Syria

[ seer-ee-uh ]

noun

1. Official_name Syrian Arab Republic. a republic in SW Asia at the E end of the Mediterranean. 71,227 sq. mi. (184,478 sq. km). : Damascus.
2. a territory mandated to France in 1922, including the present republics of Syria and Lebanon (Latakia and Jebel ed Druz were incorporated into Syria 1942): the French mandatory powers were nominally terminated as of January 1, 1944.
3. an ancient country in W Asia, including the present Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and adjacent areas: a part of the Roman Empire 64 b.c.–a.d.

Syria

/ ˈsɪrɪə /

noun

1. a republic in W Asia, on the Mediterranean: ruled by the Ottoman Turks (1516–1918); made a French mandate in 1920; became independent in 1944; joined Egypt in the United Arab Republic (1958–61). Hafez al-Assad elected president in 1971 following a coup; after his death in 2000 Assad's son Bashar took over the presidency; his rule was challenged (from 2012) by an uprising that led to a civil war. Official language: Arabic. Religion: Muslim majority. Currency: Syrian pound. Capital: Damascus. Pop: 22 457 336 (2013 est). Area: 185 180 sq km (71 498 sq miles)
2. (formerly) the region between the Mediterranean, the Euphrates, the Taurus, and the Arabian Desert

Syria

1. Republic in the Middle East , bordered by Turkey to the northwest, north, and northeast; Iraq to the east and south; Jordan to the south; and Israel , the Mediterranean Sea , and Lebanon to the west. Its capital and largest city is Damascus .

Notes

Syria was established from former Ottoman Empire territory in 1920 but dominated by France until the 1940s. It is extremely hostile toward Israel.

In the Six-Day War , in 1967, Israeli troops dislodged Syrian forces from the Golan Heights , which overlook Israeli territory.

Example Sentences

Padnos had just spent days in in a Toyota Hilux with the burly head of al Qaeda in Syria, Abu Maria al-Qahtani, driving across the country at the head of a 60-vehicle convoy.

From Time

When the Turkish government attacked the Kurds in the Afrin District of northern Syria, Turkey also arrested hundreds of its own residents for criticizing the operation.

From ProPublica

When I first asked the American special operations soldiers who among the fighters they worked with I should meet in Syria, one of the first names that always arose was Azeema.

From Time

They claimed to want a chemical-weapon-free Syria, but they slow-rolled every eradication effort and ultimately intervened on Assad’s side militarily, even as he continued to gas civilians.

From Washington Post

Michael Foley, the brother of James Foley, an American journalist executed by Islamic State operatives in Syria in 2014, has publicly denounced Callimachi’s reporting on his death.

From Washington Post

The American military may have launched hundreds of airstrikes on Iraq and Syria.

From The Daily Beast

Officials have said the war to reclaim upward of a third of Iraq and a quarter of Syria from ISIS could take years.

From The Daily Beast

In 2014, 170,000 people came to Italy from places like Eritrea and Syria.

From The Daily Beast

The first thing they told us was that the traffickers are now using Turkish ports, which are relatively easy to reach from Syria.

From The Daily Beast

Family members have said they pleaded with the women not to head to Syria.

From The Daily Beast

Some of the most beautiful and fragrant tobacco fields in the world are to be found in Syria.

From Project Gutenberg

Burton's work on unexplored Syria is full of passages relating to tobacco and the custom of smoking.

From Project Gutenberg

The 'Syria' was originally a paddle-wheel steamer, having oscillating cylinders worked with steam of 25 lbs.

From Project Gutenberg

It attains its finest form and flavor in Syria, where it is cultivated to a considerable extent.

From Project Gutenberg

She had resided in Syria nearly thirty years, and was celebrated for her eccentricity and singular mode of life.

From Project Gutenberg