Map of Lebanon | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Middle East bordering the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Syria

Geographic coordinates: 33 50 N 35 50 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 10,400 km²
Water: 170 km²
Land: 10,230 km²
Comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 454 km
Border countries: (2) 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; 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
Extremes highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

Natural resources: limestone iron ore salt water-surplus state in a water-deficit region arable land

Land use
Arable land: 17.6%
Permanent crops: 12.51%
Other: 69.89% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1200 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms

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


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Population: 3,727,703 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.34% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Lebanese

Ethnic groups: Arab 95% Armenian 4% other 1%

Languages: Arabic (official) French English Armenian

Religions: Muslim 70% (including Shi'a Sunni Druze Isma'ilite Alawite or Nusayri) Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian Catholic Protestant) Jewish NEGL%

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 26.4 years
Male: 25.4 years
Female: 27.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 1.34% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 19.68 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 6.32 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2003 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 26.43 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 23.51 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 29.22 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.07 years
Male: 69.64 years
Female: 74.61 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.09% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 87.4%
Male: 93.1%
Female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
Conventional short form: Lebanon
Local short form: Lubnan
Local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

Government type: republic

Capital: Beirut

Administrative divisions: 6 governorates (mohafazat singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth Beqaa Liban-Nord Liban-Sud Mont-Liban Nabatiye

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day 22 November (1943)

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

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 participation

Citizenship

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
Head of government: Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000); note - HARIRI resigned on 15 April 2003, but was reappointed the next day
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; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
Election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)

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)

Political parties and leaders: political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious clan and economic considerations

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)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD
In the us consulates general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
In the us fax: [1] (202) 939-6,324
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-6,320
In the us chancery: 2,560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Vincent Martin BATTLE
From the us embassy: Awkar, Lebanon
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 70,840, Awkar, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 9,836-0002
From the us telephone: 011-961-4-543-600/542-600
From the us fax: 011-961-4-544-136

Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top) white (double width) and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12%
Industry: 21%
Services: 67% (2000)

Agriculture products: citrus grapes tomatoes apples vegetables potatoes olives tobacco; sheep goats

Industries: banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force
Note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
By occupation services: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation agriculture: NA%

Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $3.1 billion
Expenditures: $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.5% (2002 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs and tobacco textiles chemicals precious stones metal products electrical products jewelry paper products
Partners: Switzerland 10.8% Saudi Arabia 9% UAE 8.6% US 6.7% Jordan 4.6% Turkey 4.3% (2002)

Imports: $6 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: foodstuffs electrical products vehicles minerals chemicals textiles fuels
Partners: Italy 11.3% France 10.7% Germany 8.4% US 5.6% Syria 5.4% China 4.8% Belgium 4.5% UK 4.2% (2002)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $9.3 billion (2002 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1507.5 (2002) 1507.5 (2001) 1507.5 (2000) 1507.84 (1999) 1516.13 (1998)


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Electricity
Production: 6.728 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 97.2%
Production by source hydro: 2.8%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 7.44 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 1.183 billion kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 700,000 (1999)
Mobile cellular: 580,000 (1999)

Telephone system
General assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
Domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .lb
Service providers isps: 22 (2000)
Users: 300,000 (2001)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $541 million (2002)
Percent of gdp: 4.8% (FY99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 8 (2002)
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines: oil 209 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 401 km
Standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m
Note: rail system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2002)
Narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 230,142 GRT/306,442 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 9, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1, Greece 10, Netherlands 4, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Spain 1, Syria 2 (2002 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to US and European markets