Statistical information Lebanon 1989

Lebanon in the World
top of pageBackground: Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty since the end of the devastating civil war which began in 1975.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries:
454 km total
Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claims: Territorial sea:12 nm
Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers
Terrain: narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
ElevationNatural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt; water-surplus state in a water-deficit region
Land use: 21% arable land; 9% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 8% forest and woodland; 61% other; includes 7% irrigated
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: Between early 1975 and late 1976 Lebanon was torn by civil war between its Christians - then aided by Syrian troops - and its Muslims and their Palestinian allies. The cease-fire established in October 1976 between the domestic political groups generally held for about six years, despite occasional fighting. Syrian troops constituted as the Arab Deterrent Force by the Arab League have remained in Lebanon. Syria's move toward supporting the Lebanese Muslims and the Palestinians and Israel's growing support for Lebanese Christians brought the two sides into rough equilibrium, but no progress was made toward national reconciliation or political reforms - the original cause of the war. Continuing Israeli concern about the Palestinian presence in Lebanon led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982. Israeli forces occupied all of the southern portion of the country and mounted a summer-long siege of Beirut, which resulted in the evacuation of the PLO from Beirut in September under the supervision of a multinational force (MNF) made up of US, French, and Italian troops. Within days of the departure of the MNF, Lebanon's newly elected president, Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated. In the wake of his death, Christian militiamen massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees in two Beirut camps. This prompted the return of the MNF to ease the security burden on Lebanon's weak Army and security forces. In late March 1984 the last MNF units withdrew. Lebanon continues to be partially occupied by Syrian troops. Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces from the south in 1985, it still retains a 10-km-deep security zone just north of the 1949 Armistice Line. Israel continues to arm and train the Army of South Lebanon (ASL), which occupies the security zone and opposes the return of Palestinian fighters to South Lebanon. The ASL has also been involved in confronting Shia and leftist militias sponsored by Syria. Sporadic fighting between Shia and Palestinian forces based in the refugee camps of Beirut, Sidon, and Tyre escalated between October 1986 and January 1987, finally breaking into major combat in February. At its height, fighting in West Beirut pitted the Shia against the Druze, leftist militias, Sunnis, and Palestinians. At the request of then Prime Minister Rashid Karami and other Muslim members of the government, Syria dispatched troops and Special Forces units to West Beirut to restore order in February. Syria also maintains troops in the Riyaq area of the Bekaa Valley and the Al Matn, while Special Forces units are stationed along the Syrian-Lebanese border and in the Tripoli area. In late 1985 the Syrian regime negotiated a tripartite agreement among the three major rival Christian, Druze, and Shia militias, but implementation failed. The Christian and Muslim communities remain deeply split. Israel and Lebanon signed a withdrawal agreement on 17 May 1983. The agreement was never implemented and was subsequently voided. A partial Israeli withdrawal and government attempts to extend authority have led to renewed factional fighting. The following description is based on the present constitutional and customary practices of the Lebanese system.
top of pagePopulation: 3,300,802 (July 1989), growth rate 1.1% (1989)
Nationality: noun - Lebanese (sing., pl.; adjective - Lebanese
Ethnic groups: 93% Arab, 6% Armenian, 1% other
Languages: Arabic and French (both official; Armenian, English
Religions: 75% Islam, 25% Christian, NEGL% Judaism; 17 legally recognized sects - 4 Orthodox Christian (Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Nestorean, Syriac Orthodox), 7 Uniate Christian (Armenian Catholic, Caldean, Greek Catholic, Maronite, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Syrian Catholic), 5 Islam (Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Ismailite, Shia, Sunni), and 1 Jewish
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 28 births/1000 population (1989)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1000 population (1989)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, ethnicity; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 50 deaths/1000 live births (July 1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 70 years female (July 1989)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1989)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 75%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form: Republic of Lebanon; note - may be changed to Lebanese Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Beirut
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah; Al Biqa, Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan
Dependent areasIndependence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Constitution: 26 May 1926 (amended)
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 law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: compulsory for all males over 21; authorized for women over 21 with elementary education
Executive branch: Chief of State - (vacant) Parliament failed to select a new president before President Amine Pierre GEMAYEL's term expired on 23 September 1988; Head of Government - Acting Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Michel AWN (since 23 September 1988); Acting Prime Minister Salim al-HUSS (since 1 June 1987)
Note: Gemayel's last act as president was to appoint Gen. Michel Awn as prime minister. However, the acting prime minister, Salim al-Huss refuses to step down, resulting in two contending governments - one led by the Maronite Christian Awn and the other by the Sunni Muslim Huss
Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force
Judicial branchPolitical parties and leadersInternational organization participation: Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB - Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC - International Wheat Council, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us: Ambassador Dr. Abdallah BOUHABIB; Chancery at 2,560 28th Street NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 939-6,300; there are Lebanese Consulates General in Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles; US - Ambassador John T. MCCARTHY; Embassy at Avenue de Paris, Beirut (mailing address is P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; telephone Õ961å 417,774 or 415,802, 415,803, 402,200, 403,300
Flag description
: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Severe factional infighting in 1989 has been destroying physical property, interrupting the established pattern of economic affairs, and practically ending chances of restoring Lebanon's position as a Mideast entrepot and banking hub. The ordinary Lebanese struggles to keep afloat in an environment of physical danger, high unemployment, and growing shortages. The central government's ability to collect taxes has suffered greatly from militia control and taxation of local areas. As the civil strife persists, the US dollar has become more and more the medium of exchange. Transportation, communications, and other parts of the infrastructure continue to deteriorate. Family remittances, foreign political money going to the factions, and a surprising volume of manufactured exports help prop up the battered economy.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: fruits, wheat, corn, barley, potatoes, tobacco, olives, onions; not self-sufficient in food; an illegal producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade
Industries: banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricating
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor force:
650,000; 79%
industry, commerce, and services, 11% agriculture, 10% goverment (1985)
Unemployment rate: 33% (1987 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $50 million; expenditures $650 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products
Partners: Saudi Arabia 16%, Switzerland 8%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 6%, US 5%
Imports: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1987)
Commodities: NA
Partners: Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $935 million (December 1988)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Lebanese pounds (LL) per US$1 - 530.47 (January 1989), 409.23 (1988), 224.60 (1987), 38.37 (1986), 16.42 (1985)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 1,381,000 kW capacity; 4,839 million kWh produced, 1,480 kWh per capita (1988)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: NA
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m; none under the direct control of the Lebanese Government
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil, 72 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine: 76 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 358,310 GRT/543,094 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 47 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 container, 8 livestock carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 8 bulk, 1 combination bulk; note - a flag of convenience registry
Ports and terminalsLebanon - Transnational issues 1989
top of pageDisputes international: separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs