Background: Following World War I France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920 and granted this area independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war (1975-90) devastated the country but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war Lebanon has conducted several successful elections. Most militias have been reduced or disbanded with the exception of Hizballah designated by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Palestinian militant groups. During Lebanon's civil war the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the passage in September 2004 of UNSCR 1559 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 22 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ('the Cedar Revolution') and Syria withdrew the remainder of its military forces in April 2005. In May-June 2005 Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference handing a majority to the bloc led by Sa'ad HARIRI the slain prime minister's son. In July 2006 Hizballah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers leading to a 34-day conflict with Israel in which approximately 1200 Lebanese civilians were killed. UNSCR 1701 ended the war in August 2006 and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed throughout the country for the first time in decades charged with securing Lebanon's borders against weapons smuggling and maintaining a weapons-free zone in south Lebanon with the help of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The LAF in May-September 2007 battled Sunni extremist group Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Barid Palestinian refugee camp winning a decisive victory but destroying the camp and displacing 30,000 Palestinian residents. Lebanese politicians in November 2007 were unable to agree on a successor to Emile LAHUD when he stepped down as president creating a political vacuum until the election of LAF Commander Gen. Michel SULAYMAN in May 2008 and the formation of a new unity government in July 2008. Legislative elections in June 2009 again produced victory for the bloc led by Sa'ad HARIRI but a period of prolonged negotiation over the composition of the cabinet ensued. A national unity government was finally formed in November 2009 and approved by the National Assembly the following month. Inspired by the popular revolts that began in late 2010 against dictatorships across the Middle East and North Africa marches and demonstrations in Lebanon were directed instead against sectarian politics. Although the protests gained some traction they were limited in size and unsuccessful in changing the system. Opposition politicians collapsed the national unity government under Prime Minister Sa'ad HARIRI in February 2011. After several months in caretaker status the government named Najib MIQATI Prime Minister.

Geographic coordinates: 33 50 N 35 50 E

Area
Rank: 170
Comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Coastline: 225 km

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

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

Irrigated land: 900 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 4.8 km³ (1997)

Natural hazards: dust storms sandstorms

Geography
Note: 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

Population: 4,140,289 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 126
Growth rate: -0.38% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 215
Below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.)

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

Languages: Arabic (official) French English Armenian

Religions: Muslim 59.7% (Shia Sunni Druze Isma'ilite Alawite or Nusayri) Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic Greek Orthodox Melkite Catholic Armenian Orthodox Syrian Catholic Armenian Catholic Syrian Orthodox Roman Catholic Chaldean Assyrian Coptic Protestant) other 1.3%

Population growth rate: -0.38% (2012 est.)
Rank: 215

Birth rate: 14.92 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 135

Death rate: 6.63 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 145

Net migration rate: -12.08 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 213

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

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 112

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 92

Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 164

Physicians density: 3.54 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 3.5 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 136
People living with hivaids: 3,600 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 124
Deaths: fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 92

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2004)
Rank: 43

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 4.2% (2004)
Rank: 91

Education expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 158

Government type: republic

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

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 in 1990 to include changes necessitated by the Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

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

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

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Nuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Constitutional Council (rules on the constitutionality of laws); Judicial Council (for politically sensitive and serious criminal cases); Supreme Council (for charges against the president and prime minister as needed); Courts of Cassation (3 for civil and commercial cases and 1 for criminal cases); judicial courts (for first instance civil commercial and criminal cases); administrative courts (for issues arising from decisions issued by the state or its branches); religious courts (for issues of personal status family; Lebanon recognizes 18 religous denominations); military courts (for issues related to military and national security)

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)

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

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 weak intellectual property rights. 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 entrepot and banking hub. Following the civil war Lebanon rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks - saddling 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 collapse of the government in early 2011 over its backing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and unrest in neighboring Syria slowed economic growth to the 1-2% range in 2011-12 after four years of 8% average growth. In September 2011 the Cabinet endorsed a bill that would provide $1.2 billion in funding to improve Lebanon's downtrodden electricity sector but fiscal limitations will test the government's ability to invest in other areas such as water.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 88

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 141

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 78

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

Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2010 est.)
Rank: 119

Labor force: 1.481 million
Rank: 130

Unemployment rate: NA%

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

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -7.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 194

Taxes and other revenues: 22.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 140

Public debt: 134% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 6

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 149

Central bank discount rate: 10% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 25

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.53% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 122

Stock of narrow money: $4.072 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 105

Stock of broad money: $92 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 56

Stock of domestic credit: $69.65 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 60

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 67

Current account balance: -$4.163 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Exports: $5.386 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 110
Commodities: jewelry base metals chemicals miscellaneous consumer goods fruit and vegetables tobacco construction minerals electric power machinery and switchgear textile fibers paper
Partners: UAE 13.1% Iraq 8.4% Saudi Arabia 7.7% Turkey 7% Syria 6.7% Switzerland 5.5% (2011)

Imports: $19.3 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 76
Commodities: petroleum products cars medicinal products clothing meat and live animals consumer goods paper textile fabrics tobacco electrical machinery and equipment chemicals
Partners: US 10.2% Italy 9.3% France 8.8% China 8.2% Egypt 5.3% Germany 5.1% Turkey 4% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $48.14 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 34

Debt external: $29.47 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 68

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 12.98 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 88
Consumption: 12.34 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 82
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 90
Imports: 1.155 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 57
Installed generating capacity: 2.314 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 99
Generation sources fossil fuels: 87.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 81
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 124
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 12.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 111
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 148

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 154
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 141
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 206
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 153

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 164
Products consumption: 106,700 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 77
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 192
Products imports: 102,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 49

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 152
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 164
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 102
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 90
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 157

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 15.24 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 90

Telephones
Main lines in use: 900,000 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 82
Mobile cellular: 3.35 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 121

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 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .lb
Hosts: 64,926 (2012)
Hosts rank: 91
Users: 1 million (2009)
Users rank: 98

Military expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 39

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-24 years of age for officer candidates; no conscription (2012)

Airports: 7 (2012)
Rank: 170

Pipelines: gas 102 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 116

Roadways
Rank: 148

Merchant marine
Rank: 85

Ports and terminals: Beirut Tripoli

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-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon has been in place since 1978

Illicit drugs: cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002 despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium poppy cultivation minimal; 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 a