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By Out Links > Visit Detail > Country Facts for Lebanon
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Map of Lebanon
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

Coastline:225 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
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: 16.62%
permanent crops: 13.98%
other: 69.4% (2001)

Irrigated land:1,200 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:dust storms, sandstorms
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Population:3,826,018 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 26.7% (male 520,270/female 499,609)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 1,216,738/female 1,324,031)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 120,176/female 145,194) (2005 est.)

Median age:total: 27.34 years
male: 26.28 years
female: 28.43 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:1.26% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:18.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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: 0.83 male(s)/female

Infant mortality rate:total: 24.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 27.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 21.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:total population: 72.63 years
male: 70.17 years
female: 75.21 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:2,800 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese

Ethnic groups:Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Religions:Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant), other 1.3%
note: seventeen religious sects recognized

Languages:Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 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
National holiday:Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Executive branch:chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next election date NA); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim

election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5

Political parties and leaders:Ba'th Party [leader NA]; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUNBLATT]; Democratic Left [leader NA]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BARRI, Amal leader/speaker]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [leader NA]; Kataeb Reform Movement [leader NA]; Lebanese Forces [leader NA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Nasserite Popular Movement [leader NA]; Popular Bloc [leader NA]; Qornet Shewan [leader NA]; Syrian National Socialist Party [leader NA]; Tripoli Independent Bloc [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
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. 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 HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at lower rates of interest. Substantial receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the debt, which stood at nearly 180% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt, and the KARAMI government has continued this practice. However, privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2004, as promised during the Paris II conference.
GDP:purchasing power parity - $18.83 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 12%
industry: 21%
services: 67% (2000)

Labor force:2.6 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Unemployment rate:18% (1997 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):2% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):26% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:revenues: $4.895 billion
expenditures: $6.642 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Public debt:177.9% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Industrial production growth rate:NA
Electricity - production:8.066 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source:fossil fuel: 97.2%
hydro: 2.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:8.591 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:1.09 billion kWh (2002)
Oil - consumption:107,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:NA
Oil - imports:NA
Current account balance:$-2.389 billion (2004 est.)
Exports:$1.783 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - partners:Switzerland 10%, UAE 9.5%, Turkey 9.3%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, France 5.1%, US 5.1% (2004)
Imports:$8.162 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners:Italy 12.2%, France 11.2%, Germany 8.9%, China 6.3%, US 6%, Syria 5.1%, UK 5% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$16.3 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external:$15.84 billion (2004 est.)
Currency (code):Lebanese pound (LBP)
Currency code:LBP
Exchange rates:Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use:678,800 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:775,100 (2002)
Telephone system:general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable

Radio broadcast stations:AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:2.85 million (1997)
Televisions:1.18 million (1997)
Internet country
Internet hosts:6,998 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):22 (2000)
Internet users:400,000 (2002)
Railways:total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m
note: rail system became unusable because of damage during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2004)

Highways:total: 7,300 km
paved: 6,198 km
unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:oil 209 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli
Merchant marine:total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 26, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 6 (Austria 1, Greece 5)
registered in other countries: 40 (2005)

Airports:8 (2004 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 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military branches:Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation:18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Military manpower - availability:males age 18-49: 974,363 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:males age 18-49: 821,762 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$540.6 million (2002) (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:3.1% (FY99) (2004)
Transnational IssuesTop
Disputes - international:intense international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence personnel from Lebanon; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978
Refugees and internally displaced persons::refugees (country of origin): 394,532 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))


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