Lebanon
Republic of LebanonAl Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
republicIndependence 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate
Lebanon as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 87 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between | Israel and Syria
15 fieldsInternational disputes
Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
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
- lowest point:
- Mediterranean Sea 0 m
- highest point:
- Jabal al Makmal 3,087 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
- natural hazards:
- dust storms, sandstorms
- international agreements:
- party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
- signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geographic 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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 36% (male 687,631; female 662,100)
- 15-64 years:
- 59% (male 1,049,689; female 1,163,255)
- 65 years and over:
- 5% (male 98,406; female 115,236) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.9 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.85 male(s)/female
- all ages:
- 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
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%
Government
Republic; President Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989) was elected for a six-year term by the National Assembly and in 1995 the National Assembly amended the constitution to extend his term by three years; Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI (since 22 October 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Michel al-MURR (since NA) were appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly
21 fieldsLegislature, 128 seatsone dot, one seat
Name of country
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Lebanon
- conventional short form:
- Lebanon
- local long form:
- Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
- local short form:
- none
Administrative divisions
5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Biqa', Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan
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 Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989) was elected for a six-year term by the National Assembly and in 1995 the National Assembly amended the constitution to extend his term by three years;
- note - 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
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI (since 22 October 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Michel al-MURR (since NA) were appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly
- cabinet:
- Cabinet was chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the members of the National Assembly; the current Cabinet was formed in 1995
National Assembly (Arabic - Majlis Alnuwab French - Assembl
- elections last held in the summer of 1992 (next to be held NA 1996);
- results - percent of vote NA;
- seats - (128 total, one-half Christian and one-half Muslim) independents 128
Judicial branch
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)
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, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Riyad TABBARAH
- chancery:
- 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 939-6300
US diplomatic representation
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Richard H. JONES
- embassy:
- Antelias, Beirut
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002
- telephone:
- [961] (1) 402200, 403300, 406650, 406651, 426183, 417774, 889926
Flag
three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band
Economy
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.
21 fieldsGDP composition by sector(1995 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 1,220,000 kW
Economic 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. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid are the main sources of foreign exchange. In the relatively settled year of 1991, industrial production, agricultural output, and exports showed substantial gains.
The rebuilding of the war-ravaged country was delayed in 1992 because of an upturn in political wrangling. In October 1992, Rafiq al-HARIRI was appointed prime minister. A billionaire entrepreneur, al-HARIRI, announced ambitious plans for Lebanon's reconstruction, which involve a substantial influx of foreign aid and investment.
The economy has posted considerable gains since 1992, with GDP rebounding, inflation falling, and foreign capital inflows jumping. Signs of strain have emerged in recent years, however, as the government budget deficit has risen and grassroots economic dissatisfaction has grown. Meantime, the future fate of Lebanon and its economy is being determined largely by outside forces - in Syria, other Arab nations, Israel, and the West.
Industries
banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricating
Illicit drugs
- illicit producer of hashish and heroin for the international drug trade;
- hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America;
- a key locus of cocaine processing and trafficking;
- a Lebanese/Syrian 1994 eradication campaign practically eliminated the opium crop and caused a 50% decrease in the cannabis crop
Exports
$1 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
- commodities:
- agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products
- partners:
- Saudi Arabia 13%, Switzerland 12%, UAE 11%, Syria 9%, US 5%
Imports
$7.3 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
- commodities:
- consumer goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
- partners:
- Italy 14%, France 9%, US 8%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
Exchange rates
Lebanese pounds (LL) per US$1 - 1,584.0 (March 1996), 1,621.4 (1995), 1,680.1 (1994), 1,741.4 (1993), 1,712.8 (1992), 928.2 (1991)
Transportation
6 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 7 in all
Networkskm
Ports
Al Batrun, Al Mina, An Naqurah, Antilyas, Az Zahrani, Beirut, Jubayl, Juniyah, Shikka, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Merchant marine
- total:
- 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 192,075 GRT/296,256 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 4, cargo 39, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, livestock carrier 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air | Force)
9 fieldsTelephone system
telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding still 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
Radio broadcast stations
AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 1 note: more than 100 AM and FM stations are operated sporadically by various factions
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Lebanon.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/lebanon/1996.