Geography and Ethnic Composition of Modern Syria

Location and Borders

• Situated along the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
• Borders: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq.

Geographic Challenges

• Unifying diverse ethnic groups under one domestic power.
• Mountainous terrain creates ethnic cores that contradict current state borders.

Ethnic Groups

• Population composed of:
  • Sunni Arabs
  • Alawites
  • Kurds
  • Druze
  • Christians

Key Geographic Features

• Northern Coastal Plain: Traditional core of the ruling Alawite minority.
• Jabal al-Nusayriyah and Anti-Lebanon Mountains: Key mountain ranges.
• Homs Gap: Vulnerable to invasions from the Mediterranean Sea.
• Syrian Desert: Divides the interior region into two parts with strong local identities.

Important Regions

Damascus

• Historical capital.
• Modern seat of power for the Alawites.

Aleppo

• Located in the agricultural heartland of the Aleppo Plateau.
• Divided from the Jazira Plateau by the Euphrates River, allowing for irrigation.

Historical and Modern Boundaries

• Modern boundaries were set by the League of Nations' French mandate after WWI.
• Historical concept of Greater Syria included areas from Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel.

Importance of Lebanon

• Especially Beirut, vital for trade ports and access to Mediterranean markets.

Recent Civil Unrest

• Highlights the geographic challenge of maintaining unity.
• Current boundaries overlap regional and ethnic fault lines, complicating governance.