Ankara
• Iraq 🇮🇶 — capital Baghdad
• Jordan 🇯🇴 — capital Amman
• Israel 🇮🇱 — capital Jerusalem
• Lebanon 🇱🇧 — capital Beirut

Three facts about Syria

1. Damascus is often listed among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
2. The Euphrates River flows through Syria on its way from Turkey to Iraq.
3. The ancient city of Palmyra, an oasis in the Syrian Desert, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sources: Wikipedia: Syria, Wikipedia: Flag of Syria, Wikipedia: Damascus, CIA World Factbook.

Quiz yourself on Syria

• Asian capitals quiz — match Syria to Damascus
• Asian flags quiz — spot the Syria flag among its neighbours

Quizzes that include Syria

Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Syria those are:

• Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
• Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
• Asia capitals quiz — match it to Damascus
• Syria capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Syria, plus the answer quizzes most often try to trick you with
• Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day

Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.

Read more about Syria

• Capital of Syria: Damascus — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
• All 48 countries of Asia

Nearby countries

• Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
• Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
• Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
• Bahrain 🇧🇭 — capital Manama
• Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
• Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
• Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
• Cambodia 🇰🇭 — capital Phnom Penh
• China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
• Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
• India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
• Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta

Frequently asked questions

What are the colours of the Syria flag?

The flag of Syria is since 2025, three horizontal stripes of green, white and black with three red stars on the white stripe; from 1980 to 2024 the flag was red, white and black with two green stars, which older quizzes may still show. Green, white, black and red are the Pan-Arab colours shared by several flags in the region. The three-star flag was Syria's flag when it became independent in 1946, and it was brought back as the official flag in 2025.

Which countries border Syria?

Syria shares land borders with Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon.

How can I remember the capital of Syria?

Damascus is one of the oldest continuously lived-in cities in the world, so think 'D for Damascus, D for dates back thousands of years'. For the flag, check the stars: three red stars is the current flag.