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Lebanon
Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
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Background:
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Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political
institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year
civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national
reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more
equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a
greater voice in the political process while
institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government.
Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several
successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened
or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have
extended central government authority over about two-thirds of
the country. Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by
the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,
retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab
League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop
deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut
and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its continued
military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and
the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the
constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's
withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however,
encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw
its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October
2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon
and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further
emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in
Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq
HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive
demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence
("the Cedar Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the
remainder of its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005.
In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections
since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference,
handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI,
the slain prime minister's son.
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel
and Syria |
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Geographic coordinates:
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33 50 N, 35 50 E |
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Area:
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total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km |
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Coastline:
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225 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry
summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows |
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m |
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Natural resources:
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limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a
water-deficit region, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.35%
permanent crops: 13.75%
other: 69.9% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,040 sq km (2003) |
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Natural hazards:
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dust storms, sandstorms |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification,
Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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3,874,050 (July 2006 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540)
65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848)
(2006 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 27.8 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 28.9 years (2006 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.23% (2006 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 72.88 years
male: 70.41 years
female: 75.48 years (2006 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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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 |
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Beirut |
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Administrative divisions:
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6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth,
Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye |
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Independence:
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22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administration) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 22 November (1943) |
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Constitution:
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23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter
of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October
1989 |
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Legal system:
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mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil
law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for
women at age 21 with elementary education |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24
November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since
30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April
2005)
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; election last held 15 October 1998 (next
to be held in 2007 based on three-year extension); note - on 3
September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend
Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister
and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in
consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a
Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a
Muslim
election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile
LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in
favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (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 in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12,
19 June 2005 (next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats
by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15;
Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance
14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet
Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian
National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq
Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1;
Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1;
independent 5 |
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Judicial branch:
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four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and
commercial cases and one court for criminal cases);
Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on
constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges
against the president and prime minister as needed) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic
Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib
LAHUD]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal
Movement leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free
Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad
HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform
Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA];
Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Metn Bloc [Michel
MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; National Bloc
[Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet Shewan
Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian
National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli
Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none |
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM,
OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
(observer) |
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Flag description:
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three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle,
double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree
centered in the white band
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Economy - overview:
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The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic
infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended
Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking
hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its
war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing
heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce
the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government
began an austerity program, reining in government
expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing
state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with
international donors at the Paris II conference to seek
bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic
debt at lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor
nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little
to reduce the debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In
2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to
manage maturing debt. The downturn in economic activity that
followed the assassination of Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but
has yet to be reversed. Tourism remains below the level of
2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad SINIORA, has pledged to
push ahead with economic reform, including privatization and
more efficient government. The Core Group of nations has
announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early 2006 to
assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt and
increasing foreign investment. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$20.42 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$20.1 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.5% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$5,300 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 12%
industry: 21%
services: 67% (2000) |
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Labor force:
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2.6 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million
foreign workers (2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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18% (1997 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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28% (1999 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.4% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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25.5% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $4.953 billion
expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
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Public debt:
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170% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes,
olives, tobacco; sheep, goats |
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Industries:
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banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles,
mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products,
oil refining, metal fabricating |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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10.67 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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10.67 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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750 million kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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102,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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-$4.09 billion (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
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$1.782 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer
goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power
machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper |
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Exports - partners:
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Syria 24.9%, UAE 10%, Turkey 6.9%, Switzerland 6.7%, Saudi
Arabia 5.3% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$8.855 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat
and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics,
tobacco |
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Imports - partners:
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Italy 11.2%, France 10.3%, Syria 9.8%, Germany 8.6%, China
5.8%, US 5.5%, UK 4.6% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$15.34 billion (2005 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$25.92 billion (2005 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft
loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference |
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Currency (code):
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Lebanese pound (LBP) |
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Exchange rates:
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Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5
(2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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630,000 (2004) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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888,000 (2004) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: repair of the telecommunications
system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete
domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good
service; political instability hampers privatization and
deployment of new technologies
international: country code - 961; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
(erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine
coaxial cables |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995) |
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Internet country code:
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.lb |
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Internet hosts:
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3,365 (2005) |
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Internet users:
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600,000 (2005)
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Airports:
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7 (2005) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2005) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2005) |
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Pipelines:
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oil 209 km (2004) |
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Railways:
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total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m
note: rail system became unusable because of damage
during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable
(2004) |
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Roadways:
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total: 7,300 km
paved: 6,198 km
unpaved: 1,102 km (1999) |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 161,231 GRT/187,140
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 20, livestock carrier
10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier
4
foreign-owned: 2 (Greece 2)
registered in other countries: 53 (Antigua and Barbuda
1, Barbados 2, Cambodia 1, Comoros 3, Egypt 2, Georgia 5,
Honduras 1, North Korea 14, Liberia 1, Malta 8, Mongolia 1,
Panama 1, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4,
Syria 7, unknown 1) (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli
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Military branches:
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Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 18-49: 974,363
females age 18-49: 1,024,273 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 18-49: 821,762
females age 18-49: 865,770 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$540.6 million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.1% (2004)
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