Syria is a country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, it is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups.
Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history. Importance is placed on family, religion, education and self-discipline and respect.
The capital city is Damascus.
Syria first entered the Summer Olympic Games in 1948, participating in 11 of the 15 since then missing the four after its debut and then again in 1976.
The country currently holds three medals in total.
A silver from the men’s freestyle wrestling in 1984, a gold medal for the women’s heptathlon in 1996 and most recently Naser Al Shami a bronze medal for boxing in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
The most popular sports in Syria are football, basketball, swimming, and tennis.
Temperatures in the capital Damascus reach lows of 2 °C in the winter months and highs of 38 °C in the summer months.
Almost all of the 8 inches of annual average rainfall occurs in those winter months of November to April. A notable meteorological feature in Syria is the strong unpleasant winds blowing in across Arabia from the southeast.
These winds bring extremely hot and dusty air in from the region and temperature inside these winds can rise as high as 49 °C.
They are most frequent at start and end of the summer season.
Syrians have contributed to Arabic literature and music and have a proud tradition of oral and written poetry.
Syrian writers played a crucial role in the nahda or Arab literary and cultural revival of the nineteenth century.
As is evidenced by the country’s history, the Syria we know today is an eclectic mix of different cultures that have influenced Syrian culture throughout the centuries. Whether Turkish, Mediterranean, Arab or French, various influences can be clearly seen in such cultural markers as cuisine, music and festivals.
