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NAVIGATION
Lebanese Republic
Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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 20,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and 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 of 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria |
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Geographic coordinates:
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33 50 N, 35 50 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total: 10,400 sq km
water: 170 sq km land: 10,230 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 454 km
border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km |
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Coastline:
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225 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows |
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Terrain:
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narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m |
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Natural resources:
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limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 17.6%
permanent crops: 12.51% other: 69.89% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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dust storms, sandstorms |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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Nahr el Litani 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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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3,677,780 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 27.3% (male 511,902; female 491,804)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,157,688; female 1,267,106) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 113,341; female 135,939) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.36% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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19.96 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.35 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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27.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 71.79 years
female: 74.32 years (2002 est.) male: 69.38 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.02 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.09% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL% |
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4% male: 90.8% female: 82.2% (1997 est.) |