2008 Edition

Background

Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war (1975-1990) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese 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, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections. Most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shia 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. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the passage in October 2004 of UNSCR 1559 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. 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"), and Syria withdrew the remainder of its military forces 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 majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son. Lebanon continues to be plagued by violence - Hizballah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in July 2006 leading to a 34-day conflict with Israel. The LAF in May-September 2007 battled Sunni extremist group Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Barid Palestinian refugee camp; and the country has witnessed a string of politically motivated assassinations since the death of Rafiq HARIRI. Lebanese politicians in November 2007 were unable to agree on a successor to Emile LAHUD when he stepped down as president, creating a political vacuum until the election of Army Commander Michel SULAYMAN in May 2008 and the formation of a new cabinet in July 2008.

Area

total: 10,400 sq km land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Climate

Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Coastline

225 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.38 cu km/yr (33%/1%/67%) per capita: 385 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

33 50 N, 35 50 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

1,040 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Land use

arable land: 16.35% permanent crops: 13.75% other: 69.9% (2005)

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms

Natural resources

limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

Terrain

narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Total renewable water resources

4.8 cu km (1997)

Age structure

0-14 years: 26% (male 526,994/female 505,894) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,275,021/female 1,380,131) 65 years and over: 7.1% (male 128,002/female 155,899) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

17.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

6.06 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

2.7% of GDP (2006)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,800 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 22.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.41 years male: 70.91 years female: 76.04 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 28.8 years male: 27.6 years female: 30 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese

Net migration rate

NA (2008 est.)

Population

3,971,941 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

1.154% (2008 est.)

Religions

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, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3% note: 17 religious sects recognized

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2006)

Sex ratio

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: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Administrative divisions

8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beqaa, Beyrouth, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye

Capital

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

Constitution

23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine CHEDID chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300

Executive branch

chief of state: President Michel SULAYMAN (as of 25 May 2008) 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 (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 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

FAX

[1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles

[961] (4) 544136

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

Government type

republic

Independence

22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

Independent

Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Tashnaq

International organization participation

ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

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)

Legal system

mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

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 in spring 2009) election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Free Patriotic Movement 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Qornet Shehwan 6; Lebanese Forces 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Tashnaq 2; Syrian Ba'th Party 1; Democratic Left 1; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Kataeb Party 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; independent 4

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Political parties and leaders

14 March Coalition: Democratic Gathering Bloc [Walid JUNBLATT, leader of Progressive Socialist Party]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Amine GEMAYEL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Tripoli Independent Bloc 8 March Coalition: Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, leader of Amal Movement]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc [Mohammad RA'AD] (includes Hizballah Party [Hassan NASRALLAH]); Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Syrian Ba'th Party [Sayez SHUKR]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Hizballah military wing other: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and their militias; Shi'as and their militias

Suffrage

21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education

Agriculture - products

citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats

Budget

revenues: $6.178 billion expenditures: $8.35 billion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.26% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

Lebanese pound (LBP)

Currency code

LBP

Current account balance

-$2.046 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$31.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

of the $7.6 billion in grants and loans pledged to Lebanon at the Paris III conference in January 2007, Beirut as of mid-December 2007 had signed agreements for $3 billion, including $1 billion in project financing, $750 million in direct budget support, $750 million in private sector credit, and $285 million in in-kind aid; about $500 million of the $1.7 billion pledged for direct budget support has been disbursed to Lebanon; donors in August 2006 also pledged nearly $1.8 billion in aid to help Lebanon recover from the 2006 Israel-Hizballah war; during the conflict, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait provided $1.5 billion in concessional loans to the Lebanese central bank to maintain confidence in the Lebanese currency. (2005)

Economy - overview

The 1975-90 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 in the 1990s began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises, but economic and financial reform initiatives stalled and public debt continued to grow despite receipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance at the 2002 Paris II Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah conflict in July-August 2006 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal reform and privatization program. An 18-month political stalemate and sporadic sectarian and political violence hampered economic activity, particularly tourism, retail sales, and investment, until a new government was formed in July 2008.

Electricity - consumption

8.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

929 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production

8.764 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 97.2% hydro: 2.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Exchange rates

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2007), 1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003)

Exports

$4.077 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Exports - partners

Syria 25.2%, UAE 11.8%, Switzerland 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2007)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 5.2% industry: 19.5% services: 75.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$10,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.6% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$24.64 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$40.44 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$11.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery

Imports - partners

Syria 12.1%, Italy 8.5%, France 8.3%, US 7%, China 5.9%, Germany 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.2% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

1.5 million note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$8.279 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

106,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

97,590 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

28% (1999 est.)

Public debt

186.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$20.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$45.51 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$2.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$57.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

20% (2006 est.)

Internet country code

.lb

Internet hosts

36,681 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

22 (2000)

Internet users

950,000 (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios

2.85 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 961; submarine cable link to Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2007)

Telephones - main lines in use

681,400 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.26 million (2007)

Television broadcast stations

15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions

1.18 million (1997)

Airports

7 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 33 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 13, carrier 11, passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 2, Syria 2) registered in other countries: 55 (Barbados 1, Cambodia 8, Comoros 4, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Georgia 4, Honduras 1, Italy 1, North Korea 1, Liberia 2, Malta 11, Mongolia 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Syria 3, Togo 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Pipelines

gas 43 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Beirut, Tripoli

Railways

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 done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)

Roadways

total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)

Army (includes Navy), Air Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,106,879 females age 16-49: 1,122,595 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 934,828 females age 16-49: 948,327 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 32,815 female: 31,610 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2007)

Disputes - international

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 (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978

IDPs

17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000 (July-August 2006 war) (2007)

Illicit drugs

cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002 despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption; money laundering of drug proceeds fuels concern that extremists are benefiting from drug trafficking This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq)