LEBANON
Back to: States Location: eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Syria and Israel Capital: Beirut Area: 10,452sq km Coastline: 225 km Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m Official language: Arabic Spoken languages: Arabic, French, English, Armenian Population: 3,578,036 Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% 15-64 years: 65% 65 years and over: 7% Currency: Lebanese Lira Member: Arab League Lebanon has a 220km long coastline on the eastern Mediterranean. It is bordered on the north and east by Syria, on the south by Israel. It has an area of 10,452 sq km and a population of 4 million. Lebanon is divided into 6 muhafazat (governorates): Beirut, with the capital in Beirut, North Lebanon, with the capital in Tripoli, Mount Lebanon, with the capital in Baabda; Beqaa, with the capital in Zahleh; South Lebanon, with the capital in Saida, and Nabatiyyeh, with the capital in Nabatiyyeh. It is a founding member of the Arab League. Lebanon’s location at the crossroads of three continents has given it special significance since ancient times. It was home to the Phoenicians, maritime traders whose culture flourished for 2000 years from 2700 BC; the ruins of their cities are in Tyre, Sidon, Byblos and Beirut. Alexander the Great conquered Tyre by extending its causeway to the mainland, a project that took 7 months. It was a territory of the Roman Empire; their temples to Jupiter, Bacchus and Venus are in Baalbeck .The Crusaders captured Tripoli and Byblos and built fortresses. It is the point of entry of many civilizations into the Arab world, and helped spread learning, science and civilization from the Islamic world to the western parts of the Mediterranean. The terrain is divided into five long topographic areas, stretching from north to south: the shoreline which is rocky from Beirut to the north, and sandy south of the capital. This mountain range descends into the Beqaa valley, Lebanon’s fertile agricultural plain. The agricultural products are citrus, bananas, grapes, apples, peaches, tomatoes, vegetables, olives; sheep and goats. Lebanon is virtually a microcosm of the whole world. The country has a temperate Mediterranean climate: hot and dry in summer, mild to cool in winter with plenty of rainfall in winter. The land is dominated by two mountain ranges with a rift valley in between. All run parallel to a 225 km sandy and rocky coastline. The coastal plain is 2-3km wide. The highest peak at 3028m is Qurnat as Sawda’ .It is covered in snow most of the year. Between the mountain ranges are deep
valleys with swamps, forests more than 3000 years old, abundant
rivers and springs and thousands of natural springs, all of which
add to its diverse flora and fauna. A total of 369 bird species have
been recorded in Lebanon. Other areas of natural beauty are: Wadi Jhannam: A spectacular gorge in a very remote area of North Lebanon. Qammoua Cedars: a Cedar of Lebanon grove in North Lebanon; the area also includes large juniper trees, survivors of forests that were cut down by the Ottomans and French. Tannourin and Jaj Cedars: Cedar trees growing in remote high mountains in the hinterlands of Byblos Nahr Ibrahim Gorge: a deep valley south of Byblos, spectacular scenery and many rare plants. Two rivers rise in the watershed
near Baalbeck: the Litani, 160km long , flows south into the hill
region of the southern Beqaa valley, where it makes a turn to the
west and it thereafter called the Qasimiyah River.The Orontes (Nahr
al Asi, meaning rebel, because it flows north) is 570 km long,
travels north through Syria till it reaches the Mediterranean in
Turkey. The Litani is the only major river in southwest Asia that
does not cross an international boundary. Other rivers are the
Zahrani, al Awali, Nahr ad Damour, Nahr Ibrahim, Nahr Abu Ali, all
of which flow east to the sea. Cities: Beirut, Tripoli, Saida, Tyre, Byblos, Baalbeck, Zahleh Nature reserves: Al Shouf Cedars Nature Reserve, Horsh Ehden ,Palm Island Nature Reserve, Tyre Coastal Nature Reserve, Wadi Qadisha Lebanon’s
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