Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920, and granted this area independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war (1975-90) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections. Most militias have been reduced or disbanded, with the exception of Hizballah, designated by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and Palestinian militant groups. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the passage in September 2004 of UNSCR 1559 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 22 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"), and Syria withdrew the remainder of its military forces in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a majority to the bloc led by Sa'ad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son. In July 2006, Hizballah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers leading to a 34-day conflict with Israel in which approximately 1,200 Lebanese civilians were killed. UNSCR 1701 ended the war in August 2006, and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed throughout the country for the first time in decades, charged with securing Lebanon's borders against weapons smuggling and maintaining a weapons-free zone in south Lebanon with the help of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The LAF in May-September 2007 battled Sunni extremist group Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Barid Palestinian refugee camp, winning a decisive victory, but destroying the camp and displacing 30,000 Palestinian residents. Lebanese politicians in November 2007 were unable to agree on a successor to Emile LAHUD when he stepped down as president, creating a political vacuum until the election of LAF Commander Gen. Michel SULAYMAN in May 2008 and the formation of a new unity government in July 2008. Legislative elections in June 2009 again produced victory for the bloc led by Sa'ad HARIRI, but a period of prolonged negotiation over the composition of the cabinet ensued. A national unity government was finally formed in November 2009 and approved by the National Assembly the following month. In January 2010, Lebanon assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term. Inspired by the popular revolts that began in late 2010 against dictatorships across the Middle East and North Africa, marches and demonstrations in Lebanon were directed instead against sectarian politics. Although the protests gained some traction, they were limited in size and unsuccessful in changing the system. Opposition politicians collapsed the national unity government under Prime Minister Sa'ad HARIRI in February 2011. After several months in caretaker status, the government named Najib MIQATI Prime Minister.

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

33 50 N, 35 50 E

Middle East

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

225 km

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

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

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

900 sq km (2008)

4.8 cu km (1997)

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

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

Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Coptic, Protestant), other 1.3%

4,143,101 (July 2011 est.)

0.244% (2011 est.)

15.02 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

6.54 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-6.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

BEIRUT (capital) 1.909 million (2009)

26 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)

1.77 children born/woman (2011 est.)

8.2% of GDP (2009)

3.54 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

3.5 beds/1,000 population (2009)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population (2008)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 87% of population

total: 98% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 13% of population

total: 2% of population (2000)

0.1% (2009 est.)

3,600 (2009 est.)

fewer than 500 (2009 est.)

13.5% (2004)

4.2% (2004)

1.8% of GDP (2009)

republic

6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beqaa, Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye

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

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently in 1990 to include changes necessitated by the Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code 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

unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Nuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

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)

Maronite Church [Patriarch Nasrallah SFAYR]

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, 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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, 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

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, 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 all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government in 2000 began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and passing legislation to privatize state enterprises, but economic and financial reform initiatives stalled and public debt continued to grow despite receipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance at the 2002 Paris II Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah conflict in July-August 2006 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal reform and privatization program. An 18-month political stalemate and sporadic sectarian and political violence hampered economic activity, particularly tourism, retail sales, and investment, until the new government was formed in July 2008. Political stability following the Doha Accord of May 2008 helped boost tourism and, together with a strong banking sector, enabled real GDP growth of 7% per year in 2009-10 despite a slowdown in the region.

$59.37 billion (2010 est.)

$55.23 billion (2009 est.)

$50.9 billion (2008 est.)

$39.25 billion (2010 est.)

7.5% (2010 est.)

8.5% (2009 est.)

9.3% (2008 est.)

$14,400 (2010 est.)

$13,500 (2009 est.)

$12,600 (2008 est.)

1.481 million

NA%

28% (1999 est.)

33.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

21.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

-7.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

133.8% of GDP (2010 est.)

148.2% of GDP (2009 est.)

4% (2010 est.)

1.2% (2009 est.)

3.5% (31 December 2010 est.)

10% (31 December 2009 est.)

8.337% (31 December 2010 est.)

9.568% (31 December 2009 est.)

$3.8 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.21 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$92 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$82.07 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$64.12 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$56.98 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$12.59 billion (31 December 2010)

$12.89 billion (31 December 2009)

$9.641 billion (31 December 2008)

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

2.1% (2010 est.)

10.41 billion kWh (2009)

9.793 billion kWh (2009)

0 kWh (2009 est.)

1.114 billion kWh (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

106,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

78,760 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (2009 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)

-$4.688 billion (2010 est.)

-$7.244 billion (2009 est.)

$5.466 billion (2010 est.)

$4.716 billion (2009 est.)

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

Syria 26.8%, UAE 13.5%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, Turkey 5.2%, Qatar 4.1%, Switzerland 4% (2010)

$17.73 billion (2010 est.)

$15.9 billion (2009 est.)

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

US 10.4%, Syria 10.3%, Italy 7.6%, China 7.5%, France 6.9%, Ukraine 5.5%, Germany 5.3% (2010)

$44.52 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$39.16 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$30.45 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$30.74 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$NA

$NA

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar -

1,507.5 (2010)

1,507.5 (2009)

1,507.5 (2008)

1,507.5 (2007)

1,507.5 (2006)

887,800 (2010)

2.875 million (2010)

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

.lb

51,451 (2010)

1 million (2009)

7 (2010)

gas 102 km (2010)

Beirut, Tripoli

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army ((Al Jaysh al Lubnaniya) includes Navy (Al Quwwat al Bahiriyya al Lubnaniya), Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Lubnaniya)) (2010)

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2007)

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

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 (UNIFIL) 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