Background: Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty 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 25,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut North Lebanon and 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 the continued weakness of the LAF 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 of 2000 however has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well.

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: 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: 18%
Permanent crops: 9%
Permanent pastures: 1%
Forests and woodland: 8%
Other: 64% (1996 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: 3,627,774 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.38% (2001 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 27.57% (male 509,975; female 490,031)
15-64 years: 65.72% (male 1,136,995; female 1,247,184)
65 years and over: 6.71% (male 110,964; female 132,625) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.38% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 20.16 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.39 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 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, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 28.35 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.52 years
Male: 69.13 years
Female: 74.03 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.09% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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 (mohafazat singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth Ech Chimal Ej Jnoub El Bekaa Jabal Loubnane

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 (Taif 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

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)
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
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 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 WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. 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 M. SATTERFIELD
From the us embassy: Antelias, Beirut
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 9,836-0002
From the us telephone: [961] (4) 543,600, 543,600
From the us fax: [961] (4) 544,136

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 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 has 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% per year in 1996 and 1997 but slowed to 2% in 1998 -1% in 1999 and 1% in 2000. Annual inflation fell during the course of the 1990s from more than 100% to 0% and foreign exchange reserves jumped from $1.4 billion to more than $6 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have generated foreign payments surpluses and the Lebanese pound has remained very stable for the past two years. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. Solidere a $2-billion firm has managed 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 funded reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange reserves and by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. The newly re-installed HARIRI government's announced policies fail to address the ever-increasing budgetary deficits and national debt burden. The gap between rich and poor has widened in the 1990s resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution of the reconstruction's benefits.

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12%
Industry: 27%
Services: 61% (1999 est.)

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 (1997 est.)
By occupation services: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation agriculture: NA%

Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.)

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

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

Budget
Revenues: $3.31 billion
Expenditures: $5.55 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0% (2000 est.)

Exports: $700 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs and tobacco textiles chemicals precious stones metal and metal products electrical equipment and products jewelry paper and paper products
Partners: UAE 9% Saudi Arabia 8% Syria 6% US 6% Kuwait 6% France 5% Belgium 5% Jordan 4% (1999)

Imports: $6.2 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment consumer goods chemicals textiles metals fuels agricultural foods
Partners: Italy 13% France 11% Germany 8% US 7% Switzerland 6% Japan UK Syria (1999)

Debt external: $9.6 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1507.5 (January 2001) 1507.5 (2000) 1507.8 (1999) 1516.1 (1998) 1539.5 (1997) 1571.4 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 7.748 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 91.29%
Production by source hydro: 8.71%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 7.86 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 654 million kWh (1999)

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

Internet
Country code: .lb
Service providers isps: 22 (2000)
Users: 227,500 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $343 million (FY99/00)
Percent of gdp: 4.8% (FY99/00)

Airports: 8 (2000 est.)
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 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 72 km (none in operation)

Railways
Total: 399 km (mostly unusable because of damage in civil war)
Standard gauge: 317 km 1.435-m
Narrow gauge: 82 km (1999)

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 379,705 GRT/592,672 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 42, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 3
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Netherlands 1, Syria 1 (2000 est.)

Disputes international: Syrian troops in northern central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a part of Lebanon from which Hizballah conducts cross-border attacks