by Allen Yvinskas

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-27 13:02:24 UTC

Climate

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-27 13:04:41 UTC

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. - CIA world fact book.

Climate/ plant life

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 12:58:53 UTC

Syria has comparatively limited areas of abundant natural vegetation. On the whole the nonarable areas are too dry to support extensive plant life, and virtually all of the arable areas have been stripped of natural cover. Along the coast, however, are found some reed grasses, wild flowers, trees, and shrubs, including buckthorn and tamarisk. In the Anti-Lebanon Mountains are forests of Aleppo pine and Syrian and valonia oak.

The mammalian wildlife of Syria includes the antelope, deer, wildcat, porcupine, squirrel, and hare. Birds native to the country include the flamingo, pelican, bustard, ostrich, eagle, and falcon. Lizards and chameleons are found in the desert/

Religion

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 13:02:15 UTC

Muslim 87% (official; includes Sunni 74% and Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia 13%), Christian (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian) 10% (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), Druze 3%, Jewish (few remaining in Damascus and Aleppo)

Languages spoken

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 13:04:27 UTC

Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian (widely understood); French, English (somewhat understood)

Dress

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 13:10:48 UTC

Arab women wear a black garment called an Abayah that covers them from shoulders to feet. They also wear a head and face cover that leaves only the eyes peeking out. Underneath this disguise, she may be wearing a traditional Arabian dress with intricate beading, or the latest fashion from America, but no one except her will ever know.

Arab men wear a loose, one piece robe called a Didashah. In the summer, it is white, while in the winter, heavier fabric and darker colors are used. They also wear a three-piece head cover. The bottom piece is a white cap often filled with holes used to hold hair in place called a Thagiyah. On top is a scarf like head cover. In the summer it is white and called a Gutrah. In the winter, it is checkered, usually red and white called a Shumaq. This piece is used to protect the head from the sun, and to cover the mouth and nose in a sand storm. On top of the Thagiyah and Shamaq/Gutrah is the Ogal. The Ogal is a black band just there to hold everything else in place.

Music

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 13:14:03 UTC

usically, the ensemble consists of Oud (lute), kamenjah (spike fiddle), Qanoon (box zither), darabukkah (goblet drum), and daf (tambourine), all of which often perform as the choir. The soloist performs only a few chosen lines of the selected text. In Aleppo multiple Maqam rows and up to three awzān are used and modulation to neighboring Maqamat was possible during the B section [clarify]. Until modernization it was typical to present a complete Wasla, or up to eight successive muwaššah including an instrumental introduction (Sama'i or Bashraf).[2] It may end with a Longa.

Life style

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 13:22:23 UTC

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 18:58:50 UTC

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 19:04:46 UTC

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-28 19:07:28 UTC

Government

2015-04-29 00:05:22 UTC

Syria considers itself a republic and consists of an executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government. The executive branch consists of a president, two vice presidents, a prime minister, and a cabinet. Syria's legislative branch is governed by the People's council. The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court, the High Judicial Court, and the State Courts. There are three different court levels: the courts of first instance, courts of appeals, and the highest court is the constitutional court.

In 1971, they adopted the Constitution of Syria which gave the Baath Party the majority of the leadership roles in the government. This constitution allows presidents to serve 7-year terms elected by the people. In 1963, the Syrian government passed the Emergency Law that is still in effect and suspends most of the protections granted to Syrians under the Constitution. The government enacted this state of emergency because of the war with Israel.

Brief History of Syria

2015-04-29 00:22:59 UTC

1916-After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, diplomats from France and Great Britain made an agreement to divide the Middle East into different zones. France took the northern zone, including what is now Syria and Lebanon, while Britain took the southern, which includes Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq. 1920-After backing Arab self-rule at the Versailles peace conference, Syria was established by Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi. 1925-27-Nationalist agitation against French rule developed into a rebellion that resulted in fighting in Homs, Hama, and Damascus. 1937-The Franco-Syrian Treaty, signed in Paris in 1936, gave Syria partial independence and withdrawal of French troops. Syria sided with the Free French Forces and the British during World War II hoping that they could gain full independence when the war was over.1945-46- After national protests in 1945 and slow progress of French withdrawal, the last French troops left Syria on April 17, 1946, which is now celebrated as the National Independence Day. 1958-63- Under the United Arab Republic, Syrian and Egypt joined together with Egypt's leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Following a military coup in 1961, Syria seceded, a Baathist cabinet was appointed, and Amin al-Hafez became Syria's president in 1963. 1966-1971- After three years under Amin al-Hafez, Salah Jadid led an internal coup against the Ba'ath leadership and over threw the Syrian president. Israel strikes on Egyptian forces in 1967 caused the Six-Day War in which Syria and Jordan joined Egypt in attacking Israel. Israel forces seized Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Sinai Peninsula.

Education

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-29 10:18:45 UTC

The gross enrollment rate in primary education under basic education level in 2000 was 104.3 and it has been steadily rising, reaching to about 126.24 percent in 2007. Still, the enrollment of females is lower than males. The gender parity index, ratio of female enrollment to male enrollment, since 2006 was 0.955.^[3]

The enrollment level in all programs at the lower secondary level has been rising significantly since early 2000, with the current gross enrollment rate of 95.3 percent.^[3]

At the secondary lower level final exams of the 9th grade are carried out nationally at the same time. The result of these exams determines if the student goes to the "general" secondary schools or the technical secondary schools. Technical secondary schools include industrial and agricultural schools for male students, crafts school for female students, and commercial and computer science schools for both.

Houses

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-29 10:31:10 UTC

allenyvinskas96 — 2015-04-29 12:52:38 UTC

Political Unrest/Terrorist Activity

2015-04-29 22:18:19 UTC

Syria's Civil War- An ongoing armed conflict in Syria. It began in early Spring 2011 with nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government. The conflict started with protests and ended up changing into an armed rebellion. The Free Syrian Army and the Islamic Front are against the government. In 2013, Hezbollah entered the war and supported Syria. In the east, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) made rapid military gains in both Syria and Iraq. By July 2014, ISIL controlled a third of Syria's territory and most of its oil and gas production which made them the major opposition force. Bashar al-Assad- President of Syria, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces, General Secretary of the Ba'ath Party, and Regional Secretary of the party's branch in Syria. The form of government Assad presides over is an authoritarian regime. He was initially seen as a potential reformer but then this stopped when he ordered mass crackdowns and military sieges on Arab Spring protesters, which then started the Syrian Civil War. During this war, Assad was involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity by the United Nations and was at the top of a list of individuals indicted for the greatest responsibility in war crimes for prosecution by the International Criminal Court. ISIS- An Islamic rebel group that controls territory in Iraq and Syria. On June 29, 2014, ISIS proclaimed to be a worldwide caliphate. Being the caliphate, ISIS claims religious, political, and military control over all Muslims worldwide. The group has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Egypt, India, and Russia. There has also been over 60 countries that have been directly or indirectly waging war against ISIS.

Syrian Civil War

2015-05-03 20:37:18 UTC

Red- Controlled by Syrian government Gold- Controlled by Kurdish forces Grey- Controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) Green- Controlled by the Syrian Opposition

Bashar al-Assad

2015-05-03 21:05:07 UTC

Syria's Flag

2015-05-03 21:35:05 UTC

The Syrian flag incorporates the four pan-Arab colors, which represent the various dynasties that ruled the region in history. The combination of colors was first used to represent the region during the 1916 Arab Revolt. The red symbolizes the Khawarij, an Islamic group of the seventh century, whose flag was red. The red also symbolizes the Hashemites. The white represents the Umayyad Dynasty, who used white as their color of mourning. Black symbolizes the Prophet Mohammad as well as the Abbasid Caliphate. The green represents the Fatimid Caliphate.