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| Introduction | Lebanon |
| Background: | Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. |
| People | Lebanon |
| Population: | 3,777,218 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 517,356; female 496,888) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,197,430; female 1,305,339) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 117,930; female 142,275) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 26.9 years male: 25.9 years female: 27.9 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.3% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 19.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 72.35 years male: 69.91 years female: 74.91 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.09% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| 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.) |
| Government | Lebanon |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Lebanese Republic conventional short form: Lebanon local short form: Lubnan local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Beirut |
| Administrative divisions: | 6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye |
| Independence: | 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 22 November (1943) |
| Constitution: | 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989 |
| 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 |
| Suffrage: | 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Omar KARAMI (since 21 October 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000) 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; election last held 15 October 1998 (next scheduled for 2004); note - on 3 September 2004 Parliament voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions |
| 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 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34) |
| 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) |
| Political parties and leaders: | political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300 chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELDMAN embassy: Awkar, Lebanon mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002 telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600 FAX: [961] (4) 544136 |
| Flag description: | three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band |
| Communications | Lebanon |
| 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 international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios: | 2.85 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: | 1.18 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .lb |
| Internet hosts: | 6,998 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 22 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 400,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Lebanon |
| Railways: | total: 401 km standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m note: rail system was unusable because of damage during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2003) narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m |
| Highways: | total: 7,300 km paved: 6,198 km unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.) |
| Pipelines: | oil 209 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre |
| Merchant marine: | total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT registered in other countries: 52 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Greece 7, India 1, Netherlands 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Syria 2 by type: bulk 5, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3 |
| Airports: | 8 (2003 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 | Lebanon |
| Military branches: | Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes 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 15-49: 1,049,097 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 643,050 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $541 million (2002) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 4.8% (FY99) |
| Transnational Issues | Lebanon |
| Disputes - international: | Syrian troops in central and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 394,532 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 300,000 (1975-1990 civil war, Israeli invasions) (2004) |
| Illicit drugs: | cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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