Lebanon

Internet country code

.lb

Internet hosts

45,352 (2009) country comparison to the world: 86

Internet users

2.19 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 67

Radio broadcast stations

AM 20, FM 32 (plus about a dozen unlicensed stations operating), shortwave 4 (2007)

Telephone system

general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 961; submarine cable links to Cyprus, Egypt, and Syria; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

714,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 89

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.43 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 134

Television broadcast stations

15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Agriculture - products

citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats

Budget

revenues: $6.998 billion expenditures: $9.955 billion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate

12% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 28 12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.96% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 82 10.26% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

-$2.987 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 148 -$1.395 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$33.28 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 61 $31.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Economy - overview

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.

Electricity - consumption

8.42 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 90

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

972 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

9.03 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

Exchange rates

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)

Exports

$5.023 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 109 $4.077 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

jewelry, base metals, chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Exports - partners

Syria 24.9%, UAE 12.9%, Switzerland 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 6.1%, Turkey 4.2% (2008)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$29.35 billion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$44.16 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 90 $41.54 billion (2007 est.) $39.95 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 5.1% industry: 18.8% services: 76.1% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$11,100 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 $10,600 (2007 est.) $10,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

6.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 52 4% (2007 est.) -4.3% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$16.25 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 76 $11.93 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

Syria 10.5%, France 9.5%, US 9.3%, Italy 7.3%, China 6.8%, Germany 4.9%, Saudi Arabia 4.8%, Turkey 4.2% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 146 4.2% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

22.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 77

Labor force

1.481 million country comparison to the world: 129 note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$9.641 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 73 $10.86 billion (31 December 2007) $8.279 billion (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 165

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 77

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 98

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 169

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160

Oil - consumption

92,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

Oil - imports

86,750 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 72

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 146

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 188

Population below poverty line

28% (1999 est.)

Public debt

160.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 177.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$28.28 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 46 $20.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$NA (31 December 2008) $45.51 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$NA (31 December 2008) $2.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$NA (31 December 2008) $57.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

9.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 119

Area

total: 10,400 sq km country comparison to the world: 169 land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Climate

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

Coastline

225 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

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, 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.38 cu km/yr (33%/1%/67%) per capita: 385 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

33 50 N, 35 50 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

1,040 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Land use

arable land: 16.35% permanent crops: 13.75% other: 69.9% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

dust storms, sandstorms

Natural resources

limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

Terrain

narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Total renewable water resources

4.8 cu km (1997)

Administrative divisions

6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beqaa, Beyrouth (Beirut), Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye note: two new governorates - Aakar and Baalbek-Hermel - have been legislated but not yet implemented

Capital

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

Constitution

23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

Country name

conventional long form: Lebanese Republic conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: Lubnan former: Greater Lebanon

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

Executive branch

chief of state: President Michel SULAYMAN (since 25 May 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Sa'ad AL-HARIRI (since 9 November 2009);Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since 9 November 2009) 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

Flag description

three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band

Government type

republic

Independence

22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

International organization participation

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)

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)

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

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 on 7 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by group - March 8 Coalition 54.7%, March 14 Coalition 45.3%; seats by group - March 14 Coalition 71; March 8 Coalition 57

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Political parties and leaders

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 al-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

Political pressure groups and leaders

Hizballah military wing other: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and their militias; Shias and their militias

Suffrage

21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel

Background

Following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920, and 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,106,879 females age 16-49: 1,122,595 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 948,765 females age 16-49: 954,663 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 33,018 female: 31,800 (2009 est.)

Military branches

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army (includes Navy), Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Lubnaniya) (2009)

Military expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 45

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2007)

Age structure

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.)

Birth rate

17.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 120

Death rate

6.03 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 162

Education expenditures

2.7% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 153

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 118

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 110

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 131

Infant mortality rate

total: 21.82 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 99 male: 24.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.66 years country comparison to the world: 101 male: 71.15 years female: 76.31 years (2009 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 29.3 years male: 28 years female: 30.5 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese

Net migration rate

NA (2009 est.)

Population

4,017,095 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 126

Population growth rate

1.107% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 122

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2006)

Sex ratio

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.)

Total fertility rate

1.85 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Urbanization

urban population: 87% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Disputes - international

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

Illicit drugs

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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)

Airports

7 (2009) country comparison to the world: 167

Airports - with paved runways

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)

Merchant marine

total: 33 country comparison to the world: 84 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)

Pipelines

gas 43 km (2008)

Ports and terminals

Beirut, Tripoli

Railways

total: 401 km country comparison to the world: 119 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 (2008)

Roadways

total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005) country comparison to the world: 148