Lebanon

LebanonNote - Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty since the end of the devastating 16-year civil war which began in 1975. 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. Since December 1990, the Lebanese have formed four cabinets and conducted the first legislative election in 20 years. Most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has seized vast quantities of weapons used by the militias during the war and extended central government authority over about one-half of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains most of its weapons. Foreign forces still occupy areas of Lebanon. Israel maintains troops in southern Lebanon and continues to support a proxy militia, The Army of South Lebanon (ASL), along a narrow stretch of territory contiguous to its border. The ASL's enclave encompasses this self-declared security zone and about 20 kilometers north to the strategic town of Jazzin. Syria maintains about 30,000 troops in Lebanon. These troops are based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's deployment was legitimized by the Arab League early in Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if accord. Citing the continued weakness of the LAF, Beirut's requests, and failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if accord, Damascus has so far refused to withdraw its troops from Beirut. 

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GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 454 km, Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Coastline

225 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976

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
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal al Makmal 3,087 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

860 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

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

PEOPLE

Population

3,776,317 (July 1996 est.)
3,695,921 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

36% (male 687,631; female 662,100) (July 1996 est.)
36% (male 682,757; female 657,403) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

59% (male 1,049,689; female 1,163,255) (July 1996 est.)
58% (male 1,016,859; female 1,131,450) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

5% (male 98,406; female 115,236) (July 1996 est.)
6% (male 95,867; female 111,585) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.16% (1996 est.)
2.15% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

27.93 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
27.9 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

6.35 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

36.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
38 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

3.24 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.31 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Arabic (official), French (official), Armenian, English

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

650,000

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

LE

Type

Republic

Capital

Beirut

Administrative Divisions

5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Biqa, 'Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan

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

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

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly (Arabic - Majlis Alnuwab, French - Assemblee Nationale)

Lebanon's first legislative election in 20 years was held in the summer of 1992; the National Assembly is composed of 128 deputies, one-half Christian and one-half Muslim; its mandate expires in 1996

Judicial Branch

Four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)

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

Member of

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, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

National Anthem

Flag

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 has enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery has been 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 are the main sources of foreign exchange. In the relatively settled year of 1991, industrial production, agricultural output, and exports showed substantial gains. The rebuilding of the war-ravaged country was delayed in 1992 because of an upturn in political wrangling. In October 1992, Rafiq al-HARIRI was appointed prime minister. A billionaire entrepreneur, al-HARIRI, announced ambitious plans for Lebanon's reconstruction, which involve a substantial influx of foreign aid and investment. The economy has posted considerable gains since 1992, with GDP rebounding, inflation falling, and foreign capital inflows jumping. Signs of strain have emerged in recent years, however, as the government budget deficit has risen and grassroots economic dissatisfaction has grown. Meantime, the future fate of Lebanon and its economy is being determined largely by outside forces - in Syria, other Arab nations, Israel, and the West.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $18.3 billion (1995 est.); $15.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

6.5% (1995 est.)
8.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$4,900 (1995 est.)
$4,360 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

9% (1995 est.)
12% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

30% (1995 est.)
35% (1993 est.)

Budget

Exports

$1 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$925 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$7.3 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
$4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$1.2 billion (July 1995)
$765 million (1994 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 25% (1993 est.)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Principal products - citrus fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep, goats; not self-sufficient in grain

Illicit Drugs

Illicit producer of hashish and heroin for the international drug trade; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America; increasingly a key locus of cocaine processing and trafficking; a Lebanese/Syrian 1994 eradication campaign eliminated the opium crop and caused a 50% decrease in the cannabis crop

Economic Aid

The government estimates that it has received $1.7 billion in aid and has an additional $725 million in commitments to support its $3 billion National Emergency Recovery Program

Currency

1 Lebanese pound (£L) = 100 piasters

Exchange Rates

Lebanese pounds (£L) per US$1 - 1,584.0 (March 1996), 1,621.4 (1995), 1,680.1 (1994), 1,741.4 (1993), 1,712.8 (1992), 928.2 (1991), 695.09 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Pipelines

Crude oil 72 km (none in operation)

Ports

Al Batrun, Al Mina, An Naqurah, Antilyas, Az Zahrani, Beirut, Jubayl, Juniyah, Shikka Jadidah, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

150,000 telephones; telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding still underway

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 889,517; males fit for military service 553,538 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $278 million, 5.5% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas