|
| Background: |
Lebanon
has made progress toward rebuilding its
political institutions and regaining its
national sovereignty since 1991 and the
end of the devastating 16-year civil war.
Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for
national reconciliation - the Lebanese
have established a more equitable
political system, particularly by giving
Muslims a greater say in the political
process while institutionalizing sectarian
divisions in the government. Since the end
of the war, the Lebanese have conducted
several successful elections, most of the
militias have been weakened or disbanded,
and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have
extended central government authority over
about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah,
the radical Shi'a party, retains its
weapons. Syria maintains about 25,000
troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut,
North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.
Syria's troop deployment was legitimized
by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil
war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus
justifies its continued military presence
in Lebanon by citing the continued
weakness of the LAF, Beirut's requests,
and the failure of the Lebanese Government
to implement all of the constitutional
reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's
withdrawal from its security zone in
southern Lebanon in May of 2000, however,
has emboldened some Lebanese Christians
and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw
its forces as well. |
| Location: |
Middle
East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Israel and Syria |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
33
50 N, 35 50 E |
| Map
references: |
Middle
East |
| Area: |
total:
10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
about
0.7 times the size of Connecticut |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
454 km
border countries: Israel 79
km, Syria 375 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
territorial
sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
Mediterranean;
mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry
summers; Lebanon mountains experience
heavy winter snows |
| Terrain: |
narrow
coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley)
separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon
Mountains |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest
point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as
Sawda' 3,088 m |
| Natural
resources: |
limestone,
iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a
water-deficit region, arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable
land: 18%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 64% (1996 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
860
sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
dust
storms, sandstorms |
| Environment
- current issues: |
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 |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party
to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
Nahr
al Litani 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 |
| Population: |
3,627,774
(July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14
years: 27.57% (male 509,975;
female 490,031)
15-64 years: 65.72% (male
1,136,995; female 1,247,184)
65 years and over: 6.71%
(male 110,964; female 132,625) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.38%
(2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
20.16
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.39
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84
male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female
(2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
28.35
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 71.52 years
male: 69.13 years
female: 74.03 years (2001
est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.05
children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.09%
(1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Arab
95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% |
| Religions: |
Muslim
70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze,
Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian
30% (including Orthodox Christian,
Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL% |
| Languages: |
Arabic
(official), French, English, Armenian |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 90.8%
female: 82.2% (1997 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form:
Lebanon
local long form: Al
Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Administrative
divisions: |
5
governorates (mohafazat, singular -
mohafazah); Beyrouth, Ech Chimal, Ej Jnoub,
El Bekaa, Jabal Loubnane |
| Independence: |
22
November 1943 (from League of Nations
mandate under French administration) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence
Day, 22 November (1943) |
| Constitution: |
23
May 1926, amended a number of times, most
recently Charter of Lebanese National
Reconciliation (Taif Accord) of October
1989 |
| Legal
system: |
mixture
of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic
code, and civil law; no judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
21
years of age; compulsory for all males;
authorized for women at age 21 with
elementary education |
| Executive
branch: |
chief
of state: President Emile LAHUD
(since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime
Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October
2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES
(since 23 October 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by
the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National
Assembly; the current Cabinet was formed
in 1998
elections: president elected
by the National Assembly for a six-year
term; election last held 15 October 1998
(next to be held NA 2004); prime minister
and deputy prime minister appointed by the
president in consultation with the
National Assembly; by custom, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the
prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the
speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a
Muslim
election results: Emile LAHUD
elected president; National Assembly vote
- 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10
abstentions |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab
(Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French)
(128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian
proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 27
August and 3 September 2000 (next to be
held NA 2004)
election results: percent of
vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni
25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less
than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite
23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which
Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2),
Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34) |
| Judicial
branch: |
four
Courts of Cassation (three courts for
civil and commercial cases and one court
for criminal cases); Constitutional
Council (called for in Ta'if Accord -
rules on constitutionality of laws);
Supreme Council (hears charges against the
president and prime minister as needed) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
political
party activity is organized along largely
sectarian lines; numerous political
groupings exist, consisting of individual
political figures and followers motivated
by religious, clan, and economic
considerations |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ABEDA,
ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO,
G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS
(observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid
ABBOUD
chancery: 2560 28th Street
NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general:
Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Vincent
Martin BATTLE (since 11 Sep. 2001)
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon
mailing address: P. O. Box
70840, Awkar, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO
AE 09836-0002
telephone:
011-961-4-543-600/542-600
FAX: 011-961-4-544-136 |
| Flag
description: |
three
horizontal bands of red (top), white
(double width), and red with a green and
brown cedar tree centered in the white
band |
| Economy
- overview: |
The
1975-91 civil war seriously damaged
Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut
national output by half, and all but ended
Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern
entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled
the central government to restore control
in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and
regain access to key port and government
facilities. Economic recovery was helped
by a financially sound banking system and
resilient small- and medium-scale
manufacturers. Family remittances, banking
services, manufactured and farm exports,
and international aid provided the main
sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's
economy has made impressive gains since
the launch in 1993 of "Horizon
2000," the government's $20 billion
reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8%
in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% per year in 1996
and 1997 but slowed to 2% in 1998, -1% in
1999, and 1% in 2000. Annual inflation
fell during the course of the 1990s from
more than 100% to 0%, and foreign exchange
reserves jumped from $1.4 billion to more
than $6 billion. Burgeoning capital
inflows have generated foreign payments
surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has
remained very stable for the past two
years. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its
war-torn physical and financial
infrastructure. Solidere, a $2-billion
firm, has managed the reconstruction of
Beirut's central business district; the
stock market reopened in January 1996; and
international banks and insurance
companies are returning. The government
nonetheless faces serious challenges in
the economic arena. It has funded
reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange
reserves and by borrowing heavily - mostly
from domestic banks. The newly
re-installed HARIRI government's announced
policies fail to address the
ever-increasing budgetary deficits and
national debt burden. The gap between rich
and poor has widened in the 1990s,
resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction
over the skewed distribution of the
reconstruction's benefits. |
| GDP: |
purchasing
power parity - $18.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1%
(2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
12%
industry: 27%
services: 61% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
28%
(1999 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
0%
(2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.3
million (1999 est.)
note: in addition, there are
as many as 1 million foreign workers (1997
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services
NA%, industry NA%, agriculture NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
18%
(1997 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$3.31 billion
expenditures: $5.55 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
banking;
food processing; jewelry; cement;
textiles; mineral and chemical products;
wood and furniture products; oil refining;
metal fabricating |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
7.748
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil
fuel: 91.29%
hydro: 8.71%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
7.86
billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0
kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
654
million kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
citrus,
grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables,
potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats |
| Exports: |
$700
million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs
and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious
stones, metal and metal products,
electrical equipment and products,
jewelry, paper and paper products |
| Exports
- partners: |
UAE
9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Syria 6%, US 6%,
Kuwait 6%, France 5%, Belgium 5%, Jordan
4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$6.2
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs,
machinery and transport equipment,
consumer goods, chemicals, textiles,
metals, fuels, agricultural foods |
| Imports
- partners: |
Italy
13%, France 11%, Germany 8%, US 7%,
Switzerland 6%, Japan, UK, Syria (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$9.6
billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$3.5
billion (pledges 1997-2001) |
| Currency: |
Lebanese
pound (LBP) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Lebanese
pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (January
2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.8 (1999),
1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4
(1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar
year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
700,000
(1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
580,000
(1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: telecommunications
system severely damaged by civil war;
rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave
radio relay and cable
international: satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic
operations); coaxial cable to Syria;
microwave radio relay to Syria but
inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3
submarine coaxial cables |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM
20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios: |
2.85
million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
15
(plus 5 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: |
1.18
million (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.lb |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
22
(2000) |
| Internet
users: |
227,500
(2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
399 km (unusable because of damage in
civil war)
standard gauge: 317 km
1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m
(2001) |
| Highways: |
total:
7,300 km
paved: 6,350 km
unpaved: 950 km (1999 est.) |
| Pipelines: |
crude
oil 72 km (none in operation) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Antilyas,
Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez
Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon,
Tripoli, Tyre |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
379,705 GRT/592,672 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo
42, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1,
combination ore/oil 1, container 4,
liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 5,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2,
vehicle carrier 3
note: includes some
foreign-owned ships registered here as a
flag of convenience: Netherlands 1, Syria
1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Disputes
- international: |
Syrian
troops in northern, central, and eastern
Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese
government claims Shab'a Farms area of
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a part
of Lebanon from which Hizballah conducts
cross-border attacks |
| Illicit
drugs: |
inconsequential
producer of hashish; a Lebanese/Syrian
eradication campaign started in the early
1990s has practically eliminated the opium
and cannabis crops |
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