Lebanon is a small independent republic in West Asia (the Middle East). It is bordered on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, on the north and east by Syria, and on the south by Israel.
The total area of Lebanon is 10,400 square kilometers, about 0.7 times the area of the state of Connecticut. The climate is Mediterranean, except in the mountains, which get heavy snow.
Lebanon was formed following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by the Anglo-French forces in 1918, at the close of World War I. The League of Nations separated its territory from Syria and placed it under French administration in 1920. Lebanon declared independence on November 22, 1943 from the League of Nations mandate. France granted it independence in 1943, and her troops withdrew in 1946.
The Lebanese Republic (long form) has a president, a prime minister, and a unicameral National Assembly, elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation. Legal authority is a mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, the Napoleonic code, and civil law. The capital is Beirut.
The population is 3,971, 941 (July 2008 est.), of whom 95% are Arab, 4% are Armenian, and other 1%. Many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab, but as descendents of the ancient Canaanites, and prefer to be called Phoenicians. The ancient coastal cities of Sidon and Tyre fall within Lebanon’s borders.
There are 17 religious sects represented in Lebanon. The majority of the population is Muslim (59.7%) (including Shia, Sunni, Druze and others), followed by Christian (39%) (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and others), and other 1.3%.
Languages are Arabic (official), French, English, and Armenian.
The recent history of Lebanon has been characterized by periods of conflict, both internal and external. A civil war caused much destruction during the period 1975-1990, while Israel, Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) fought on Lebanese soil.
The Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah is based in Lebanon and has been in conflict with the state of Israel. The mid-1980’s saw the beginning of terrorist activity by armed groups against U.S. and Western interests, such as the attacks and the hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy complexes in Beirut on April 18, 1983, and the assassination of the President of the American University in Beirut on January 18, 1984.
The currency is the Lebanese pound (LBP).
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Lebanon, see also Phoenicians.
Databases
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