Lebanon

Alternate uses: see Lebanon (disambiguation)

The Lebanese Republic or Lebanon is a country in Southwest Asia, and in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered to be one of the fifteen lands that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity". Lebanon is bordered by Syria and Israel. The border with Israel has been approved by the United Nations, although a small piece of land called "Shebaa farms" is still occupied by Israel, who claims that it is actually Syrian land. The Lebanese resistance claims "Shebaa farms" as Lebanese land and occasionally launches attacks against Israeli positions within it. In addition, Syria maintains an army of over 26,000 troops in Lebanon. Lebanese supporters of Syria claim this is a legitimate presence as it was requested by the Lebanese government at the outset of the civil war in 1975. Opponents of Syria claim the Syrian presence is a quasi occupation by a foreign power.

الجمهوريّة البنانيّة
Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto:
Official language	Arabic
Capital	Beirut
President	Émile Lahoud
Prime Minister	Rafiq Hariri
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 160th 10,452 km² 1.6%
Population  - Total (2003 E)  - Density	Ranked 123rd 3,727,703 358/km²
Independence	22 November 1943
Currency	Lebanese pound (LBP)
Time zone	UTC +2 (DST +3)
National anthem	Koullouna Lilouataan Lil Oula Lil Alam
Internet TLD	.LB
Calling Code	961

History

Main article: History of Lebanon

Politics

Main article: Politics of Lebanon

Governorates

Main article: Governorates of Lebanon

• Districts of Lebanon

Geography

Main article: Geography of Lebanon

• List of cities in Lebanon

Economy

Main article: Economy of Lebanon

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Lebanon

Culture

Main article: Culture of Lebanon

• Lebanon football
• Music of Lebanon

Miscellaneous topics

• Prominent Lebanese people
• Communications in Lebanon
• Counties of Lebanon
• Transportation in Lebanon
• Military of Lebanon
• Foreign relations of Lebanon
• Military action in Lebanon

References

• CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2002 U.S. Department of State website. Partially wikified.

	Countries and Territories in Southwest Asia
Afghanistan | Armenia | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Cyprus | Egypt | Gaza Strip | Georgia | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Jordan | Kuwait | Lebanon | Oman | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Syria | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | West Bank | Yemen