Region
Middle East

Population
3,578,036 (July 2000 Estimate)

Area Total
10,400 km

Area Land
10,230 km

Coastline
225 km

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

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

Currency
1 Lebanese pound (£L) = 100 piasters

Holiday
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Boundaries
Syria
375 km

Israel
79 km

Ethnic Divisions
Arab 95 %
Armenian 4 %
Jewish and others 1 %

Religions
Islam 70 %
Christian 30 %

Largest Cities
City Population
Beirut
1,500,000
Tripoli
200,000
Saida
100,000

People
Lebanon is the only Middle Eastern country where Christians constitute a large portion of the population.

History
Lebanon is the historical home of the Phoenicians‹Semitic traders whose maritime culture flourished in the Eastern Mediterranean for more than 2,000 years (3000-450 C.E.).

Economy
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 entree port and banking hub.

Agriculture
The agriculture sector in Lebanon contributes 12.4% of the GDP and employs an estimated 7.0% of the labor force.

Energy
Lebanon is a net energy importer.

Metals
Domestic mineral output is limited to the production of salt and the quarrying of raw materials for the construction industry, particularly limestone and silica for cement manufacture.

Environment
Key current environmental issues in Lebanon include the following:
- deforestation
- soil erosion
- desertification
- air pollution in Beirut, due to vehicular traffic, in conjunction with industrial waste incineration
- no viable form of waste management, including the disposal of raw sewage
- high incidence of oil spills, due to unregulated mineral transport
- pollution of coastal waters by aforementioned oil spills and raw sewage
Major natural hazards in Lebanon include dust storms and sandstorms
Regulation and protection of the environment in Lebanon comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture.

The major international agreements which Lebanon is party to include Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution.