Lebanon
Lebanon is a beautiful country situated between 3 continents, a country of extremes in many ways. It is finally emerging from a 15 year civil war that ravaged the country and is returning to its former glory as the "Switzerland of the Middle East".
Geography
Lebanon is a tiny country - measuring just 10,400 sq km in size. It borders mainly with Syria, but also with Israel and has 225km of beautiful and varied coastline. The capital of Lebanon is Beirut. The regional capitals of Lebanon are: Tripoli, Ba'bda, Zahle, Beirut and Nabatiyeh.
Because of Lebanon's size and natural geography, it is possible in the Spring to ski in the Mountains of Mount Lebanon in the morning, and swim in the Mediterranean Sea in the afternoon.
People
The population of Lebanon is 3,777,218 (July 2004 est.). However it is important to keep in mind that there are over a million foreign workers in Lebanon, as well as almost 300,000 Palestinian refugees situated in camps around Lebanon.
Lebanese people can be divided in to 3 main ethnic groups - 95% are Arab, 4% are Armenian, and 1% are of other ethnic groups.
In Lebanon, there are 17 religious sects recognized. However there are 2 main religions which dominate the country - Islam and Christianity. Around 59% of the population of Lebanon are Muslim (Shia, Sunni, Druze etc.) and 39% are Christian (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Orthodox etc.) and the remaining 2% are of other religious groups.
Language
The official language of Lebanon is Arabic, although French and English are widely spoken.
Economy
The Lebanese economy suffered massively as a result of the 15 year civil war (1975-1990). Before the civil war, it was a major banking and commercial hub, and was a favoured tourist attraction for Europeans and Arabs.
Despite the destruction that the war has brought about, Lebanon has made major leaps in rebuilding itself since the end of the war. In 2004 the real GDP increased by 5%, which is a great achievement. As well as that, the war-torn downtown Beirut, where most of the fighting occurred between the Christian East Beirut and the Muslim West Beirut has been completely re-built, emerging as a regional hub for historical, commercial, shopping and nightlife in the area. The civilisations that have taken over Beirut (Phoenician, Canaanite, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Crusader and Mamluke) make it a cultural melting pot of civilisations.
Pictures
Flag of Lebanon
Beirut City
Al Maarad Street (C/O www.lebanongallery.com)
Birds eye view of Beirut Central District (C/O www.lebmania.com)
Baalbeck, Aerial View of the Roman Ruins
The Port of Byblos (Jbeil)
The Cedars of Lebanon
Douma
Jbeil
Place de l'étole, Beirut (C/O www.traveljournals.net)
