General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
10,452 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
454 km |
|
Coastline: |
225 km |
|
Capital: |
Beirut |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Tripoli, Zahlah,
Sidon(Sayda),Tyr |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Lebanese Pound (LBP) |
|
National Day: |
November 22
|
Location and
Geography
Lebanon is located
on the Eastern coast
of the
Mediterranean. It is
bordered by Syria in
the North and East,
and Palestine in the
South. With a width
varying between 40
km. and 75 km. and a
length of 215 km.,
the Mediterranean
coast of the country
is narrow and
sloping. Lebanon is
a mountainous
country, with two
parallel mountain
ranges: the Lebanon
Mountains extending
North and South
along the Western
coast of Lebanon and
the Anti-Lebanon
Mountains which hug
the Eastern border
with Syria. There
are streams and
rivers but they are
not navigable, and
few permanent crops,
forests, woodlands,
meadows and
pastures. The
country has an Alpin
climate in the
mountains and
Mediterranean on the
coast. The four
seasons are
perfectly
distributed
throughout the year.
Rainfalls in winter
are intense with
snowfalls at 800 m.
height and more.
Along the coast,
summers are hot and
humid with little or
no rain.
Demography
|
Population:
|
4.40 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
19 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
6 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
28 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 69 years,
Female: 73 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
90.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
86.50 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Main crops are
citrus fruits,
grapes, potatoes,
olives and tobacco.
There are minor
deposits of
high-grade iron ore,
asphalt, coal,
phosphates and salt,
all of which are
exploited for
internal
consumption. There
is a developing
light industry,
mostly for the
production of
jewellery, foodstuff
and drinks, metals
and non-metal
products, furniture
and accessories,
clothing and
textiles, cement,
and consumer goods.
Lebanon is quite
active in the
services sector,
particularly
finance, tourism,
health, education
and transports.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
16594 million
US$ (2001) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
4610 US$ (2001) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
12.0%
Agriculture,
21.0% Industry,
67.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
971 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
6329 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Foodstuffs,
clothing,
textiles,
chemicals,
tobacco, metal
products and
electrical
equipment |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
transportation
equipment,
electrical
equipment,
consumer goods
and petroleum
products |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Switzerland,
France, Germany,
China, Saudi
Arabia and UAE |
|
