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The Republic of Lebanon
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ÇáÌãåæÑíÉ ÇááÈäÇäíÉ
National
name: The Republic of Lebanon
President:
Emil Lahoud
Capital
City: Beirut
Location: Middle East,
bordering he Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
National
Anthem:
Click Here to Listen to Lebanese National Anthem
Area:
10, 452 sq km
Area:
(total) 10,400 sq km, (land)
10,230 sq km, (water) 170 sq km
Languages:
Arabic is the official language of
Lebanon, though French and, to a lesser degree, English are widely spoken in
the country
Currency: Lebanese lira
Population: 3 million
Climate: Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate, hot and
dry in summer and cool and rainy in winter. About 300 days in the year are
sunny. In summer, it is very humid along the coast and daytime temperatures
average 30° C, with night temperatures only slightly lower. Winter is mild
with daytime temperatures averaging 15° C. In the mountains summer days are
moderately hot at about 26° C, and the nights are pleasant and cool. Winters
in the mountains are cold and it snows above 1300m.
Natural resources: limestone,
iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Land
use: arable land: 16.62%,
permanent crops: 13.98%, other: 69.4% (2001)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km
(1998 est.)
Economy: Lebanon’s economy has
been badly ravaged by 17 years of civil war. However, it is on the recovery
now with aid from many organisations. The government is trying to rebuild
the country’s infrastructure, ranging from telephone system, electricity,
health and education, to the reconstruction of the airport and ports. The
authorities are aiming at making Lebanon a free trade and banking centre. It
is also trying to revive its tourist and service industries, which had
earlier earned much foreign exchange for the country.
Food:
The two most favourite dishes
are the national dish of Tabbouleh, made with parsley, burghul (cracked
wheat), onions, tomatoes, lemon juice and spices. Fattoush is a salad of
lettuce, tomato and cucumber with small pieces of toasted pita mixed in to
soak up the dressing.
People: Though the Lebanese are
of mixed ancestry, the majority of them are of Arab origin. Lebanon has a
population of more than three million people, 60% of who live in urban
areas, and about a million of them in Beirut. Lebanon is one of the most
densely populated countries in the Middle East, with an average density of
307 people per sq km. Along with the locals, there are also 400,000
Palestinian refugees, and more than 300,000 other Arabs, Kurds and
Armenians.
Religion: Three
quarters of the population is Muslim and the rest are Christian, Baha’is and
Jews. The Shiite Muslims are the largest Muslim group followed by Sunni and
Druze. The largest Christian group is the Maronite sect, followed by the
Greek Orthodox, the Greek Catholic, the Armenian Orthodox, the Armenian
Catholic, the Syrian Catholic, the Chaldean, the Protestant and the Syrian
Orthodox churches.
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