Discovering the World
Lebanon 🇱🇧
Basic facts
Official name: الجمهورية اللبنانية (al-Jumhūrīyah al-Lubnānīyah) (Republic of Lebanon)
Capital city: Beirut
Population: 5.3 million (2023)
Demonym: Lebanese
Type of government: unitary parliamentary republic
Head of state: vacant (President)
Head of government: Najib Mikati (Prime Minister)
Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $78.23 billion (2022)
Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 31.8% (medium) (2011)
Human Development Index: 0.723 (high) (2022)
Currency: pound (LBP)
Fun fact: It hosts the highest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer.
Etymology
The country’s name comes from Mount Lebanon, whose name derives from the Phoenician root lbn, meaning “white”.
Geography
Lebanon is located in West Asia and borders Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
There are two main climates: Mediterranean-influenced humid continental in the center and east and hot-summer Mediterranean in the rest. Temperatures range from 11 °C (51.8 °F) in winter to 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 20.9 °C (69.6 °F).
The country is divided into nine governorates (muḥāfaẓāt), which are further divided into twenty-five districts (aqdyah). The largest cities in Lebanon are Beirut, Tripoli, Jounieh, Zahlé, and Sidon.
History
2500-64 BCE: Phoenicia
1650-1180 BCE: Hittite Empire
1550-1069 BCE: New Kingdom of Egypt
550-332 BCE: Achaemenid Empire
332-64 BCE: Seleucid Empire
64 BCE-394 CE: Roman Empire
394-635: Byzantine Empire
619-629 CE: Sasanian Empire
636-661: Rashidun Caliphate
661-750: Umayyad Caliphate
750-1517: Abbasid Caliphate
1099-1291: Kingdom of Jerusalem
1102-1289: County of Tripoli
1250-1516: Mamluk Sultanate
1516-1842: Emirate of Mount Lebanon
1516-1918: Ottoman Empire
1843-1861: Double Qaim-Maqamate of Mount Lebanon
1860: civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus
1915-1918: Great Famine of Mount Lebanon
1920-1926: State of Greater Lebanon
1923-1946: Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon
1926-1943: Lebanese Republic
1943-present: Republic of Lebanon
1948: Arab-Israeli War
1975-1990: Lebanese Civil War
1976-2005: Syrian occupation
1985-2000: South Lebanon conflict
2005: Cedar Revolution
2006: Lebanon War
2006-2008: protests
2007: Lebanon conflict
2011: Intifada of Dignity
2019: 17 October Revolution
2020: Beirut explosion
2021: Beirut clashes
Economy
Lebanon mainly imports from the European Union, Türkiye, and China and exports to the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland. Its top exports are diamonds, polyacetals, and gold.
It has natural gas, limestone, oil, and salt reserves. Services represent 83% of the GDP, followed by industry (13.1%) and agriculture (3.9%).
Lebanon is a member of the Arab League, la Francophonie, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Demographics
95% of the population is Arab, while Armenians make up 4%. The main religion is Islam, practiced by 55% of the population, 27.6% of which is Sunni.
It has a negative net migration rate and a fertility rate of 1.7 children per woman. 89% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 78.3 years and the median age is 31.3 years. The literacy rate is 96.7%.
Languages
The official language of the country is Arabic. French is spoken by 40% of the population.
Culture
Lebanese culture has Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, and French influences. Lebanese people are very gregarious.
Men traditionally wear a shirt, a dark vest, baggy pants (sherwal), a belt, and a headdress. Women wear a shiny dress (gambaz), a wide belt, and a conical hat with a long piece of silk (tantur).
Architecture
Traditional houses in Lebanon are made of stone and wood and have flat roofs and terraces.
Cuisine
The Lebanese diet is based on fish, meat, pulses, and vegetables. Typical dishes include bamieh bi-zeit (okra and tomato stew), kibbeh (fried balls made of spiced meat and bulgur), sayadieh (seasoned fish and rice), sfouf (an almond-semolina cake), and tabbouleh (a salad of bulgur, onion, tomatoes, and parsley).
Holidays and festivals
Like other Christian and Muslim countries, Lebanon celebrates Epiphany, Armenian Christmas, St. Maroun Day, Feast of the Annunciation Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Assumption, Christmas Day, Islamic New Year, Ashura, Mawlid, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha. It also commemorates New Year’s Day and Labor Day.
Specific Lebanese holidays include Rafic Hariri Memorial Day on February 14, Liberation and Resistance Day on May 25, and Lebanese Independence Day on November 22.
Independence Day
Other celebrations include the Aerial and Circus Arts Festival, the Baalbeck International Festival, which features dance and music performances, and the Beiteddine Art Festival.
Baalbeck International Festival
Landmarks
There are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Anjar, Baalbek, Byblos, Ouadi Qadish (the Holy Valley) and the Forest of the Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab), Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli, and Tyre.
Ouadi Qadish and the Forest of the Cedars of God
Other landmarks include Jabal Moussa, the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, the Moussa Castle, Our Lady of Lebanon, and the Tripoli Citadel.
Tripoli Citadel
Famous people
Amin Maalouf - writer
Elie Saab - fashion designer
Fares Fares - actor
Jackie Chamoun - skier
Khalil Beschir - racing driver
May Ziade - poet and writer
Nadine Labaki - actress
Najwa Karam - singer
Ragheb Alama - singer
Rima Fakih - model
Rima Fakih
You can find out more about life in Lebanon in this post and this video.














