A Middle Eastern country, Lebanon is located to the west by the Mediterranean (Coast: 225 km; 140 mi) and to the east by the Syro-African Depression. Lebanon borders Syria for 375 kilometres (233 mi) to the north and to the east and Israel for 79 kilometres (49 mi) to the south. The border with Israel has been approved by the United Nations (see Blue Line (Lebanon)), although a small piece of land called "Shebaa Farms" located in the Golan Heights is claimed by Lebanon but occupied by Israel, who claim that it is actually Syrian land. The UN has officially declared this region to be Syrian and not to be Lebanese territory, but Hezbollah occasionally launches attacks against Israeli positions within it, under the banner of freeing Lebanese territory.

Lebanon’s rich history has been shaped by many cultural traditions, including Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Islamic (including Mameluke), Crusader, Ottoman Turkish, French, and recently American. The resulting culture is distinctively Lebanese, a combination of East and West, past and present. Folk music and dancing have a long tradition and are very popular. Influential Lebanese writers emerged in the early 20th century and greatly influenced the Arabic language.

In Lebanon Painters, sculptors, and performers and producers in theater, film, and television have recently distinguished themselves. Lebanon’s coastal plain is divided into several isolated sections by gorges, which are cut by streams that pour down the mountains in winter and spring. In ancient times, north-south movement along the plain was nearly impossible.

Lebanon Villages developed on larger sections of the plain, and those with good harbors and better agricultural areas evolved into the city-states of Phoenicia. These cities then used the Mediterranean Sea to communicate and trade with one another and beyond the coastal plain. Due to geographical and other barriers, however, Phoenicia never unified politically.

Later, mountainous areas of Lebanon provided protection for groups seeking refuge, but these groups, too, were isolated and did not form a unified nation. The modern nation of Lebanon was formed after World War I (1914-1918), when the defeated Ottoman Empire, which had controlled the area, was divided.

When France received a mandate from the League of Nations to rule Lebanon after the war, the region’s people were aligned along religious and cultural lines, but felt little unity based on a Lebanese nationality.

There are four seasons. Summer (June to September) is hot on the coast and cooler in the mountains. Spring and autumn are warm and pleasant. Winter (December to mid-March) is mostly rainy, with snow in the mountains.

Lebanon National Name : Lebanese Republic
National Capital : Beirut
Lebanon Area : Approx. 10,452n Sq Km (4,036 Sq. Mi), <0.01% of total
Lebanon Population : 4,255,000 in 2010 (0.06% in total)
Ethnicity in Lebanon : Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Lebanon Languages : Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian.
Religions in Lebanon: Islam 60% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite/Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite, Melkite, Syrian, Armenian, and Roman Catholic; Greek, Armenian, and Syrian Orthodox; Chaldean; Assyrian; Copt; Protestant), other 1%
Currency : Lebanese Pound ,LBP
Time Zone :
UTC+02 (EET)

Popular Cities in Lebanon

Beirut

Tripoli

Jounieh

Broummana

Jubayl

Zouk Mikael

Kfardebian

Faqra

Adma