Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war (1975-1990) 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 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 Saad 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 Army Commander Michel SULAYMAN in May 2008 and the formation of a new unity government in July 2008.
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
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Geographic coordinates:
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33 50 N, 35 50 E
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Map references:
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Middle East
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Area:
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total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
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Coastline:
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225 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate:
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Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
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Natural resources:
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limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.35%
permanent crops: 13.75%
other: 69.9% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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1,040 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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4.8 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 1.38 cu km/yr (33%/1%/67%)
per capita: 385 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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dust storms, sandstorms
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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4,017,095 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 25.8% (male 528,047/female 506,838)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,294,485/female 1,399,047)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male 130,148/female 158,530) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 29.3 years
male: 28 years
female: 30.5 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.107% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate:
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17.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.06 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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NA (2009 est.)
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 87% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 21.82 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.66 years
male: 71.15 years
female: 76.31 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.85 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
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Religions:
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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, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%
note: 17 religious sects recognized
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2006)
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Education expenditures:
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2.7% of GDP (2006)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan
former: Greater Lebanon
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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name: Beirut
geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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Administrative divisions:
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6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beqaa, Beyrouth, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Note: two new governorates - Aakar and Baalbek-Hermel - have been legislated but not yet implemented
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Independence:
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22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
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Constitution:
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23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
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Legal system:
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mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Michel SULAYMAN (since 25 May 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu JAMRA (since July 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 25 May 2008 (next to be held in 2014); the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly
election results: Michel SULAYMAN elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 for, 6 abstentions, 3 invalidated
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Legislative branch:
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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 in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held on 7 June 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Free Patriotic Movement 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Qornet Shehwan 6; Lebanese Forces 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Tashnaq 2; Syrian Ba'th Party 1; Democratic Left 1; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Kataeb Party 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; independent 4
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Judicial branch:
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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)
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Political parties and leaders:
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14 March Coalition: Democratic Gathering Bloc [Walid JUNBLATT, leader of Progressive Socialist Party]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Amine GEMAYEL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Tripoli Independent Bloc
8 March Coalition: Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, leader of Amal Movement]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc [Mohammad RA'AD] (includes Hizballah Party [Hassan NASRALLAH]); Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Syrian Ba'th Party [Sayez SHUKR]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]
Independent: Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Tashnaq
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Hizballah military wing
other: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and their militias; Shi'as and their militias
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, ACCT, 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, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine CHEDID
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Awkar facing the Municipality)
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070
telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136
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Flag description:
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three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
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Economy - overview:
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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 since the Doha Accord of May 2008 has helped to boost investment and tourism, but economic growth is likely to slow in 2009 as a result of the global economic recession.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$44.07 billion (2008 est.)
$41.46 billion (2007)
$39.86 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$28.02 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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7% (2008 est.)
4% (2007 est.)
-4.3% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$11,100 (2008 est.)
$10,600 (2007 est.)
$10,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5.1%
industry: 19.1%
services: 75.8% (2008 est.)
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Labor force:
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1.1 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2007 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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Unemployment rate:
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9.2% (2007 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Investment (gross fixed):
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24.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $7 billion
expenditures: $10 billion (2008 est.)
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Public debt:
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163.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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10% (2008 est.)
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Central bank discount rate:
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12% (31 December 2007)
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
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10.26% (31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
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$2.7 billion (31 December 2008)
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Stock of quasi money:
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$657 billion (31 December 2008)
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Stock of domestic credit:
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$45.51 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$9.3 billion (31 December 2008)
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Agriculture - products:
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citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
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Industries:
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banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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8.764 billion kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
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8.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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929 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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106,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - imports:
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97,590 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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-$4.344 billion (2008 est.)
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Exports:
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$3.5 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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jewelry, base metals, chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
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Exports - partners:
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Syria 25.2%, UAE 11.8%, Switzerland 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2007)
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Imports:
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$16.1 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals
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Imports - partners:
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Syria 12.1%, Italy 8.5%, France 8.3%, US 7%, China 5.9%, Germany 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2007)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$25.1 billion (31 December 2008)
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Debt - external:
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$21.2 billion (31 December 2008)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$NA
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$NA
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Exchange rates:
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Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2008 est.), 1,507.5 (2007), 1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004)
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Airports:
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7 (2008)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2008)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2008)
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Pipelines:
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gas 43 km (2008)
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Railways:
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total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m
note: rail system unusable because of the damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)
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Roadways:
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total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)
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Merchant marine:
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total: 33
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 13, carrier 11, passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 2
foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 2, Syria 2)
registered in other countries: 55 (Barbados 1, Cambodia 8, Comoros 4, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Georgia 4, Honduras 1, Italy 1, North Korea 1, Liberia 2, Malta 11, Mongolia 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Syria 3, Togo 1, unknown 2) (2008)
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Ports and terminals:
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Beirut, Tripoli
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Disputes - international:
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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
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian refugees (UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq)
IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000 (July-August 2006 war) (2007)
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Illicit drugs:
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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
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
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