Lebanon
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: Lubnan former: Greater Lebanon |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Beirut
geographic coordinates: 33 53 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 |
| Flag description | three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band |
| Currency | Lebanese pound (LBP) |
| Internet country code | .lb |
| Ports and terminals | Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli |
| Agriculture products | citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats |
| Industries | banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating |
| Geography |
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria |
| Coordinates | 33 50 N, 35 50 E |
| Continent | Middle East |
| Area |
total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km |
| Coastline | 225 km |
| Climate | Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows |
| Terrain | narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains |
| Natural resources | limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land |
| Natural hazards | dust storms, sandstorms |
| People |
| Population | 3,874,050 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | 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 |
| Religions | Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, 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, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%
note: 17 religious sects recognized |
| Languages | Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian |
