Background: Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty since the end of the devastating 16-year civil war, which ended in 1991. 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 civil war, the Lebanese have formed six cabinets, conducted two legislative elections, and held their first municipal elections in 35 years. Most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has seized vast quantities of weapons used by the militias during the war and extended central government authority over about one-half of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Foreign forces still occupy areas of Lebanon. Israel maintains troops in southern Lebanon and continues to support a proxy militia, the Army of South Lebanon (ASL), along a narrow stretch of territory contiguous to its border. The ASL's enclave encompasses this self-declared security zone and about 20 kilometers north to the strategic town of Jazzin. Syria maintains about 25,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Citing the continued weakness of the LAF, Beirut's requests, and failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord, Damascus has so far refused to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

Geographic coordinates: 33 50 N, 35 50 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 10,400 km²
Land: 10,230 km²
Water: 170 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; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Jabal al Makmal 3,087 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 21%
Permanent crops: 9%
Permanent pastures: 1%
Forests and woodland: 8%
Other: 61% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 860 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms

Geography
Note: Nahr al 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: 3,562,699 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.61% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

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

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

Religions: Islam 70% (5 legally recognized Islamic groups_Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Isma'ilite, Shi'a, Sunni), Christian 30% (11 legally recognized Christian groups_4 Orthodox Christian, 6 Catholic, 1 Protestant), Judaism NEGL%

Age structure
0-14 years: 30% (male 535,596; female 515,776)
15-64 years: 64% (male 1,084,121; female 1,196,678)
65 years and over: 6% (male 105,133; female 125,395) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.61% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 22.5 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.45 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 30.53 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.93 years
Male: 68.34 years
Female: 73.66 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 86.4%
Male: 90.8%
Female: 82.2% (1997 est.)

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

Government type: republic

Capital: Beirut

Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular_muhafazah; Al Biqa', Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan

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

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

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 Salim al-HUSS (since 4 December 1998)
Cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly; the current Cabinet was formed in 1998
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: 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 the summer of 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_NA (one-half Christian and one-half Muslim)

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)

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Farid ABBOUD
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 consulates general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David SATTERFIELD
From the us embassy: Antelias, Beirut
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 9,836-0002
From the us telephone: [961] (1) 402,200, 403,300, 426,183, 417,774, 889,926
From the us FAX: [961] (1) 407,112

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

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 has enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery has been helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers, with family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid as the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since the launch of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program in 1993. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994 and 7% in 1995 before Israel's Operation Grapes of Wrath in April 1996 stunted economic activity. During 1992-98, annual inflation fell from more than 100% to 5%, and foreign exchange reserves jumped to more than $6 billion from $1.4 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have generated foreign payments surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has remained relatively stable. Progress also has been made in rebuilding Lebanon's war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. Solidere, a $2-billion firm, is managing the reconstruction of Beirut's central business district; the stock market reopened in January 1996; and international banks and insurance companies are returning. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has had to fund reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange reserves and boosting borrowing. Reducing the government budget deficit is a major goal of the LAHUD government. The stalled peace process and ongoing violence in southern Lebanon could lead to wider hostilities that would disrupt vital capital inflows. Furthermore, the gap between rich and poor has widened in the 1990's, resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution of the reconstruction's benefits and leading the government to shift its focus from rebuilding infrastructure to improving living conditions.

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $4,500 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 23%
Services: 73% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish; 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: 25% (1993 est.)

Labor force: 1 million
Note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (1996 est.)
By occupation services: 62%
By occupation industry: 31%
By occupation agriculture: 7% (1997est.)

Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $4.9 billion
Expenditures: $7.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1998 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $711 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: foodstuffs and tobacco 20%, textiles 12%, chemicals 11%, metal and metal products 11%, electrical equipment and products 10%, jewelry 10%, paper and paper products 8% (1997)
Partners: Saudi Arabia 14%, UAE 9%, France 7%, Syria 6%, US 6%, Kuwait 4%, Jordan 4%, Turkey 4%

Imports: $7.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodities: foodstuffs 29%, machinery and transport equipment 28%, consumer goods 18%, chemicals 9%, textiles 5%, metals 5%, fuels 3%, agricultural foods 3% (1997)
Partners: Italy 13%, US 9%, France 9%, Germany 8%, Switzerland 7%, Japan 4%, UK 4%, Syria 4% (1997)

Debt external: $3 billion (1998 est.)

Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds (£L) per US$1_1,508.0 (January 1999), 1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4 (1996), 1,621.4 (1995), 1,680.1 (1994)

Electricity
Production: 8.4 billion kWh (1997 est.)
Production by source fossil fuel: 87.72%
Production by source hydro: 12.28%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 6.01 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 310 million kWh (1996)

Telephones: 150,000 (1990 est.)

Telephone system: 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

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $445 million (1997)
Percent of gdp: 5% (1997)

Airports: 9 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 7
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 72 km (none in operation)

Railways
Total: 222 km
Standard gauge: 222 km 1.435-m (from Beirut to the Syrian border)

Merchant marine
Total: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 267,562 GRT/403,252 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 41, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 3, livestock carrier 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, vehicle carrier 3 (1998 est.)

Disputes international: Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976

Illicit drugs: inconsequential producer of hashish and heroin; some heroine and cocaine processing mostly in the Bekaa valley; a Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops