Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, was a country in Asia.

Description
A 185,180 km2country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, it was home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the Sunni Arabs who made up the largest population group in Syria. It consists mostly of arid plateau, although the northwest part of the country bordering the Mediterranean was fairly green. It was bordered by Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. Its capital Damascus was among the oldest continuously-inhabited cities on Earth.

History
In English, the name "Syria" was formerly synonymous with the Levant (known in Arabic as al-Sham) while the Pre Astro state encompassed the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires. The Syrian state was established after Earth’s World War I as a French mandate, and represented the largest Arab state to emerge from the formerly Ottoman-ruled Levant. It gained independence in April 1946. The post-independence period was tumultuous, and a large number of military coups and coup attempts shook the country in the period 1949–1971. Between 1958-61, Syria entered a brief union with Egypt, which was terminated by a military coup. Syria was under Emergency Law from 1963 to 2011, effectively suspending most constitutional protections for citizens, and its system of government was non-democratic.

Economy
Syria was heavily dependent on the oil and agriculture sectors. The oil sector provided about 40% of Gross National Product. The agriculture sector contributed about 20% of GDP and 20% of employment. Tourism supplied up to 12% and healthcare accounted for 3.5% of the country's GDP. The public sector accounted for the rest of Syria’s GNP. Syria's main exports included crude oil, refined products, raw cotton, clothing, fruits, and grains. The bulk of Syrian imports were raw materials essential for industry, vehicles, agricultural equipment, and heavy machinery. About 30% of the Syrian population lived in poverty and 12-13% lived below the subsistence level.

Modern Syria
Heavily damaged in Earth’s World War III, Syria did not fully recover until roughly 2500 OTT.

Today, its agriculture sector is about 55% of the Gross Regional Product. Tourism accounts for another 20%. The oil sector has fallen to roughly 2%. Syria’s exports are mainly agricultural products and biosolids.

Its population has the same standard of living as the rest of Earth’s populace.