2010 Edition

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 (1975-1990) 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 as well. 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 1,200 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. In January 2010, Lebanon assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.

Area

land

10,230 sq km

total

10,400 sq km

water

170 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Climate

Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Coastline

225 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m

lowest point

Mediterranean Sea 0 m

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

385 cu m/yr (2000)

total

1.38 cu km/yr (33%/1%/67%)

Geographic coordinates

33 50 N, 35 50 E

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

Irrigated land

1,040 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

total

454 km

Land use

arable land

16.35%

other

69.9% (2005)

permanent crops

13.75%

Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

4.8 cu km (1997)

Age structure

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 528,047/female 506,838) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,294,485/female 1,399,047) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 130,148/female 158,530) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

15.1 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

6.46 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

2% of GDP (2008)

Ethnic groups

Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 200 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

16.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

16.52 deaths/1,000 live births

total

16.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Life expectancy at birth

female

76.36 years (2010 est.)

male

73.28 years

total population

74.79 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

82.2% (2003 est.)

male

93.1%

total population

87.4%

Median age

female

30.5 years (2010 est.)

male

28.3 years

total

29.4 years

Nationality

adjective

Lebanese

noun

Lebanese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

-2.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Population

4,125,247 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.621% (2010 est.)

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, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3% note: 17 religious sects recognized

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2009)

male

13 years

total

14 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.78 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

87% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beqaa, Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye note: two new governorates - Aakar and Baalbek-Hermel - have been legislated but not yet implemented

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

33 52 N, 35 30 E

name

Beirut

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Country name

conventional long form

Lebanese Republic

conventional short form

Lebanon

former

Greater Lebanon

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

local short form

Lubnan

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Maura CONNELLY

embassy

Awkar, Lebanon (Awkar facing the Municipality)

FAX

[961] (4) 544136

mailing address

P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070

telephone

[961] (4) 542600, 543600

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Antoine CHEDID

consulate(s) general

Detroit, New York, Los Angeles

FAX

[1] (202) 939-6324

telephone

[1] (202) 939-6300

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly; note - the Cabinet resigned on 12 January 2010 following the resignation of over a third of the ministers (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President Michel SULAYMAN (since 25 May 2008)

election results

Michel SULAYMAN elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 for, 6 abstentions, 3 invalidated; 1 seat unfilled due to death of incumbent

elections

president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 25 May 2008 (next to be held in 2014); the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Najib MIQATI (since 25 January 2011)

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

Government type

republic

Independence

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

International organization participation

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, 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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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)

Legal system

mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; the constitutional court reviews laws only after they have been passed; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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)

election results

percent of vote by group - March 8 Coalition 54.7%, March 14 Coalition 45.3%; seats by group - March 14 Coalition 71; March 8 Coalition 57

elections

last held on 7 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Rachid NAKHLE/Wadih SABRA note: adopted 1927; the anthem was chosen following a nationwide competition

name

"Kulluna lil-watan" (All Of Us, For Our Country!)

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Political parties and leaders

14 March Coalition: Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad al-HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Amine GEMAYEL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Tripoli Independent Bloc 8 March Coalition: Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, leader of Amal Movement]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc [Mohammad RA'AD] (includes Hizballah [Hassan NASRALLAH]); Nasserite Popular Movement [Usama SAAD]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Syrian Ba'th Party [Sayez SHUKR]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]; Tashnaq [Hovig MEKHITIRIAN]

Independent

Democratic Gathering Bloc [Walid JUNBLATT, leader of Progressive Socialist Party]; Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Maronite Church [Patriarch Nasrallah SFAYR]

other

note - most sects retain militias and a number of militant groups operate in Palestinian refugee camps

Suffrage

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

Agriculture - products

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

Central bank discount rate

10% (31 December 2009) 12% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.57% (31 December 2009 est.) 9.96% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$6.972 billion (2010 est.) -$7.555 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$34.45 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $31.89 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

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, 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 all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government in 2000 began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and passing legislation to privatize state enterprises, but economic and financial reform initiatives stalled and public debt continued to grow despite receipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance at the 2002 Paris II Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah conflict in July-August 2006 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal reform and privatization program. An 18-month political stalemate and sporadic sectarian and political violence hampered economic activity, particularly tourism, retail sales, and investment, until the new government was formed in July 2008. Political stability following the Doha Accord of May 2008 helped boost tourism and, together with a strong banking sector, enabled real GDP growth of 7% per year in 2009-10 despite a slowdown in the region.

Electricity - consumption

9.793 billion kWh (2009)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

1.114 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production

10.41 billion kWh (2009)

Exchange rates

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2010), 1,507.5 (2009), 1,507.5 (2008), 1,507.5 (2007), 1,507.5 (2006)

Exports

$5.187 billion (2010 est.) $4.716 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

jewelry, base metals, chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Exports - partners

Switzerland 22%, UAE 10%, Iraq 8%, Saudi Arabia 7% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

5.1%

industry

15.9%

services

79% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$14,200 (2010 est.) $13,300 (2009 est.) $12,700 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

7.2% (2010 est.) 6.9% (2009 est.) 9.3% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$39.15 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$58.65 billion (2010 est.) $54.71 billion (2009 est.) $51.18 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$17.97 billion (2010 est.) $15.9 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

US 11%, France 10%, China 9%, Italy 8%, Germany 8%, Turkey 4%, Ukraine 4.55%, Turkey 4.5% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

2.1% (2010 est.)

Industries

banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.7% (2010 est.) 1.2% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

30.8% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

1.481 million note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$12.89 billion (31 December 2009) $9.641 billion (31 December 2008) $10.86 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

90,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2009)

Oil - imports

86,750 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

28% (1999 est.)

Public debt

150.7% of GDP (2010 est.) 154.8% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$41.57 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $39.16 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$92.01 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $82.07 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$62.68 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $56.98 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$3.692 billion (31 December 2010 est) $3.21 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Broadcast media

7 TV stations in operation, 1 of which is state-owned; more than 30 radio stations, 1 of which is state-owned; satellite and cable TV services are available; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible through partner stations (2007)

Internet country code

.lb

Internet hosts

51,451 (2010)

Internet users

1 million (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

two mobile-cellular networks provide good service; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 55 per 100 persons

general assessment

repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete

international

country code - 961; submarine cable links to Cyprus, Egypt, and Syria; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

750,000 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.526 million (2009)

Airports

7 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 3, cargo 12, carrier 11, refrigerated cargo 1, vehicle carrier 2

foreign-owned

3 (Syria 3)

registered in other countries

40 (Barbados 2, Cambodia 6, Comoros 3, Egypt 1, Georgia 1, Honduras 2, Liberia 1, Malta 7, Moldova 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Syria 2, Togo 6, unknown 2) (2010)

total

29

Pipelines

gas 43 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Beirut, Tripoli

Railways

narrow gauge

82 km 1.050 m note: rail system unusable because of the damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2008)

standard gauge

319 km 1.435 m

total

401 km

Roadways

total

6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,075,503 females age 16-49: 1,112,139 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 917,404 females age 16-49: 940,238 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

36,072 (2010 est.)

male

37,856

Military branches

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)

Army ((Al Jaysh al Lubnaniya) includes Navy (Al Quwwat al Bahiriyya al Lubnaniya), Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Lubnaniya)) (2010)

Military expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2007)

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 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) 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 are benefiting from drug trafficking page last updated on January 25, 2011 ======================================================================

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000 (July-August 2006 war) (2007)

refugees (country of origin)

405,425 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq)