an Asian republic in the Middle East at the east end of the Mediterranean; site of some of the world's most ancient centers of civilization; involved in state-sponsored terrorism

a republic under a military regime with virtually absolute authority in the hands of the President

a republic under an authoritarian regime with virtually absolute author- ity in the hands of the President

(noun) A country of southwest Asia on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Conquered by various powers in ancient times, it was a province of the Ottoman Empire (1516-1918) and became a French territory in 1920. Syria officially gained its independence in 1944. Damascus is the capital and the largest city.

Syria (or سورية ), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية ), is a country in the Middle East, bordering Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north. The modern state of Syria attained independence from the French mandate of Syria in 1936, but can trace its historical roots to the fourth millennium BC; its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire.