Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest.
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Syria · 1960–2025
Population data from World Bank (2025), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Series covers 1960–2025.
Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital city in the world. Known colloquially in Syria as aš-Šām and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine", Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world.
Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the country's most populous governorate. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents as of 2021, it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and was the largest by population until it was surpassed by Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Homs, known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa, is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is 501 m (1,644 ft) above sea level and is located 162 km (101 mi) north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is also the central link between the interior cities and the Mediterranean coast.
Latakia, officially Lattakia, is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mare. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a significant manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages.
Deir ez-Zor is the largest city in eastern Syria and the seventh largest in the country. Located on the banks of the Euphrates 450 km (280 mi) to the northeast of the capital Damascus, Deir ez-Zor is the capital of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
Hasakah is a city in northeastern Syria and the capital of the Hasakah Governorate. With a 2023 estimated population of 422,445, Hasakah is populated by Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians and Chechens. Hasakah is 80 kilometres south of the city of Qamishli. The Khabur River, a tributary of the Euphrates River, flows west–east through the city.
Ar-Raqqah is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo. It is located 40 kilometres east of the Euphrates Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and bishopric Callinicum was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate between 796 and 809, under the reign of Harun al-Rashid.
Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located 213 kilometres (132 mi) north of Damascus and 46 km (29 mi) north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries.
Idlib is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level, and is 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey.
Tartus is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria, and the largest city in Tartus Governorate. Tartus was under the governance of Latakia Governorate until the 1970s, when it became a separate governorate. The population is 458,327. In the summer it is a vacation spot for many Syrians.