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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio) [time series]

broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0; note - numerous AM and FM stations are operated sporadically by various factions radios: NA

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

325,000 telephones; 95 telephones/1,000 persons; telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding still underway local: NA intercity: primarily microwave radio relay and cable international: 2 INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) earth stations (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables

Broadcast media (Television) [time series]

broadcast stations: 13 televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $278 million, 5.5% of GDP (1994) LESOTHO

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 857,698; males fit for military service 533,640 (1995 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

principal products - citrus fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep, goats; not self-sufficient in grain

Budget [time series]

revenues: $1.4 billion expenditures: $3.2 billion (1994 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Lebanese pound (#L) = 100 piasters

Economic aid [time series]

the government estimates that it has received $1.7 billion in aid and has an additional $725 million in commitments to support its $3 billion National Emergency Recovery Program

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 1,220,000 kW production: 2.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 676 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates [time series]

Lebanese pounds (#L) per US$1 - 1,644.6 (January 1995), 1,680.1 (1994), 1,741.4 (1993), 1,712.8 (1992), 928.23 (1991), 695.09 (1990)

Exports [time series]

$925 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products partners: Saudi Arabia 21%, Switzerland 9.5%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 12%, US 5%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$765 million (1994 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit producer of hashish and heroin for the international drug trade; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America; increasingly a key locus of cocaine processing and trafficking; a Lebanese/Syrian 1994 eradication campaign eliminated the opium crop and caused a 50% decrease in the cannabis crop

Imports [time series]

$4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.) commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products partners: Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 25% (1993 est.)

Industries [time series]

banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricating

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

12% (1994 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power parity - $15.8 billion (1994 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$4,360 (1994 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

8.5% (1994 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

The 1975-1991 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. A tentative peace has enabled the central government to begin restoring control in Beirut, collect taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. The battered economy has also been propped up by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking transactions, manufactured and farm exports, the narcotics trade, and international emergency aid are the main sources of foreign exchange. In the relatively settled year of 1991, industrial production, agricultural output, and exports showed substantial gains. The further rebuilding of the war-ravaged country was delayed in 1992 because of an upturn in political wrangling. In October 1992, Rafiq HARIRI was appointed Prime Minister. HARIRI, a wealthy entrepreneur, announced ambitious plans for Lebanon's reconstruction which involve a substantial influx of foreign aid and investment. Progress on restoring basic services is limited. Since Prime Minister HARIRI's appointment, the most significant improvement lies in the stabilization of the Lebanese pound, which had gained over 30% in value by yearend 1993. The years 1993 and 1994 were marked by efforts of the new administration to encourage domestic and foreign investment and to obtain additional international assistance. The construction sector led the 8.5% advance in real GDP in 1994.

Unemployment rate [time series]

35% (1993 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 10,400 sq km land area: 10,230 sq km comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut

Climate [time series]

Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Coastline [time series]

225 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

current issues: 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 natural hazards: duststorms, sandstorms international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976

Irrigated land [time series]

860 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 454 km, Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 21% permanent crops: 9% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 8% other: 61%

Location [time series]

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Map references [time series]

Middle East

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region

Note [time series]

Nahr al 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

Terrain [time series]

narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Biqa, 'Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan

Capital [time series]

Beirut

Constitution [time series]

23 May 1926, amended a number of times

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Riyad TABBARAH chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989); note - 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 head of government: Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 22 October 1992) cabinet: Cabinet; chosen by the president in consultation with the members of the National Assembly

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[961] (1) 407112

Flag [time series]

three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band

Independence [time series]

22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

Judicial branch [time series]

four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)

Legal system [time series]

mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Lebanon conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: none

Legislative branch (National Assembly) [time series]

(Arabic - Majlis Alnuwab, French - Assemblee Nationale) Lebanon's first legislative election in 20 years was held in the summer of 1992; the National Assembly is composed of 128 deputies, one-half Christian and one-half Muslim; its mandate expires in 1996

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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

Suffrage [time series]

21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: (vacant) embassy: Antelias, Beirut address: P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, Beirut; FPO AE 09836-0002 telephone: [961] (1) 402200, 403300, 416502, 426183, 417774

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 36% (female 657,403; male 682,757) 15-64 years: 58% (female 1,131,450; male 1,016,859) 65 years and over: 6% (female 111,585; male 95,867) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

27.9 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate [time series]

6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

38 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force [time series]

650,000 by occupation: industry, commerce, and services 79%, agriculture 11%, government 10% (1985)

Languages [time series]

Arabic (official), French (official), Armenian, English

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 69.69 years male: 67.22 years female: 72.28 years (1995 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 80% male: 88% female: 73%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population [time series]

3,695,921 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.15% (1995 est.)

Religions [time series]

Islam 70% (5 legally recognized Islamic groups - Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Isma'ilite, Shi'a, Sunni), Christian 30% (11 legally recognized Christian groups - 4 Orthodox Christian, 6 Catholic, 1 Protestant), Judaism NEGL%

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.31 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 9 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 7,300 km paved: 6,200 km unpaved: gravel 450 km; improved earth 650 km

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 260,383 GRT/381,937 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 41, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, livestock carrier 6, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 2

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 72 km (none in operation)

Ports [time series]

Al Batrun, Al Mina, An Naqurah, Antilyas, Az Zahrani, Beirut, Jubayl, Juniyah, Shikka Jadidah, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

total: 222 km standard gauge: 222 km 1.435-m note: system in disrepair, considered inoperable