Browse the Syria Photo Gallery Syria's climate is largely affected by the desert, with hot, sunny summers (June to August) and cold winters (December to February). Winters are milder along the coast, but wet, and humidity is higher in summer.

Arabic is the official language and Syrian Arabic is most widely spoken. Kurdish (in its Kurmanji form) is widely spoken in the Kurdish regions of Syria. Many educated Syrians also speak English and French. Armenian and Turkish (South Azeri dialect) are spoken among the Armenian and Turkmen minorities.

The Syrian pound is the official currency used in Syria. Pound is translated in Arabic as lira. One pound can be divided into 100 piastres. Originally part of the Ottoman Empire, Syria's official currency was the Turkish lira.

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The population of Syria in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 17,800,000, which placed it as number 55 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 3% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 41% of the population under 15 years of age.

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Damascus is the capital and the second largest city of Syria and one of the country's 14 governorates.

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