Syria: Geography#
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and Turkey |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 35 00 N, 38 00 E 35.0,38.0 |
| Area | total: 185,180 sq km land: 183,630 sq km water: 1,550 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory [Verified in 8 databases] |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,253 km border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km |
| Coastline | 193 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m |
| Highest Mountains | As there is no entry in Wolfram we are listing mountain list of Geonames only: According to Geonames: Jabal ad Duruz 1800 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Terrain | primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west |
| Natural Hazards | dust storms, sandstorms volcanism: Syria's two historically active volcanoes, Es Safa and an unnamed volcano near the Turkish border have not erupted in centuries |
| Natural Resource | petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower |
| Land Use | arable land: 24.9% permanent crops: 5.69% other: 69.41% (2011) |
| Climate | mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus |
| Irrigated Land | 13,410 sq km (2010) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 16.8 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
| Large Cities | Aleppo; Damascus; Hims; Hamah; al-Ladhiqiyah Aleppo; Damascus; Homs; Hamah; Latakia [List Verified] Explanation: "The arabic version of Latakia is al-Ladhiqiyah" Important Cities |
| Geography-note | the capital of Damascus - located at an oasis fed by the Barada River - is thought to be one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities; there are 41 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (2010 est.) |