Alawia

Republic of Alawia جمهورية العلوية (Arabic) Alevi Cumhuriyeti (Turkish) République de Alaouie (French) Ալավիայի Հանրապետություն (Armenian)
Flag
Capital and largest city	Latakia
Official languages	Arabic
Recognised national languages	French, Armenian, Turkish
Demonym(s)	Alawite, Nursayian
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
• President	Muhsen Bilal
• Prime Minister	Bashar al-Assad
Legislature	Knesset
Independence from France
• Declaration	14 May 1948
• WA	11 May 1949

Alawia (Arabic: العلوية, French: Alaouie, Armenian: Ալավերդիա, Alavertia), officially known as the Republic of Alawia (Arabic: جمهورية العلوية, French: République de Alaouie, Turkish: Alevi Cumhuriyeti, Armenian: Ալավիայի Հանրապետություն, Alaviayi Hanrabedutʿyun), or informally Nusayria, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Lebanon to the south, while Cyprus lies just west of it across the Mediterranean Sea. Alawia’s location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin, the Arabian hinterland, and the Anatolian plains has contributed to its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of surrounding the Alawite sect of Shia Islam. with a population of some 3 million, and is one of the smallest countries in Asia. Alawites form the vast majority of the country's population, while Arabic is the official language, and spoken Alawite Arabic is used alongside Modern Standard Arabic in daily life, alongside French, Turkish, and Armenian.

Prior to its independence, Alawia was a colonial possession of the Third French Republic and was managed as part of the French State of Aleppo, which was an integral element of the French Mandate of Syria. The country arose from a rebellion against France in order to prevent Syria from annexing the territory. During the Second World War, the French government struggled to keep control over the possession, and the British government pressed the French to abandon their activities in the region, resulting in the rebellion's swift victory.

The civilian government was deposed by nationalist Army Officers in 1975, after several years of autonomous administration, and The National Council for Progress and Stability was founded. For several years, the National Council ruled the country, but its affiliation with Pan-Arab organizations, harsh authoritarian policies, and persecution of pro-Turkish forces in the country culminated to Turkey's NATO-backed invasion in 1984. The Alawian Civil War erupted as a result of the Turkish intervention, and the military government retreated to Syria. Following Turkey's exit in 1985 and a United Nations intervention spearheaded by the United States in 1986, the Civil War came to a conclusion.

Beginning in November 1985, Kurdish-led peace talks were able to achieve a full peace deal in 1986, with UN monitors monitoring free and fair elections later that year. Later that year, the new civilian government launched a referendum to acquire popular authorization to hold a constitutional convention, which was overwhelmingly approved. Alawia's current Constitution was drafted by a Constitutional Convention in 1985, and it outlines the country's current governance arrangement, with modifications added in 1993, 1999, and 2006.