Lebanon

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

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

• Nahr el 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

0-14 years:

27.1% (male 514,447; female 494,166)

15-64 years:

66.1% (male 1,177,773; female 1,286,433)

65 years and over:

6.8% (male 115,693; female 139,191) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.83 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Lebanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Lebanese

conventional long form:

Lebanese Republic

conventional short form:

Lebanon

local short form:

Lubnan

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

• mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law;
• no judicial review of legislative acts;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

• 21 years of age;
• compulsory for all males;
• authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education

chief of state:

President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October 2000);
• Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000);
• note - HARIRI resigned on 15 April 2003, but was reappointed the next day

cabinet:

Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly

elections:

• president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term;
• election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004);
• 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:

Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions

• 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 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD

consulate(s) general:

Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles

FAX:

[1] (202) 939-6324

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-6320

chancery:

2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission:

Ambassador Vincent Martin BATTLE

embassy:

Awkar, Lebanon

mailing address:

P. O. Box 70840, Awkar, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002

telephone:

011-961-4-543-600/542-600

FAX:

011-961-4-544-136

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• banking;
• food processing;
• jewelry;
• cement;
• textiles;
• mineral and chemical products;
• wood and furniture products;
• oil refining;
• metal fabricating

general assessment:

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

total:

401 km

standard gauge:

319 km 1.435-m

note: rail system is unusable because of damage in civil war (2002)

narrow gauge:

82 km 1.050-m

total:

7,300 km

paved:

6,198 km

unpaved:

1,102 km (1999 est.)

total:

56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 230,142 GRT/306,442 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 9, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: France 1, Greece 10, Netherlands 4, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Spain 1, Syria 2 (2002 est.)

• cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002;
• opium poppy cultivation minimal;
• small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to US and European markets