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Lebanon Country Guide

Explore Lebanon in Asia

Lebanon with the capital city Beirut is located in Asia (Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea). It covers some 10,400 square kilometres (about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut) with 3,971,000 citizens.

Interactive map of Lebanon

The landscape offers narrow coastal plain with El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The average density of population is approximately 382 per km². The notable climate conditions in Lebanon can be described as Mediterranean with mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers and Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows. Potential threats by nature are dust storms, sandstorms.

To reach someone in Lebanon dial +961 prior to a number. There are 750,000 installed telephones. And there are 1,526,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".lb". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.

About the flag and history of Lebanon

Lebanon Flag Icon

Three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band; the red bands symbolize blood shed for liberation, the white band denotes peace, the snow of the mountains, and purity; the green cedar tree is the symbol of Lebanon and represents eternity, steadiness, happiness, and prosperity.


Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French demarcated the region of Lebanon in 1920 and granted this area independence in 1943. Since independence the country has been marked by periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional center for finance and trade. The country's 1975-90 civil war that resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities, was followed by years of social and political instability. Sectarianism is a key element of Lebanese political life. Neighboring Syria has long influenced Lebanon''s foreign policy and internal policies, and its military occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005. The Lebanon-based Hizballah militia and Israel continued attacks and counterattacks against each other after Syria''s withdrawal, and fought a brief war in 2006. Lebanon''s borders with Syria and Israel remain unresolved.



Geography Quick-Facts

SummaryContinent: Asia
Neighbours: Syria, Israel
Capital: Beirut
Size10,400 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 4,015 square miles (mi² or sqmi)
about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Population3,971,000
CurrencyName Pound, Currency Code:LBP
Country Top Level Domain (cTLD).lb
Telephone Country Prefix+961
Mobile Phone Connections1,526,000
Landline Phone Connections750,000

Country Position in World Rankings

Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).

Geography

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Area10,400 (sq km)170

People and Society

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Population4,131,583 126
Population growth rate-0.04 (%)201
Birth rate14.79 (births/1,000 population)135
Death rate6.73 (deaths/1,000 population)140
Net migration rate-8.48 (migrant(s)/1,000 population)204
Maternal mortality rate25.00 (deaths/100,000 live births)130
Infant mortality rate14.81 (deaths/1,000 live births)113
Life expectancy at birth75.46 (years)94
Total fertility rate1.75 (children born/woman)164
Health expenditures7.00 (% of GDP)81
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.10 (%)141
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS3,600 124
HIV/AIDS - deaths500 86
Obesity - adult prevalence rate27.40 (%)40
Children under the age of 5 years underweight4.20 (%)96
Education expenditures1.70 (% of GDP)167
Unemployment, youth ages 15-2422.10 (%)51

Economy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
GDP (purchasing power parity)64,220,000,000 88
GDP - real growth rate1.50 (%)146
GDP - per capita (PPP)16,000 84
Labor force1,481,000 131
Investment (gross fixed)34.00 (% of GDP)15
Taxes and other revenues22.50 (% of GDP)140
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)-7.90 (% of GDP)197
Public debt127.90 (% of GDP)6
Inflation rate (consumer prices)5.50 (%)150
Central bank discount rate10.00 (%)26
Commercial bank prime lending rate7.53 (%)121
Stock of narrow money4,397,000,000 105
Stock of broad money97,040,000,000 56
Stock of domestic credit73,830,000,000 60
Market value of publicly traded shares12,590,000,000 68
Industrial production growth rate2.10 (%)111
Current account balance-7,850,000,000 172
Exports5,655,000,000 108
Imports20,730,000,000 77
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold51,200,000,000 36
Debt - external32,640,000,000 73

Energy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Electricity - production12,980,000,000 (kWh)88
Electricity - consumption12,340,000,000 (kWh)84
Electricity - imports1,155,000,000 (kWh)61
Electricity - installed generating capacity2,314,000 (kW)98
Electricity - from fossil fuels87.90 (% of total installed capacity)81
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants12.10 (% of total installed capacity)110
Refined petroleum products - consumption106,700 (bbl/day)77
Refined petroleum products - imports102,300 (bbl/day)49
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy15,240,000 (Mt)90

Communications

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Telephones - main lines in use900,000 82
Telephones - mobile cellular3,350,000 121
Internet hosts64,926 91
Internet users1,000,000 101

Transportation

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Airports7 169
Railways401 (km)116
Roadways6,970 (km)148
Merchant marine29 85

Military

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Military expenditures2.50 (% of GDP)55

Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases

List of current world heritage sites

NameSince
Anjar
The city of Anjar was founded by Caliph Walid I at the beginning of the 8th century. The ruins reveal a very regular layout, reminiscent of the palace-cities of ancient times, and are a unique testimony to city planning under the Umayyads. ...
1984
Baalbek
This Phoenician city, where a triad of deities was worshipped, was known as Heliopolis during the Hellenistic period. It retained its religious function during Roman times, when the sanctuary of the Heliopolitan Jupiter attracted thousands of pilgrim ...
1984
Byblos
The ruins of many successive civilizations are found at Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities. Inhabited since Neolithic times, it has been closely linked to the legends and history of the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Byblos is ...
1984
Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab)
The Qadisha valley is one of the most important early Christian monastic settlements in the world. Its monasteries, many of which are of a great age, stand in dramatic positions in a rugged landscape. Nearby are the remains of the great forest of ced ...
1998
Tyre
According to legend, purple dye was invented in Tyre. This great Phoenician city ruled the seas and founded prosperous colonies such as Cadiz and Carthage, but its historical role declined at the end of the Crusades. There are important archaeologica ...
1984