Country name conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local short form: Lubnan
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah Background Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-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 say 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, the radical Shi"a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria"s troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon"s civil war and in the Ta"if Accord. Damascus justifies 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 its security zone in southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well.Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Area total: 10,400 sq km
water: 170 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km Area - comparative about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut 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 Elevation extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda" 3,088 m Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms 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 Geography - note Nahr el Litani 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 Population 3,727,703 (July 2003 est.) Age structure 0-14 years: 27.1% (male 514,447; female 494,166)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,177,773; female 1,286,433)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 115,693; female 139,191) (2003 est.) Median age total: 26.4 years
male: 25.4 years
female: 27.5 years (2002) 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: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese Ethnic groups Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% Religions Muslim 70% (including Shi"a, Sunni, Druze, Isma"ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL% Languages Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian Internet country code .lb Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.) Government type republic National holiday Independence Day, 22 November (1943) 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 International organization participation ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) Economy - overview 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. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon"s economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government"s $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001, and 1.5% in 2002. During the 1990s annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2002, the government had successfully avoided a currency devaluation and debt default in 2002. Exports - partners Switzerland 10.8%, Saudi Arabia 9%, UAE 8.6%, US 6.7%, Jordan 4.6%, Turkey 4.3% (2002) Currency Lebanese pound (LBP) Currency code LBP Exchange rates Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999), 1,516.13 (1998) Airports 8 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2002) Disputes - international Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab"a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights |
