| 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 David M. SATTERFIELD
embassy: Antelias, Beirut
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias,
Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002
telephone: [961] (4) 543600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136 |
| 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 (mostly unusable because of damage in civil war)
standard gauge: 317 km 1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km (1999) |
| 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.) |
| Military
branches: |
Lebanese Armed
Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 980,412 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 605,332 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$343 million
(FY99/00) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
4.8% (FY99/00) |
| 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 |
|
