Syrian refugees brave the cold and snow as they walk to a metro station in Istanbul at the start of a day's begging. The civil war, which began as a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, has killed 200,000 people and turned 3 million more into refugees. At least 3.7 million people have fled Syria's almost four-year conflict and are registered as refugees, mainly in neighbouring states. Jordan hosts 622,000 Syrian refugees, Lebanon 1.16 million, Turkey 1.6 million and Iraq 233,000, UNHCR figures show.