sovereign state in Western Asia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lebanon is a country in the Middle East, in Western Asia, next to the Mediterranean Sea. It has borders with Israel to the south and Syria to the east and north. It also shares a maritime border with Cyprus to the northwest, away from the country's short distance.
Republic of Lebanon | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms
| |
| Anthem: كلّنا للوطن (Arabic) Koullouna lilouataan lil oula lil alam English: All of us! For our Country! | |
.svg) Location of Lebanon (in green) | |
_-_LBN_-_UNOCHA.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Beirut 33°54′N 35°32′E |
| Official languages | Arabic[nb 1] |
| Recognised languages | |
| Local vernacular | Lebanese Arabic |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (Estimated[nb 3]) |
|
| Demonym(s) | Lebanese |
| Government | Unitary confessionalist parliamentary republic[7] |
| Michel Aoun | |
| Najib Mikati | |
• Speaker of the Parliament | Nabih Berri |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Establishment | |
• Greater Lebanon | 1 September 1920 |
• Constitution | 23 May 1926 |
• Independence declared | 22 November 1943 |
• French mandate ended | 24 October 1945 |
• Withdrawal of French forces | 17 April 1946 |
• Israeli troops withdrawn | 24 May 2000 |
• Syrian troops withdrawn | 30 April 2005 |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,452 km2 (4,036 sq mi) (161st) |
• Water (%) | 1.8 |
| Population | |
• 2021 estimate | 5,592,631[8][9] (109th) |
• Density | 560/km2 (1,450.4/sq mi) (21st) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $91 billion[10] |
• Per capita | $11,562[10] (66th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $18 billion[10] (82nd) |
• Per capita | $2,745[10] |
| Gini (2011) |  31.8[11]medium |
| HDI (2019) |  0.744[12]high · 92nd |
| Currency | Lebanese pound (LBP) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| UTC+3 (EEST) | |
| Driving side | right[13] |
| Calling code | +961[14] |
| ISO 3166 code | LB |
| Internet TLD | .lb |
Lebanon was named Phoenicia under the Roman Empire. Some of the biggest temples in Antiquity were there at Heliopolis. In the 7th century Arabs conquered Phoenicia and imposed their religion Islam. But many areas in the mountains remained Christian as the "Maronites". However, the Christians who remained in the mountains became Arabized and started identifying themselves as "Arab Christians".
Lebanon has been independent since 22 November 1943. Its capital city is Beirut.
Lebanon has two chains of mountains. It has a long coastline. The area of Lebanon is 10,452 square kilometers (4,036 square miles).
The Cedar tree is the national symbol of Lebanon because many of them grow in the Lebanon Mountains.
Around 5.2 million people live in Lebanon.[15]
Around 14 million Lebanese people live outside Lebanon. [16]
About 68% of Lebanese people are Muslim and 32% are Christian.[15]
The official language of Lebanon is Arabic and it is the most common language.[17] French, English, and Armenian are also common languages.
Lebanon is divided into six governorates. These are divided into 25 districts.[18] The districts are also divided into several municipalities. The governorates and their districts are listed below:
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