sentences:  As per the 2004 Syrian census the population was 701,400.A 2011 UNOCHA estimate put the population at 797,000, though this has likely changed since the start of the war.The majority at 67% are Alawites, 13% Sunni Muslim, 8% Ismaili, 7% Christian and 5% Shi'ite Muslim, though according to recent estimations by Dr. Michael Izady Christians form 11.8% of the population in the governorate.