Between the mountain ranges are deep
valleys with swamps, forests more than 3000 years old, abundant
rivers and springs and thousands of natural springs, all of which
add to its diverse flora and fauna. A total of 369 bird species have
been recorded in Lebanon. Other areas of natural beauty are: Wadi Jhannam: A spectacular gorge in
a very remote area of North Lebanon. Qammoua Cedars: a Cedar of Lebanon grove in North Lebanon; the area
also includes large juniper trees, survivors of forests that were
cut down by the Ottomans and French. Tannourin and Jaj Cedars: Cedar
trees growing in remote high mountains in the hinterlands of
Byblos Nahr Ibrahim Gorge: a deep valley south of Byblos, spectacular
scenery and many rare plants. Two rivers rise in the watershed
near Baalbeck: the Litani, 160km long , flows south into the hill
region of the southern Beqaa valley, where it makes a turn to the
west and it thereafter called the Qasimiyah River.The Orontes (Nahr
al Asi, meaning rebel, because it flows north) is 570 km long,
travels north through Syria till it reaches the Mediterranean in
Turkey. The Litani is the only major river in southwest Asia that
does not cross an international boundary. Other rivers are the
Zahrani, al Awali, Nahr ad Damour, Nahr Ibrahim, Nahr Abu Ali, all
of which flow east to the sea. Cities:
Beirut,
Tripoli,
Saida,
Tyre,
Byblos,
Baalbeck,
Zahle
Nature reserves:
Al Shouf Cedars Nature Reserve,
Horsh Ehden ,Palm Island Nature Reserve,
Tyre Coastal Nature Reserve,
Wadi Qadisha Lebanon’s
Constitution,
Universities,
Tourism
LEBANON
Back to: States
Location: eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Syria and Israel
Capital: Beirut
Area: 10,452sq km
Coastline: 225 km
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Official language: Arabic
Spoken languages: Arabic, French, English, Armenian
Population: 3,578,036
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28%
15-64 years: 65%
65 years and over: 7%
Currency: Lebanese Lira
Member: Arab League
Lebanon has a 220km long coastline on the eastern Mediterranean. It
is bordered on the north and east by Syria, on the south by Israel.
It has an area of 10,452 sq km and a population of 4 million.
Lebanon is divided into 6 muhafazat (governorates): Beirut, with the
capital in Beirut, North Lebanon, with the capital in Tripoli,
Mount
Lebanon, with the capital in Baabda;
Beqaa, with the capital in
Zahle; South Lebanon, with the capital in Saida, and Nabatiyyeh,
with the capital in Nabatiyyeh.
It is a founding member of the Arab League.
Lebanon’s location at the crossroads of three continents has given
it special significance since ancient times. It was home to the
Phoenicians, maritime traders whose culture flourished for 2000
years from 2700 BC; the ruins of their cities are in
Tyre,
Sidon,
Byblos and Beirut. Alexander the Great conquered Tyre by extending
its causeway to the mainland, a project that took 7 months. It was a
territory of the Roman Empire; their temples to Jupiter, Bacchus and
Venus are in
Baalbeck .The Crusaders captured
Tripoli and Byblos and
built fortresses.
It is the point of entry of many civilizations into the Arab world,
and helped spread learning, science and civilization from the
Islamic world to the western parts of the Mediterranean.
The terrain is divided into five long topographic areas, stretching
from north to south: the shoreline which is rocky from Beirut to the
north, and sandy south of the capital. This mountain range descends
into the Beqaa valley, Lebanon’s fertile agricultural plain. The
agricultural products are citrus, bananas, grapes, apples, peaches,
tomatoes, vegetables, olives; sheep and goats.
Lebanon is virtually a microcosm of the whole world. The country has
a temperate Mediterranean climate: hot and dry in summer, mild to
cool in winter with plenty of rainfall in winter. The land is
dominated by two mountain ranges with a rift valley in between. All
run parallel to a 225 km sandy and rocky coastline. The coastal
plain is 2-3km wide. The highest peak at 3028m is Qurnat as Sawda’
.It is covered in snow most of the year.
There are several protected areas in Lebanon:
Palm Island Nature Reserve,
Horsh Ehden,
Al Shouf Cedars Nature Reserve ,
Tyre Coastal Nature Reserve and
Wadi Qadisha.,
Ammiq Swamp in the western Beqaa Valley an unprotected
wetland.
Lebanon is the educational center of the Middle East; graduates of
its many universities in medicine, engineering, law, literature,
work in other Arab countries.
Lebanon has a free market economy based on private enterprise and a
commercial tradition; the government endorses bank secrecy, no
restrictions on foreign investment, no restrictions on foreign
exchange and money transfer.
The 1975-1991 civil war greatly damaged Lebanon’s infrastructure and
its position as a banking center for the Middle East, but time and
relative stability has helped restore health to the economy.
Lebanon is a tourist destination in winter for skiing and in summer
for its many beaches.