Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia. De jure Syrian territory is bordering 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, however the actual control of the Syrian government now extends to just 30-40% of the de-jure state area and less than 60% of the population. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, it is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Circassians, Mandeans and Turks. Religious groups include Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, Druze, Mandeans and Yazidis. Sunni Arabs make up the largest population group in Syria. More: en.wikipedia.org.