Lebanon

Lebanese Republic

الجمهورية اللبنانية

Flag Coat of arms

Anthem:

كلّىا للوطه

Kulluna lil-watan

All Of Us, For the Homeland!

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Capital

and largest city

Beirut

33°54′N 35°32′E33.900°N

35.533°E

Official languages Arabic

Demonym Lebanese

Government

Unitary parliamentary

multi-confessionalist

republic[1]

- Acting President Tammam Salam

- Prime Minister Tammam Salam

- Speaker of the parliament Nabih Berri

Legislature Chamber of Deputies

Establishment

- Greater Lebanon 1 September 1920

- Constitution 23 May 1926

- Independence declared 8 November 1943

- Independence recognized by

France 22 November 1943

- Withdrawal of French forces 31 December 1946

Area

- Total 10,452 km2 (166th)

4,036 sq mi

- Water (%) 1.8

Population

- 2014 estimate 4,965,914 (119th)

- Density 473/km2 (27th)

1,500/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2013 estimate

- Total $67.669 billion[2] (88th)

- Per capita $16,660[2] (69th)

GDP (nominal) 2013 estimate

- Total $44.967 billion[2] (86th)

- Per capita $11,070[2] (61st)

HDI (2013) 0.765[3]

high · 65th

Currency Lebanese pound (LBP)

Time zone EET (UTC+2)

- Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Drives on the right[4]

Calling code +961[5]

ISO 3166 code LB

Internet TLD .lb

a.

Article 11 of the Constitution of Lebanon states: "Arabic is the

official national language. A law determines the cases in which the

French language is to be used."

Lebanon ( i/ˈlɛbənɒn/ or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لبىان‎ Libnān or Lubnān; Lebanese Arabic:

[lɪbˈneːn]; Aramaic: לבנאנ; French: Liban), officially the Lebanese Republic[nb 1] (Arabic:

‎ Al-Jumhūrīyah Al-Loubnānīyah; Lebanese Arabic: [elˈʒʊmhuːɾɪjjeالجمهورية اللبىاوية

l.ˈlɪbneːnɪjje]; French: République libanaise), is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered

by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads

of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich history and

shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.[6]

The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand

years, predating recorded history.[7] Lebanon was the home of the Phoenicians, a maritime

culture that flourished for over a thousand years (c. 1550–539 BC). In 64 BC, the region

came under the rule of the Roman Empire, and eventually became one of the Empire's

leading centers of Christianity. In the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known

as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the

Maronites held onto their religion and identity. However, a new religious group, the

Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, a religious divide that would

last for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the

Roman Catholic Church and asserted their communion with Rome. The ties they

established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era.

The region eventually came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918.

Following the collapse of the Empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute

modern Lebanon were mandated to France. The French expanded the borders of Mount

Lebanon Governorate, which was mostly populated by Maronites and Druze, to include

more Muslims. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing a unique political

system – "confessionalism" – that is, a power-sharing mechanism based on religious

communities. Bechara El Khoury (independent Lebanon's first president), Riad El-Solh

(Lebanon's first prime minister) and Emir Majid Arslan (Lebanon's first minister of

defence) are considered the founders of the modern Republic of Lebanon and are national

heroes for having led the country's independence. French troops withdrew from Lebanon

in 1946.[8]

Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), the country experienced a period of relative

calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, commerce, and banking.[9]

Because of its financial power and diversity in its heyday, Lebanon was compared to

Switzerland,[10] and its capital Beirut attracted so many tourists that it was known as "the

Paris of the Middle East".[11] At the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to revive

the economy and rebuild national infrastructure.