Capital: Beirut
Currency: Lebanese Pound (LBP)
Borders: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Lebanon is located in the Middle East and enjoys a 225 km coastline
alongside the Mediterranean Sea on its western border. Syria lies to
the east and north and Israel to the south. Lebanon is one of the
smallest countries in the world and has a landmass measuring just
10,230 sq km, with a further 170 km of inland water. The terrain is
comprised of a narrow coastal plain, rising to two mountainous
regions in the central north and northwest of the country known as
the Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges with Qurnet as-Sawada'
reaching a height of 3088m. The main rivers of Lebanon are the Nahr
el-Aasi, Nahr el-Litani and Nahr el-Awali Nahr-Besri. Nahr el-Litani
is the only river in the Middle East that does not cross an
international boundary. The biggest lake in Lebanon is Lake Qaraoun.
Scattered across the land are various Roman archaeological remains
including the incredible temple of Bacchus at Baalbeck in the
central Bekaa Valley.
Between 1975 and 1991, Lebanon was engaged in a bloody civil war in
which many people were killed. The country's capital Beirut became
infamous for having one of the world's most bombed hotels in its
Commodore Hotel. Throughout Lebanon's civil war, images of
bullet-hole ridden buildings became known to the world. Gradually
Beirut is being re-built at a furious pace with the aid of Lebanese
construction company Solidere. 'Horizon 2000' is the name given to
the Lebanese government's $20 billion reconstruction program. The
ethnic mix is predominantly Arab with a small percentage of
Armenians. The dominant religion is Islam and the official language
is Arabic although English and French are both widely spoken. The
national unit of currency is the Lebanese Pound.
Lebanon's economic infrastructure was severely decimated with the
destruction of Beirut during Lebanon's civil war although
redevelopment is taking place and many foreign firms are considering
investment once again in Beirut. Beirut was once known as the Paris
of the Middle East and it boasted a major port as well as a
prosperous banking sector. Banking is still a major industry of
Lebanon today. Other industries include banking, food processing,
jewellery, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and
furniture products, oil refining and metal fabricating. Lebanon's
largest export partner is Saudi Arabia. The transport network of
Beirut consists of 399 km of railways and 7300 km of highways.
Subject to a Mediterranean climate Lebanon enjoys mild, wet winters
and long, hot and dry summers. The areas of higher elevations in the
Lebanon Mountains experience heavy winter snowfalls and are a real
treat for skiers. The highest recorded temperature in Beirut was
42°C. The lowest was -1°C. |
