April 17th: National Day of Syria

Today is the National Day of Syria: Evacuation Day, when, in 1946, the last French troops evacuated Syria and it became an independent state; the country had been under French control since the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War. It is a public holiday there.

It's in the news a lot because of ongoing conflicts, but there is more to Syria than war, so here are 10 non-war related facts about the country:

1. The capital is Damascus, but the largest city is Aleppo.
2. It is bordered by Turkey on the north, Lebanon and Palestine on the west, Iraq on the east, and Jordan on the south.
3. The highest point in Syria is Mount Hermon (2,814 m; 9,232 ft) on the Lebanese border.
4. Its principal river is the Euphrates. Most of its population (22,530,746 in 2012) live in the Euphrates valley.
5. Agriculture and cattle breeding are thought to have originated in Syria during the Neolithic era.
6. The popular pet, the golden hamster, is a native animal of Syria.
7. Although none of them were actually born in Syria, the following people are of Syrian descent: Carlos Menem (former president of Argentina); singer Paul Anka, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and singer Paula Abdul.
8. The Apostle Paul was converted on his way to Damascus, and his base, from which he started out for many of his missionary journeys, was in Antioch, ancient Syria.
9. The official language is Arabic, with many different dialects of the language spoken in different parts of the country. Aramaic is still spoken in some areas and educated Syrians are likely to be able to speak English and French.
10. In May 2013, the Syrian national football team was ranked 138th in the world by FIFA.