Syria (Arabic: سوريا), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية), is a country in the Middle East. It borders Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north. Israel once occupied the Golan Heights in the southwest of the country; a dispute with Turkey over the Hatay Province now seems to have subsided. Historically, Syria has often been taken to include the territories of Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, and parts of Jordan, but excluding the Jazira region in the north-east of the modern Syrian state. In this historic sense, the region is also known as Greater Syria or by the Arabic name Bilad al-Sham.

Name

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The name Syria comes from the ancient Greek name for the land of Aram at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt and Arabia to the south and Cilicia to the north, stretching inland to include Mesopotamia, and having an uncertain border to the northeast that Pliny the Elder describes as including from west to east Commagene, Sophene, and Adiabene, "formerly known as Assyria" (N.H. 5.66). By Pliny's time, however, this larger Syria had been divided into a number of provinces under the Roman Empire (but politically independent from each other): Judaea (or "Judea" and later renamed Palestine in AD 135—the region corresponding to the modern states of Israel and Jordan and the Palestinian territories) in the extreme southwest, Phoenicia corresponding to Lebanon, with Damascena to the inland side of Phoenicia, Coele-Syria (or "Hollow Syria") south of the Eleutheris river, and Mesopotamia.
Syrian people, however, call their country "Souria" or "Sooria." This name is a variation of "syria," and is used in Arabic as well.

History

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@brokenhalo getting ready for what? Rendition to Syria? The only use for that movie is building resistance to torture.
richqb (richqb) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:39:28 -0000
@brokenhalo getting ready for what? Rendition to Syria? The only use for that movie is building resistance to torture.
Syria Allows Russia Use of Port in Missile Deal: Diplomatic sources said Russia would begin deliveries of the Yakhon... http://bit.ly/2Cfc9U
rap_con (rapcon) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:27:22 -0000
Syria Allows Russia Use of Port in Missile Deal: Diplomatic sources said Russia would begin deliveries of the Yakhon... http://bit.ly/2Cfc9U
Christians Uphold Long and Sacred Heritage in Syria http://bit.ly/3EFjyR via www.diigo.com/~prazim
prazim (Sue Cifelli) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:23:42 -0000
Christians Uphold Long and Sacred Heritage in Syria http://bit.ly/3EFjyR via www.diigo.com/~prazim
New Wave Syria totally owned Metelkova. Best slovenian band! They also licenced their record under CreativeCommons! http://bit.ly/1uZLQ8
xdaseinx (rok) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:00:00 -0000
New Wave Syria totally owned Metelkova. Best slovenian band! They also licenced their record under CreativeCommons! http://bit.ly/1uZLQ8
@teganann syria is like lebanon was decades ago b4 lebanon sold out to the tourism & foreign investment industry.. I miss the culture
Da_aZ (Da_aZ) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:46:51 -0000
@teganann syria is like lebanon was decades ago b4 lebanon sold out to the tourism & foreign investment industry.. I miss the culture
This is why I want to move to Syria for a while http://bit.ly/ormGx
Da_aZ (Da_aZ) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:43:35 -0000
This is why I want to move to Syria for a while http://bit.ly/ormGx

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