Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French demarcated the region of Lebanon in 1920 and granted this area independence in 1943. Since independence the country has been marked by periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional center for finance and trade. The country's 1975-90 civil war that resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities, was followed by years of social and political instability. Sectarianism is a key element of Lebanese political life. Neighboring Syria has historically influenced Lebanon's foreign policy and internal policies, and its military occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005. The Lebanon-based Hizballah militia and Israel continued attacks and counterattacks against each other after Syria's withdrawal, and fought a brief war in 2006. Lebanon's borders with Syria and Israel remain unresolved.

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

33 50 N, 35 50 E

Middle East

about one-third the size of Maryland

225 km

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

narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

highest point: Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m

limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

arable land 11.9%; permanent crops 12.3%; permanent pasture 39.1%

1,040 sq km (2012)

the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

dust storms, sandstorms

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

smallest country in continental Asia; Nahr el Litani is the 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

6,237,738 (July 2016 est.)

Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Muslim 54% (27% Sunni, 27% Shia), Christian 40.5% (includes 21% Maronite Catholic, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Greek Catholic, 6.5% other Christian), Druze 5.6%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus, and Mormons

0.85% (2016 est.)

14.4 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

BEIRUT (capital) 2.226 million (2015)

15 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

1.73 children born/woman (2016 est.)

6.4% of GDP (2014)

3.2 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

3.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 99% of population

rural: 99% of population

total: 99% of population

urban: 1% of population

rural: 1% of population

total: 1% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 80.7% of population

rural: 80.7% of population

total: 80.7% of population

urban: 19.3% of population

rural: 19.3% of population

total: 19.3% of population (2015 est.)

0.06% (2015 est.)

2,400 (2015 est.)

100 (2015 est.)

30.8% (2014)

2.6% of GDP (2013)

parliamentary republic

8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beqaa, Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord (North Lebanon), Liban-Sud (South Lebanon), Mont-Liban (Mount Lebanon), Nabatiye

22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

drafted 15 May 1926, adopted 23 May 1926; amended several times, last in 2004 (2016)

mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel

Kata'ib Party [Sami GEMAYEL]

Lebanese Forces or LF [Samir JA'JA]

Marada Movement [Sulayman FRANJIEH]

Social Democrat Hunshaqian Party [Sebouh KELPAKIAN]

Amal Movement [Nabih BERRI]

Ba’th Arab Socialist Party of Lebanon [Fayez SHUKR]

Free Patriotic Movement or FPM [Gibran BASSIL]

Hizballah [Hassan NASRALLAH]

Islamic Actions Front [Sheikh Zuhair al-JU’AYD]

Marada Movement [Sulayman FRANJIEH]

Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]

Tashnag or Armenian Revolutionary Federation [Hagop PAKRADOUNIAN]

Grand Mufti of Lebanon [Sheikh Abdul Latif DERIAN]

Maronite Church [Patriarch Bishara al-RA'I]

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band; the red bands symbolize blood shed for liberation, the white band denotes peace, the snow of the mountains, and purity; the green cedar tree is the symbol of Lebanon and represents eternity, steadiness, happiness, and prosperity

cedar tree; national colors: red, white, green

Lebanon has a free-market economy and a strong laissez-faire commercial tradition. The government does not restrict foreign investment; however, the investment climate suffers from red tape, corruption, arbitrary licensing decisions, complex customs procedures, high taxes, tariffs, and fees, archaic legislation, and weak intellectual property rights. The Lebanese economy is service-oriented; main growth sectors include banking and tourism.

The 1975-90 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and derailed Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Following the civil war, Lebanon rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily, mostly from domestic banks, which saddled the government with a huge debt burden. Pledges of economic and financial reforms made at separate international donor conferences during the 2000s have mostly gone unfulfilled, including those made during the Paris III Donor Conference in 2007, following the July 2006 war.

Spillover from the Syrian conflict, including the influx of more than 1.1 million registered Syrian refugees, has increased internal tension and slowed economic growth to the 1-2% range in 2011-15, after four years of averaging 8% growth. Syrian refugees have increased the labor supply, but pushed more Lebanese into unemployment. Chronic fiscal deficits have increased Lebanon’s debt-to-GDP ratio, the fourth highest in the world; most of the debt is held internally by Lebanese banks. Weak economic growth limits tax revenues, while the largest government expenditures remain debt servicing, salaries for government workers, and transfers to the electricity sector. These limitations constrain other government spending and limit the government’s ability to invest in necessary infrastructure improvements, such as water, electricity, and transportation.

$85.16 billion (2016 est.)

$84.32 billion (2015 est.)

$83.48 billion (2014 est.)

$51.82 billion (2015 est.)

1% (2016 est.)

1% (2015 est.)

2% (2014 est.)

$18,500 (2016 est.)

$18,500 (2015 est.)

$18,500 (2014 est.)

2% of GDP (2016 est.)

1.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

-1.6% of GDP (2014 est.)

citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats

banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

1.4% (2016 est.)

1.628 million

NA%

28.6% (2004 est.)

19.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

-8.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

161.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

147.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

-1% (2016 est.)

-3.8% (2015 est.)

3.5% (31 December 2010)

10% (31 December 2009)

8.2% (31 December 2016 est.)

7.09% (31 December 2015 est.)

$6.466 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$5.998 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$55.48 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$52.15 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$103.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$97.05 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$11.22 billion (30 December 2014 est.)

$10.54 billion (30 December 2013 est.)

$10.42 billion (28 December 2012 est.)

-$10.56 billion (2016 est.)

-$10.65 billion (2015 est.)

$3.108 billion (2016 est.)

$3.551 billion (2015 est.)

jewelry, base metals, chemicals, consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Saudi Arabia 12.1%, UAE 10.6%, Iraq 7.6%, Syria 7.1%, South Africa 6.6% (2015)

$17.98 billion (2016 est.)

$16.71 billion (2015 est.)

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals

China 11.5%, Italy 7.1%, Germany 6.8%, France 6%, US 5.7%, Russia 4.6%, Greece 4.4% (2015)

$47.74 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$48.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$40.74 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$37.08 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$NA

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar -

1,507.5 (2016 est.)

1,507.5 (2015 est.)

1,507.5 (2014 est.)

1,507.5 (2013 est.)

1,507.5 (2012 est.)

18 billion kWh (2014 est.)

16 billion kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

100 million kWh (2014 est.)

2.3 million kW (2014 est.)

90.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

9.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

143,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

139,900 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

150.1 million cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

150.1 million cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

16 million Mt (2013 est.)

7 TV stations, 1 of which is state owned; more than 30 radio stations, 1 of which is state owned; satellite and cable TV services available; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible through partner stations (2007)

.lb

OD (2016)

8 (2013)

1 (2013)

gas 88 km (2013)

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Lebanese Army ((Al Jaysh al Lubnani) includes Lebanese Navy (Al Quwwat al Bahiriyya al Lubnaniya), Lebanese Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Lubnaniya)) (2013)

17-30 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-24 years of age for officer candidates; no conscription (2013)

4.04% of GDP (2012)

4.06% of GDP (2011)

4.04% of GDP (2010)

lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon has been in place since 1978

cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002 despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption; money laundering of drug proceeds fuels concern that extremists are benefiting from drug trafficking