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

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Background: Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French demarcated the region of Lebanon in 1920 and granted this area independence in 1943. Since independence, the country has been marked by periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional center for finance and trade. The country's 1975-90 civil war, which resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities, was followed by years of social and political instability. Sectarianism is a key element of Lebanese political life. Neighboring Syria has historically influenced Lebanon's foreign policy and internal policies, and its military occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005. The Lebanon-based Hizballah militia and Israel continued attacks and counterattacks against each other after Syria's withdrawal, and fought a brief war in 2006. Lebanon's borders with Syria and Israel remain unresolved.


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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
Land: 10,230 km²
Water: 170 km²
Rank: 169
Comparative: about one-third the size of Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 484 km
Border countries: (2) Israel 81 km; , Syria 403 km

Coastline: 225 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; the Lebanon Mountains experience heavy winter snows

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 1250 m
Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 63.3% (2011 est.)
Forest: 13.4% (2011 est.)
Other: 23.3% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 1040 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes; dust storms, sandstorms

Geography
Note: smallest country in continental Asia; 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


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Population
Distribution: the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density: 6,100,075 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 110
Growth rate: -3.13% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 234
Below poverty line: 28.6% (2004 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.32% (male 728,025 /female 694,453)
15-24 years: 16.04% (male 500,592 /female 477,784)
25-54 years: 45.27% (male 1,398,087 /female 1,363,386)
55-64 years: 8.34% (male 241,206 /female 267,747)
65 years and over: 7.03% (male 185,780 /female 243,015) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 47.3 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 35.3 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 12 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 8.3 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.3 years (2018 est.)
Male: 30.7 years
Female: 31.9 years
Rank: 111

Population growth rate: -3.13% (2018 est.)
Rank: 234

Birth rate: 14.1 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 134

Death rate: 5.1 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 193

Net migration rate: -40.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 228

Population distribution: the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

Urbanization
Urban population: 88.8% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.75% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 2.407 million BEIRUT (capital) (2019)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil deterioration, erosion; desertification; species loss; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills; waste-water management
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.2 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 7.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.8 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 160

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.9 years (2018 est.)
Male: 76.6 years
Female: 79.3 years
Rank: 66

Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 167

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 54.5% (2009)

Drinking water source
Urban: 1% of population
Rural: 1% of population
Total: 1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 8% (2016)

Physicians density: 2.27 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 19.3% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 19.3% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 19.3% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate note: <.1% (2018 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,500 (2018 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 134
Deaths note: <100 (2018 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 32% (2016)
Rank: 19

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 2.5% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 161

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.9%
Male: 96%
Female: 91.8% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 11 years (2014)

Youth unemployment


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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
Etymology: derives from the Semitic root lbn meaning white and refers to snow-capped Mount Lebanon

Government type: parliamentary republic

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: etymology: derived from the Canaanite or Phoenician word 'ber'ot,' meaning 'the wells' or 'fountain,' which referred to the site's accessible water table

Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beqaa (Bekaa), Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord (North Lebanon), Liban-Sud (South Lebanon), Mont-Liban (Mount Lebanon), Nabatiye

Dependent areas

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

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Constitution
History: drafted 15 May 1926, adopted 23 May 1926
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic and introduced as a government bill to the National Assembly or proposed by at least 10 members of the Assembly and agreed upon by two thirds of its members; if proposed by the National Assembly, review and approval by two-thirds majority of the Cabinet is required; if approved, the proposal is next submitted to the Cabinet for drafting as an amendment; Cabinet approval requires at least two-thirds majority, followed by submission to the National Assembly for discussion and vote; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of a required two-thirds quorum of the Assembly membership and promulgation by the president; amended several times, last in 2004 (2019)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Lebanon
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Suffrage: 21 years of age; authorized for all men and women regardless of religion; excludes persons convicted of felonies and other crimes or those imprisoned; excludes all military and security service personnel regardless of rank

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Michel AWN (since 31 October 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister-designate Hassan DIAB (since 19 December 2019)
Cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and National Assembly
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly with two-thirds majority vote in the first round and if needed absolute majority vote in a second round for a 6-year term (eligible for non-consecutive terms); last held on 31 October 2016 (next to be held in 2022); prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; deputy prime minister determined during cabinet formation
Election results: Michel AWN elected president in second round; National Assembly vote - Michel AWN (FPM) 83; note - in the initial election held on 23 April 2014, no candidate received the required two-thirds vote, and subsequent attempts failed because the Assembly lacked the necessary quorum to hold a vote; the president was finally elected in its 46th attempt on 31 October 2016

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Nuwab in Arabic or Assemblee Nationale in French (128 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms); in 2017, the Assembly changed the electoral system from majoritarian to proporional representation
Elections: last held on 6 May 2018 (next to be held in 2022)
Election results: 

percent of vote by coalition - NA; seats by coalition - Strong Lebanon Bloc (Free Patriotic Movement-led) 25; Future Bloc (Future Movement-led) 20; Development and Liberation Bloc (Amal Movement-led) 16; Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc (Hizballah-led) 15; Strong Republic Bloc (Lebanese Forces-led) 15; Democratic Gathering (Progressive Socialist Party-led) 9; Independent Centre Bloc (Mikati-led) 4; National Bloc (Marada Movement-led) 3; Syrian Social Nationalist Party 3; Tashnaq 3; Kata’ib 3; other 8; independent 4;  composition - men 122, women 6, percent of women 4.6%

: note: Lebanon’s constitution states the National Assembly cannot conduct regular business until it elects a president when the position is vacant

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (organized into 8 chambers, each with a presiding judge and 2 associate judges); Constitutional Council (consists of 10 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by Supreme Judicial Council, a 10-member body headed by the chief justice, and includes other judicial officials; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Council members appointed - 5 by the Council of Ministers and 5 by parliament; members serve 5-year terms
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance; specialized tribunals, religious courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders: Al-Ahbash or Association of Islamic Charitable Projects [Adnan TARABULSI]Amal Movement [Nabih BERRI]Azm Movement [Najib MIQATI]Ba’th Arab Socialist Party of Lebanon [Fayiz SHUKR]Free Patriotic Movement or FPM [Gibran BASSIL]Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad al-HARIRI]Hizballah [Hassan NASRALLAH]Islamic Actions Front [Sheikh Zuhayr al-JU’AYD]Kata'ib Party [Sami GEMAYEL]Lebanese Democratic Party [Talal ARSLAN]Lebanese Forces or LF [Samir JA'JA]Marada Movement [Sulayman FRANJIEH]Progressive Socialist Party or PSP [Walid JUNBLATT]Social Democrat Hunshaqian Party [Sabuh KALPAKIAN]Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Hanna al-NASHIF]Tashnaq or Armenian Revolutionary Federation [Hagop PAKRADOUNIAN]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-6,300
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 939-6,324
In the us consulate: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth H. RICHARD (since 17 May 2016)
From the us telephone: [961] (4) 542,600, 543,600
From the us embassy: Awkar, Lebanon (Awkar facing the Municipality), Main Street
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6,070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20,521-6,070
From the us FAX: [961] (4) 544,136

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; the red bands symbolize blood shed for liberation, the white band denotes peace, the snow of the mountains, and purity; the green cedar tree is the symbol of Lebanon and represents eternity, steadiness, happiness, and prosperity

National symbols: cedar tree; national colors: red, white, green

National anthem
Name: Kulluna lil-watan (All Of Us, For Our Country!)
Lyricsmusic: Rachid NAKHLE/Wadih SABRA: note: adopted 1927; chosen following a nationwide competition

National heritage


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Economy overview: Lebanon has a free-market economy and a strong laissez-faire commercial tradition. The government does not restrict foreign investment; however, the investment climate suffers from red tape, corruption, arbitrary licensing decisions, complex customs procedures, high taxes, tariffs, and fees, archaic legislation, and inadequate intellectual property rights protection. The Lebanese economy is service-oriented; main growth sectors include banking and tourism.The 1975-90 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and derailed Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern banking hub. Following the civil war, Lebanon rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily, mostly from domestic banks, which saddled the government with a huge debt burden. Pledges of economic and financial reforms made at separate international donor conferences during the 2000s have mostly gone unfulfilled, including those made during the Paris III Donor Conference in 2007, following the July 2006 war. The 'CEDRE' investment event hosted by France in April 2018 again rallied the international community to assist Lebanon with concessional financing and some grants for capital infrastructure improvements, conditioned upon long-delayed structural economic reforms in fiscal management, electricity tariffs, and transparent public procurement, among many others.The Syria conflict cut off one of Lebanon's major markets and a transport corridor through the Levant. The influx of nearly one million registered and an estimated 300,000 unregistered Syrian refugees has increased social tensions and heightened competition for low-skill jobs and public services. Lebanon continues to face several long-term structural weaknesses that predate the Syria crisis, notably, weak infrastructure, poor service delivery, institutionalized corruption, and bureaucratic over-regulation. Chronic fiscal deficits have increased Lebanon’s debt-to-GDP ratio, the third highest in the world; most of the debt is held internally by Lebanese banks. These factors combined to slow economic growth to the 1-2% range in 2011-17, after four years of averaging 8% growth. Weak economic growth limits tax revenues, while the largest government expenditures remain debt servicing, salaries for government workers, and transfers to the electricity sector. These limitations constrain other government spending, limiting its ability to invest in necessary infrastructure improvements, such as water, electricity, and transportation. In early 2018, the Lebanese government signed long-awaited contract agreements with an international consortium for petroleum exploration and production as part of the country’s first offshore licensing round. Exploration is expected to begin in 2019.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 92

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 172

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 91

Gross national saving:
Rank: 181

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 87.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 13.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 23.6% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -46.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 13.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 83% (2017 est.)

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

Industries: banking, tourism, real estate and construction, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Industrial production growth rate: -21.1% (2017 est.)
Rank: 201

Labor force:
Rank: 123
By occupation agriculture: 39%
By occupation note: NA (2009 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9.7% (2007)
Rank: 138

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 28.6% (2004 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 11.62 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 15.38 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -6.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 193

Taxes and other revenues: 21.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 136

Public debt:
Rank: 4

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 167

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 22

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 103

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 90

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 92

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 55

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 73

Current account balance:
Rank: 193

Exports:
Rank: 123
Partners: China 13%, UAE 9.9%, South Africa 7.5%, Saudi Arabia 6.5%, Syria 6.5%, Iraq 5.8%, Turkey 4.6% (2017)
Commodities: jewelry, base metals, chemicals, consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Imports:
Rank: 81
Commodities: petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals
Partners: China 10.2%, Italy 8.9%, Greece 7%, Germany 6.6%, US 6.3%, Turkey 4.5%, Egypt 4.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 37

Debt external:
Rank: 76

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 56

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 61

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 17.59 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 82
Consumption: 15.71 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 77
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 157
Imports: 69 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 104
Installed generating capacity: 2.346 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 110
Generation sources fossil fuels: 88% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 59
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 126
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 11% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 114
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 158

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 161
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 153
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 151
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 156

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 164
Products consumption: 154,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 65
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 170
Products imports: 151,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 41

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 156
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 166
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 137
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 147
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 157

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 23.36 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 83

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,816,262
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 60
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 4,890,534
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 79 (July 2016 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 122

Telephone system
General assessment: new landlines and fiber-optic networks installed along with faster DSL in 2017; two mobile-cellular networks provide good service, with 4G LTE services; preparing for 5G service; future improvements to fiber-optic infrastructure for total nation coverage in 2020 (2018)
Domestic: fixed-line 17 per 100 and 79 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2018)
International: country code - 961; landing points for the IMEWE, BERYTAR AND CADMOS submarine cable links to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

Broadcast media: 7 TV stations, 1 of which is state owned; more than 30 radio stations, 1 of which is state owned; satellite and cable TV services available; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible through partner stations (2019)

Internet
Country code: .lb
Users total: 4,747,542
Users percent of population: 76.1% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 79

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1.3 million
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (2017 est.)
Rank: 65


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 7

Military and security forces: Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army Command (includes Presidential Guard Brigade, Land Border Regiments), Naval Forces, Air Forces; Ministry of Interior: Lebanese Internal Security Forces Directorate (includes Mobile Gendarmerie) (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 17-25 years of age for voluntary military service (including women); no conscription (2019)

Space program

Terrorist groups
Home based Abdallah Azzam Brigades:
Home based Asbat alAnsar:
Home based Hizballah:
Home based Islamic State of Iraq and ashSham:
Foreign based alAqsa Martyrs Brigade:
Foreign based alNusrah FrontalQaida: aim(s): bolster networks in Lebanon and, ultimately, establish a regional Islamic caliphatearea(s) of operation: in the east in the Bekaa Valley and along the Lebanon-Syria border; targets Lebanese Government institutions, security forces, and Lebanese civilians (2018)
Foreign based Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force: 

aim(s): support Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement to advance Shia agenda through funding, training, and weapons area(s) of operations: Beirut, Bekaa Valley, southern Lebanon

(2019)
Foreign based Palestine Liberation Front: aim(s): enhance its networks in Lebanon and, ultimately, destroy the state of Israel to establish a secular, Marxist Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capitalarea(s) of operation: maintains a recruitment and training presence in many refugee camps (2018)
Foreign based PFLPGeneral Command: aim(s): enhance recruitment and operational networks in Lebanonarea(s) of operation: recruits young men living in Palestinian refugee camps, including camps in the Bekaa Valley (2018)
Foreign based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: aim(s): enhance its recruitment network in Lebanon and, ultimately, establish a secular, Marxist Palestinian statearea(s) of operation: recruits youths residing in the countrys Palestinian refugee camps (2018)


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 21 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,583,274 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 53,902,026
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: OD (2016)

Airports: 8 (2013)
Rank: 161
With paved runways total: 5 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: 88 km gas (2013)

Railways
Total: 401 km (2017)
Standard gauge: 319 km
Note: 1.050-m gauge (2017)
Narrow gauge: 82 km: note: rail system is still unusable due to damage sustained from fighting in the 1980s and in 2006
Rank: 119

Roadways
Total: 21,705 km (2017)
Rank: 109

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 55
By type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 1, general cargo 40, oil tanker 1, other 12 (2018)
Rank: 112

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Beirut, Tripoli
Container port: Beirut (1,305,038) (2017)


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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-controlled Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon has been in place since 1978

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 916,113 (Syria), 475,075 (Palestinian refugees) (2019)
IDPs: 11,000 (2007 Lebanese security forces destruction of Palestinian refugee camp) (2018)
Stateless persons: undetermined (2016); note - tens of thousands of persons are stateless in Lebanon, including many Palestinian refugees and their descendants, Syrian Kurds denaturalized in Syria in 1962, children born to Lebanese women married to foreign or stateless men; most babies born to Syrian refugees, and Lebanese children whose births are unregistered

Illicit drugs: Lebanon is a transit country for hashish, cocaine, heroin, and fenethylene; fenethylene, cannabis, hashish, and some opium are produced in the Bekaa Valley; 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