Sharing borders with Turkey in the north, Iraq in the East, Lebanon to the west, and Jordan and Palestine to the south, Syria is well situated to become a major regional power in a number of fields. Recent attempts at reform have lead to the creation of new international banks and private universities. A newly approved European Union-Syria Association Agreement has lead to several important changes.

History:
Syria has been a centre of civilization for several millennia. The first written language, Ugarit , was created near modern day Latakia, and both Aleppo and Damascus can lay claim to the title of oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Syria has been at both the centre and the margins of important historical empires including the Persian, Roman, and Byzantine. With the spread of Islam and the coming of the Ummayad Caliphate, Damascus became the administrative capital of a vast and growing Muslim polity.

Greater Syria , known in Arabic as the Bilad-I-Sham , continued to be an important religious, cultural, and trade centre after the Ummayads. During the Crusades, Mamluks, Ayubbids, and European adventurers jousted for control of this important landscape. Under the Ottomans, Syria took on more importance as a trade axis that lead not only from East to West, but also North from Istanbul to Mecca and the kingdoms of Yemen in the South. Because of Damascus's role as an official gathering point for pilgrims on the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Syria became an even more important centre for trade and religious study during the later part of Ottoman rule.

After close to four hundred years under the Ottomans, the end of World War I saw Syria become an independent Arab kingdom ruled shortly by the Hashemite Prince Faisal. However, because of the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement, the League of Nations allowed France to establish a French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon . In 1943, Free French Mandate authorities announced Syria 's independence, and Shukri al Quwatli was elected President. But, 1945 saw French-Syrian relations turn sour, and the French again bombed and then occupied Damascus. By April 17, 1946 , French forces finally evacuated, and Syria became an independent nation.

Education:
The official literacy rate for males is 93% and 78% for females. Attendance for school children between 6 and 12 is obligatory. Today, 4,029 intermediate and secondary schools teach 1,011,057 pupils (2001). The teacher/student ratio in Syria 's intermediate and secondary schools is estimated at around 1:15 , although independent estimates are higher.

Syria 's four universities, Damascus , Aleppo , Tishreen (located in Latakia), and Al-Ba'ath (located in Homs), currently have an enrolment of nearly 173,000. In 2001, 16,755 students graduated from universities in Syria . Students graduated in disciplines including Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Agriculture, Fine Arts, Literature and Humanities, Law, Economics, Shari'a, and Veterinary Sciences. Two private universities have recently opened, however it is not yet known how these universities will affect higher education in Syria .

Employment:
Syria 's labour force is currently around 5.275m (2001). Official estimates show an unemployment rate of about 6.8%, however other estimates of the figure are much higher. Reflecting Syria 's largely urban population, 50% of the total workforce is employed in urban areas. Women make up only 13% of the urban workforce, as opposed to 26% in Syria 's small towns and villages.

Art and Literature:
Syria remains one of the pre-eminent centers of art and literature in the Arab world. Critically hailed literary figures include the playwright Saadallah Wannous, poets Nizar Kabbani and Nazih Abu A'fsh, the short story writer Zakariya Tamir, and novelists such as Henna Meena, Haidar Haidar, Ulfat Idlibi, and Ghada al-Samman.

The most famous Syrian musician is the acclaimed singer, composer, and oud master Farid al-Atrache. Al-Atrache passed away in 1974, however his legacy as a renowned musician and actor continues in Syria and throughout the Arab world. More recent Syrian singers include George Wasouf, Maeda Hanawi, Elias Karam, and Sabah Fakhri.

Language:
Arabic is the official language of Syria , and serves as the mother tongue for about 90% of the country's citizens. Levantine dialect is the language of daily interactions, but accents vary widely from region to region. Armenian remains the language of choice for the Armenian immigrant communities centred in Aleppo and Damascus, and Kurdish is also widely spoken in the Northeastern part of Syria . Several villages, most notably Maalula, still maintain a tradition of speaking Aramaic. In major urban centres, many Syrians have a working knowledge of English, and some speak French.

Damascus is considered one of the most important centres of Arabic foreign language instruction in the Arab world. Two government sponsored teaching institutes, and the Institute Francais-Proche Orient (IFPO), make up the main centres for foreigners hoping to learn Arabic.

Cuisine:
Syrian food is widely considered one of the more appetizing cuisines of the Arab world. Falafel, Shwarma, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Foul, and Fatier (pastries topped with the choice of spinach, olives, tomato sauce, cheese, meat, or sausage) make up the majority of daily fast food choices. A wide array of chicken and lamb kabobs are usually served as main courses. Aleppo is well known for a kabob cooked in cherry sauce, and Hama specializes in a sweet cheese pastry served with syrup and rosewater. Other delicious Syrian specialties include kanafeh (a desert of heated cheese and wheat served with syrup), and many desserts made of philo dough, pistachios, and crunchy wheat.

Damascus:
The name "Damascus" is attributed by some scholars to Damaskos, son of Hermes, who is said to have lived in this area and given it his name. Others attribute the name to the myth of Askos or that of Damas, who accompanied Dionysias, and offered him a skene (skin) thus the name "Damaskene". While others believe that the origin of the name came from Damakina, the wife of the god of water. Linguistically analysed, some feel that the name "Damascus" was derived from "The Water Land".

Damascus is very rich in its archeological sites; the Omayad mosque, the old city with all its contents, the national museum where there is a superb collection from the Islamic art and other.