<p><strong>Noun:</strong></p><ul><li>Official name: Syrian Arab Republic.</li><li>A republic in SW Asia at the E end of the Mediterranean.</li><li>Area: 71,227 sq. mi. (184,478 sq. km).</li><li>Capital: Damascus.</li><li>A territory mandated to France in 1922, including the present republics of Syria and Lebanon (Latakia and Jebel ed Druz were incorporated into Syria 1942): the French mandatory powers were nominally terminated as of January 1, 1944.</li><li>An ancient country in W Asia, including the present Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and adjacent areas: a part of the Roman Empire (64 B.C.–A.D. 1).</li></ul>