What countries border Lebanon?
What is the current weather in Lebanon?
What is Lebanon famous for?
What is the capital of Lebanon?
Capital | Beirut |
Government Type | parliamentary republic |
Currency | Lebanes Pouind (LBP) |
Total Area |
4,015 Square Miles 10,400 Square Kilometers |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria |
Language | Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian |
GDP - real growth rate | 2% |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $18,600.00 (USD) |
What is the population of Lebanon?
Ethnic Groups | Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% |
Nationality Noun | Lebanese (singular and plural) |
Population | 5,469,612 |
Population Growth Rate | -0.04% |
Population in Major Urban Areas | BEIRUT (capital) 2.022 million |
Urban Population | 87.200000 |
What type of government does Lebanon have?
Executive Branch |
chief of state: president (vacant) head of government: Caretaker Prime Minister Najib MIQATI (since 20 September 2021) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and Parliament elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by Parliament with two-thirds majority vote in the first round and if needed absolute majority vote in a second round for a 6-year term (eligible for non-consecutive terms); last held on 31 October 2016 (presidential election ongoing as of mid-June 2023); prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with Parliament; deputy prime minister determined during cabinet formation election results: 2023: on 14 June 2023, Parliament failed in its twelfth attempt to elect a president; Parliament vote in the first round - Sulayman FRANJIEH (Marada Movement) 59, Jihad AZOUR (independent) 51; note - the Hezbollah bloc withdrew following the first round of voting and a second round was not possible since Parliament lacked the required 86-member quorum for a second round of voting 2016: Michel AWN elected president in second round; Parliament vote - Michel AWN (FPM) 83; note - in the initial election held on 23 April 2014, no candidate received the required two-thirds vote, and subsequent attempts failed because Parliament lacked the necessary quorum of 86 members to hold a vote; the president was finally elected in its 46th attempt on 31 October 2016 |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; authorized for all men and women regardless of religion; excludes persons convicted of felonies and other crimes or those imprisoned; excludes all military and security service personnel regardless of rank |
Citizenship |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Lebanon dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: unknown |
National Holiday | Independence Day, 22 November (1943) |
Constitution |
history: drafted 15 May 1926, adopted 23 May 1926 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic and introduced as a government bill to the National Assembly or proposed by at least 10 members of the Assembly and agreed upon by two thirds of its members; if proposed by the National Assembly, review and approval by two-thirds majority of the Cabinet is required; if approved, the proposal is next submitted to the Cabinet for drafting as an amendment; Cabinet approval requires at least two-thirds majority, followed by submission to the National Assembly for discussion and vote; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of a required two-thirds quorum of the Assembly membership and promulgation by the president; amended several times, last in 2004 |
Independence | 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
What environmental issues does Lebanon have?
Overview | Lebanon is renowned for its scenic beauty, although uncontrolled development and exploitation mar many areas. Along the Mediterranean there is a narrow coastal strip, with cities, suburbs, and some banana, citrus, and olive groves. A dramatic mountain chain rises to over 10,000 feet within 20 miles of the coast, with impressive terracing and cultivation. Although pine forests abound, the famed Cedars of Lebanon now exist only in a few small groves preserved in the north and central regions. Distances are short in Lebanon, and travel from the seashore to mountain areas can be done easily in an hour by car. |
Climate | From May through October, sunny weather prevails and rain is infrequent. Temperatures rarely go above 90°F in the summer. Fall and spring are relatively short. Winters are mild (in the city, winter temperatures rarely drop below 40°F and damp. Most of the country's annual rainfall (about 36 inches) occurs from December through March. Winter storms frequently are accompanied by high winds, lightning, and thunder. |
Border Countries | Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km |
Environment - Current Issues | 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 |
Environment - International Agreements |
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 |
Terrain | narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains |
How big is the Lebanon economy?
Economic Overview |
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 inadequate intellectual property rights protection. 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 banking hub. Following the civil war, Lebanon rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily, mostly from domestic banks, which saddled 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 "CEDRE" investment event hosted by France in April 2018 again rallied the international community to assist Lebanon with concessional financing and some grants for capital infrastructure improvements, conditioned upon long-delayed structural economic reforms in fiscal management, electricity tariffs, and transparent public procurement, among many others. The Syria conflict cut off one of Lebanon's major markets and a transport corridor through the Levant. The influx of nearly one million registered and an estimated 300,000 unregistered Syrian refugees has increased social tensions and heightened competition for low-skill jobs and public services. Lebanon continues to face several long-term structural weaknesses that predate the Syria crisis, notably, weak infrastructure, poor service delivery, institutionalized corruption, and bureaucratic over-regulation. Chronic fiscal deficits have increased Lebanon’s debt-to-GDP ratio, the third highest in the world; most of the debt is held internally by Lebanese banks. These factors combined to slow economic growth to the 1-2% range in 2011-17, after four years of averaging 8% growth. Weak economic growth limits tax revenues, while the largest government expenditures remain debt servicing, salaries for government workers, and transfers to the electricity sector. These limitations constrain other government spending, limiting its ability to invest in necessary infrastructure improvements, such as water, electricity, and transportation. In early 2018, the Lebanese government signed long-awaited contract agreements with an international consortium for petroleum exploration and production as part of the country’s first offshore licensing round. Exploration is expected to begin in 2019. |
Industries | banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating |
Currency Name and Code | Lebanes Pouind (LBP) |
Export Partners | UAE 11%, Switzerland 9.1%, Saudi Arabia 8.2%, US 6.2%, Jordan 4.2% |
Import Partners | Italy 11.3%, France 10.7%, Germany 8.3%, US 5.6%, Syria 5.4%, China 4.8%, Belgium 4.5%, UK 4.2% |
What current events are happening in Lebanon?
Source: Google News
What makes Lebanon a unique country to travel to?