Lebanon
Lebanese RepublicAl Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
republic
Lebanon as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel | and Syria
18 fieldsClimate
- Mediterranean;
- mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;
- Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Land use
- arable land:
- 21%
- permanent crops:
- 9%
- permanent pastures:
- 1%
- forests and woodland:
- 8%
- other:
- 61% (1993 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
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
- signed, but not ratified:
- Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 30% (male 532,688; female 512,979)
- 15-64 years:
- 64% (male 1,060,903; female 1,174,236)
- 65 years and over:
- 6% (male 102,946; female 122,042) (July 1998 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:
- 0.84 male(s)/female (1998 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); Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI (since 22 October 1992)
20 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- Lebanese Republic
- conventional short form:
- Lebanon
- local long form:
- Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
- local short form:
- Lubnan
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)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI (since 22 October 1992)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the members of the National Assembly; the current Cabinet was formed in 1996
- elections:
- president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term;
- election last held 24 November 1989 (next to be held NA 1998);
- note-in 1995, the National Assembly amended the constitution to extend the president's term by three years;
- 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:
- Ilyas HARAWI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held in the summer of 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-NA (one-half Christian and one-half Muslim)
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, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Mohamad Baha CHATAH
- chancery:
- 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 939-6300
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador-designate David SATTERFIELD
- embassy:
- Antelias, Beirut
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002
- telephone:
- [961] (1) 402200, 403300, 426183, 417774, 889926
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
28 fieldsGDP-composition by sector(1997 est.)
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 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, with family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid as the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since Prime Minister HARIRI launched his $18 billion "Horizon 2000" reconstruction program in 1993.
Real GDP grew 8% in 1994 and 7% in 1995 before Israel's Operation Grapes of Wrath in April 1996 stunted economic activity. During 1992-97, annual inflation fell from more than 170% to 9%, and foreign exchange reserves jumped to more than $4 billion from $1.4 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have generated foreign payments surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has remained relatively stable.
Progress also has been made in rebuilding Lebanon's war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. Solidere, a $2-billion firm, is managing 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 had to fund reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange reserves and boosting borrowing. The stalled peace process and ongoing violence in southern Lebanon could lead to wider hostilities that would disrupt vital capital inflows.
Furthermore, the gap between rich and poor has widened since HARIRI took office, resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution of the reconstruction's benefits and leading the government to shift its focus from rebuilding infrastructure to improving living conditions.
Labor force
- total:
- 1 million plus as many as 1 million foreign workers (1996 est.)
- by occupation:
- services 62%, industry 31%, agriculture 7% (1997 est.)
Industries
- banking;
- food processing;
- jewelry;
- cement;
- textiles;
- mineral and chemical products;
- wood and furniture products;
- oil refining;
- metal fabricating
Exports
- total value:
- $1.018 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
- commodities:
- paper and paper products 26%, food stuffs 16%, textiles and textile products 10%, jewelry 8%, metals and metal products 8%, electrical equipment and products 8%, chemical products 6%, transport vehicles 4% (1995)
- partners:
- UAE 23%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Kuwait 8%, Syria 7%, Jordan 5%, France 5%, Italy 4%, US 3% (1996)
Imports
- total value:
- $7.559 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
- commodities:
- machinery and transport equipment 28%, foodstuffs 20%, consumer goods 19%, chemicals 9%, textiles 5%, metals 5%, fuels 3% (1995)
- partners:
- Italy 12%, US 11%, Germany 9%, France 8%, Syria 4%, UK 4%, Japan 4% (1996)
Exchange rates
Lebanese pounds (£L) per US$1-1,526.1 (January 1998), 1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4 (1996), 1,621.4 (1995), 1,680.1 (1994), 1,741.4 (1993)
Telephone system
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
Radio broadcast stations
AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 1 note: government is licensing a limited number of the more than 100 AM and FM stations operated sporadically by various factions that sprang up during the civil war
Television broadcast stations
13 note: government is licensing a limited number of TV stations operated by various factions
Transportation
8 fieldsMerchant marine, 62 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Networkskm
Ports and harbors
Al Batrun, Al Mina', An Naqurah, Antilyas, Az Zahrani, Beirut, Jubayl, Juniyah, Shikka, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Military
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, | and Air Force)
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes-international
Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
Illicit drugs
- small illicit producer of hashish and heroin;
- hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America;
- some cocaine processing and trafficking;
- a Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops LESOTHO
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Lebanon.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/lebanon/1998.