Page last updated on February 3, 2014
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.
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
total: 10,400 sq km
country comparison to the world: 170
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km
about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m
limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
arable land: 10.72%
permanent crops: 12.06%
other: 77.22% (2011)
total: 1.31 cu km/yr (29%/11%/60%)
per capita: 316.8 cu m/yr (2005)
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Coptic, Protestant), other 1.3%
note: 17 religious sects recognized
4,131,583 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
0-14 years: 22.1% (male 467,416/female 445,352)
15-24 years: 17.5% (male 368,097/female 353,518)
25-54 years: 42.4% (male 844,217/female 906,795)
55-64 years: 8.7% (male 165,271/female 193,312)
65 years and over: 9.4% (male 178,080/female 209,525) (2013 est.)
total dependency ratio: 41.8 %
youth dependency ratio: 29.5 %
elderly dependency ratio: 12.3 %
potential support ratio: 8.1 (2013)
total: 30.9 years
male: 29.7 years
female: 32.1 years (2013 est.)
-0.04% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
14.79 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
-8.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
urban population: 87.2% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.86% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
BEIRUT (capital) 1.909 million (2009)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
25 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 131
total: 14.81 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 112
male: 14.98 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 75.46 years
country comparison to the world: 94
male: 73.86 years
female: 77.13 years (2013 est.)
1.75 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
6.3% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 100
3.54 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
3.5 beds/1,000 population (2009)
0.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
3,600 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
27.4% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 40
4.2% (2004)
country comparison to the world: 96
1.7% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 167
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 86% (2007 est.)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2011)
total number: 54,387
percentage: 7 % (2000 est.)
total: 16.8%
country comparison to the world: 76
male: 14.6%
female: 22.3% (2009)
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan
former: Greater Lebanon
name: Beirut
geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beqaa, Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
note: two new governorates - Aakkar and Baalbek-Hermel - have been legislated but not yet implemented
22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
drafted 15 May 1926, adopted 23 May 1926; amended several times, last in 2004 (2013)
mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel
note: following the resignation of Prime Minister Najib MIQATI and his Cabinet on 22 March 2013, the government is in caretaker status until a new prime minister is named and a new cabinet is formed
chief of state: President Michel SULAYMAN (since 25 May 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Najib MIQATI (since 7 July 2011), Deputy Prime Minister Samir MOQBIL (since 7 July 2011)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 25 May 2008 (next to be held in 2014); the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly
election results: Michel SULAYMAN elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 for, 6 abstentions, 3 invalidated; 1 seat unfilled due to death of incumbent
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Nuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by group - March 8 Coalition 54.7%, March 14 Coalition 45.3%; seats by group - March 14 Coalition 71; March 8 Coalition 57; seats by party following 16 July 2012 byelection held to fill one seat - March 14 Coalition 72, March 8 Coalition 56
highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (organized into 4 divisions, each with a presiding judge and 2 associate judges); Constitutional Council (consists of 10 members)
judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by Supreme Judicial Council, headed by the chief justice, and includes other judicial officials; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Council members appointed - 5 by the Council of Ministers and 5 by parliament; members serve 5-year terms
subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (6); Courts of First Instance; specialized tribunals, religious courts; military courts
14 March Coalition:
8 March Coalition:
Independent:
Maronite Church [Patriarch Bishara al-Ra'i]
other: note - most sects retain militias and a number of militant groups operate in Palestinian refugee camps
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine CHEDID (since 4 June 2008)
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
chief of mission: Ambassador David HALE (since 6 September 2013)
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon (Awkar facing the Municipality)
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070
telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136
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
name: "Kulluna lil-watan" (All Of Us, For Our Country!)
lyrics/music: Rachid NAKHLE/Wadih SABRA
note: adopted 1927; the anthem was chosen following a nationwide competition
Lebanon has a free-market economy and a strong laissez-faire commercial tradition. The government does not restrict foreign investment; however, the investment climate suffers from red tape, corruption, arbitrary licensing decisions, complex customs procedures, high taxes, tariffs, and fees, archaic legislation, and weak intellectual property rights. The Lebanese economy is service-oriented; main growth sectors include banking and tourism. The 1975-90 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and derailed Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Following the civil war, Lebanon rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks - saddling the government with a huge debt burden. Pledges of economic and financial reforms made at separate international donor conferences during the 2000s have mostly gone unfulfilled, including those made during the Paris III Donor Conference in 2007 following the July 2006 war. The collapse of the government in early 2011 over its backing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and unrest in neighboring Syria slowed economic growth to the 1-2% range in 2011-12, after four years of 8% average growth. In September 2011 the Cabinet endorsed a bill that would provide $1.2 billion in funding to improve Lebanon''s downtrodden electricity sector, but fiscal limitations will test the government''s ability to invest in other areas, such as water.
$62.5 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
$40.78 billion (2012 est.)
1.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
$15,600 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
29.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
household consumption: 81.5%
government consumption: 15.2%
investment in fixed capital: 32.9%
exports of goods and services: 19.2%
imports of goods and services: -48.8%
agriculture: 4.6%
industry: 19.6%
services: 75.8% (2012 est.)
citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating
1.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
1.481 million
country comparison to the world: 130
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2007 est.)
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $9.396 billion
expenditures: $13.32 billion (2012 est.)
23% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
-9.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
119.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
note: data cover central government debt, and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment
6.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
3.5% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
7.25% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
$4.712 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
$97.04 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
$75.76 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
$10.16 billion (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 68
$-1.663 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
$5.615 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
jewelry, base metals, chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
South Africa 19.3%, Switzerland 12.2%, Saudi Arabia 8%, UAE 7.9%, Syria 6.6%, Iraq 4.7% (2012)
$20.33 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals
US 11.2%, Italy 8.6%, China 8.3%, France 7.2%, Germany 5.6%, Turkey 4.5%, Greece 4.2% (2012)
$52.5 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
$25.16 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar -
14.81 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
14.19 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
1.245 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
2.314 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
87.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
12.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 151
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
106,700 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
120,400 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
150 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
150 million cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 157
19.45 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
878,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 81
4 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 122
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete
domestic: two mobile-cellular networks provide good service; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 961; submarine cable links to Cyprus, Egypt, and Syria; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2011)
7 TV stations, 1 of which is state-owned; more than 30 radio stations, 1 of which is state-owned; satellite and cable TV services available; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible through partner stations (2007)
64,926 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 91
1 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 99
8 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 160
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m:
total: 401 km
country comparison to the world: 116
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m gauge
note: rail system unusable because of the damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2008)
total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)
country comparison to the world: 145
total: 29
country comparison to the world: 85
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 7, carrier 17, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Syria 2)
registered in other countries: 34 (Barbados 2, Cambodia 5, Comoros 2, Egypt 1, Georgia 1, Honduras 2, Liberia 1, Malta 6, Moldova 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Sierra Leone 2, Togo 6, unknown 1) (2010)
major seaport(s): Beirut, Tripoli
container port(s) (TEUs): Beirut (1,034,249)
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Lebanese Army ((Al Jaysh al Lubnani) includes Lebanese Navy (Al Quwwat al Bahiriyya al Lubnaniya), Lebanese Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Lubnaniya)) (2013)
17-30 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-24 years of age for officer candidates; no conscription (2013)
males age 16-49: 1,081,016
females age 16-49: 1,115,349 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 920,825
females age 16-49: 941,806 (2010 est.)
male: 36,856
female: 35,121 (2010 est.)
4.04% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 30
lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon has been in place since 1978
refugees (country of origin): 6,516 (Iraq) (2012); 441,543 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)) (2013); 902,247 (Syria) (2014)
IDPs: at least 47,000 (1975-90 civil war, 2007 Lebanese security forces' destruction of Palestinian refugee camp) (2011)
current situation: Lebanon is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Eastern European women and children are transported through Lebanon for sexual exploitation in other Middle Eastern countries; women from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal, Madagascar, Congo, Togo, Cameroon, and Nigeria are recruited by agencies to work in domestic service but are often subject to conditions indicative of forced labor, including the withholding of passports, nonpayment of wages, restricted movement, threats, and abuse; Lebanon's artiste visa program enabling women to work as dancers for three months in the adult entertainment industry sustains a significant sex trade; anecdotal information indicates some Lebanese children are victims of forced labor, such as street begging and commercial sexual exploitation; Syrian refugee women and children in Lebanon are at increased risk of sex trafficking
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Lebanon does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; the government conducts investigations of human trafficking and possibly some prosecutions but for another year did not report convicting any trafficking offenders or officials complicit in human trafficking; the government continues to lack a formal system for identifying victims and does not have a policy to protect victims from being punished for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked; NGOs, rather than the government, provide victim assistance and protection (2013)
