Language: Arabic, French
Currency: Lebanese pound (LBP)
Calling Code: 961
Lebanon (Arabic: لبنان Lubnān), officially the
Lebanese Republic, is a country in the Middle East that borders on
the south with Israel, on the north and east with Syria, and is
bathed by the Mediterranean Sea to the west. In the cities of
Baalbek, Tire and Byblos there are the oldest preserved Roman
temples and Phoenician sanctuaries. It has one of the highest HDIs
in the region, being the 7th highest in the Arab World. Being a
country influenced by many cultures, it is reflected in the
diversity of architecture and society. In Beirut there is the
architectural influence typical of Arab countries, with large
mosques for the Muslim population, and at the same time large
Maronite or Orthodox churches for Christians, and modern
skyscrapers.
It was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918, when it
collapsed at the end of the First World War. Then the five provinces
that make up modern Lebanon were under the French Mandate. The
French expanded the borders of the Governorate of Mount Lebanon,
which was populated by Maronites and Druzes to include more Muslims.
Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing a unique political
system, Confessionalism, a consociational type of power sharing
among religious communities. Bechara El Khoury, first president of
Lebanon, Riad el-Solh, first Prime Minister of Lebanon and Emir
Majid Arslan II, Prime Minister of Defense, as the three founders of
the modern Republic of Lebanon and national heroes for having
achieved independence are considered . Foreign troops withdrew
completely from the country on December 31, 1946. Until the 1970s,
Lebanon was the financial center of the Middle East, which earned it
the nickname of Near Eastern Switzerland. However, its economic
importance disintegrated with the terrible Lebanese Civil War of
1975-1990, which destroyed an exemplary political equilibrium. Since
1973 he has been a member of the International Organization of la
Francophonie.
By mid-2006, the country had regained a considerable degree of
stability and development, the reconstruction of Beirut was almost
complete and a growing number of tourists were returning to the
country, but in the summer of 2006 the Lebanon War broke out one
month long, between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, which caused a
large number of civilian casualties and significant damage to the
country's infrastructure. On 14 August, a ceasefire was reached
after an appeal to end the hostilities of the UN Security Council.
Medieval town of Anjar was originally built as a trading post on the crossing of the trading routes in the strategic Bekaa Valley.
Ruins of the ancient town of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley is one of the most important archeological sites left from the time of Antiquity.
Byblos Castle is a well preserved example of European military architecture in the Middle East that remains in near perfect preservation state.
Jeita Grotto is a large network of naturally formed caves with splendid geological formations near Beirut, capital of Lebanon.
Picturesque Kadisha Valley is famous for its numerous ancient Christian monasteries perched on its beautiful cliffs.
Sidon Sea Castle is a medieval fortress constructed on the island by Crusaders in the early 13th century to defend their conquests.
Tyre is one of the most important and one of the largest ancient archaeological sites situated in South Governorate in Lebanon.
The name was given to the Lebanon mountain range, which runs through the country along the Mediterranean coast. The name of the range, in turn, comes from the ancient Semitic laban ("white") - its relatively high peaks are covered with snow in winter.
Lebanon is located in the Middle East. In the west it is washed by the
Mediterranean Sea, the coastline is 225 km. In the north and east it
borders with Syria, in the south with Israel. The Syrian-Lebanese border
has a length of 375 km, the Lebanese-Israeli - 79 km. A small segment of
the Lebanese border with the Golan Heights (Shebaa Farms), annexed by
Israel, is a disputed territory.
The total area of Lebanon is
10452 km². The country is 161st in size in the world. Most of Lebanon is
covered by mountains, except for the Bekaa Valley in the northeast and a
narrow flat area stretched from north to south along the seashore.
Coastal Lebanon is separated from the eastern regions by the Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges. Lebanon has deposits of limestone, iron
ore, and salt deposits. Lebanon is rich in water resources. The Litani
River is the main source of water for southern Lebanon. However, there
are no navigable rivers in the country.
Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate. In coastal regions, winters tend to
be cool, while summers are hot and humid. In winter, in the mountains,
the temperature drops below 0 °, snow is possible. Although the average
annual rainfall in Lebanon is much higher than in neighboring countries,
an arid climate prevails in the northeast, as the mountains block the
flow of moist air from the sea. Sand and dust storms often occur.
In ancient Lebanon, forests of the Lebanese cedar, which became a
symbol of the country, grew in huge numbers. For centuries, trees have
been cut down without replanting as the main material in shipbuilding.
This led to the fact that by the 20th century, only separate islands of
greenery remained on the site of the richest forests.
The flora of Lebanon consists of approximately 2200-2400 species. There
are no endemic families in it, the number of endemic genera is small,
and endemic species are associated with young progressive speciation in
polymorphic genera. The flora of Lebanon is dominated by the
Mediterranean floristic element with a slight admixture of
Iranian-Turanian species.
The vegetation of Lebanon (as a mainly
mountainous country) has a belt character. The lower belt is represented
on limestone rocks by a typical Mediterranean maquis. It is dominated by
European olive (Olea europaea). In the north, in the Tripoli region, it
rises to 600-800 m abs. height, and in the east along the slopes of
Hermon it reaches 700 m abs. high Together with the olive tree, there
are oleander (Nerium oleander), evergreen oaks - Lusitanian oak (Quercus
lusitanica), Kaleprin oak (Quercus calliprinos), Tavor oak (Quercus
ithaburensis), shrubs - olive-like wolfberry (Daphne oleoides),
prostrate cherry (Prunus prostrate), rosemary officinalis (Rosmarinus
officinalis) and herbs - Lavandula stoechas (Lavandula stoechas),
Dorycnium hirsutum, yellow palm (Cytinus hypocistis), bush lily
(Bupleurum fruticosum), Glynus lotoides (Glynus lotoides), painkiller
(Clobularia alupum), Pastinaca teretiuscula, Turgeniopsis foeniculaea,
etc.
The next is the forest belt of Lebanon, extending from
600-800 m to 2300-2400 m abs. high, well expressed in the central part
of the country, where sandstones predominate. The vegetation of the
sandstones is severely disturbed by clearings and grazing. The greatest
harm is caused by goats, which are not so much herbivores as carnivores.
At altitudes from 1300 to 2000 m, there are few sparse groves of
majestic trees such as the Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani), the best of
which is in the Bsherra valley at an altitude of 1520 m.
In the
forest belt there are also oriental plane trees (Platanus orientalis),
Syrian maple (Acer syriacum), mann ash (Fraxinus ornus) and conifers -
Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), Calabrian pine (Pinus brutia), evergreen
cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), fir Cilician juniper (Abies cilicica),
tree-like junipers - in Lebanon prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus)
and smelly juniper (Juniperus foetidissima), and on Hermon - high
juniper (Juniperus excelsa). Higher up, arborescent junipers are
replaced by shrubby stone juniper (Juniperus drupacea). Ferns are not
uncommon in the forests, of which the most interesting are the peculiar
Pteris arguta and Pteris longifolia, and thickets of narrow-leaved
willow tea (Chamerion angustifolium).
From a height of 2300-2400
m begins the least studied belt of high-mountain alpine vegetation.
Pontic rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum), Selaginella Selaginella
denticulate, forest sedge (Carex sylvatica) and other boreal and
arcto-alpine plants grow here: saxifrage (Saxifraga), anemone (Anemone),
buttercup (Ranunculus), grains (Draba), gentian ( Gentiana).
In
the much drier mountains of Anti-Lebanon, the vegetation is poorer,
deciduous species are almost absent, and of the conifers, only the
Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani) and the stone juniper (Juniperus
drupacea) are found. In the lower belt, here and there, singly evergreen
oaks and Palestinian pistachio (Pistacia palaesina) grow, and sometimes
there are also desert-steppe groups of prickly prickly pistachio
(Poterium spinosum).
Cultivated plants in Lebanon are few. This
is mainly wheat and barley, only on the Mediterranean coast are citrus
and other fruit trees, grapes, figs (Ficus carica) and olives.
Ancient Lebanon
The appearance of the first settlements on the
territory of modern Lebanon dates back to the 6th millennium BC. e. In
the vicinity of Byblos, archaeologists have discovered the remains of
prehistoric huts and primitive tools. Some household items point to the
existence of sites of fishing tribes from the Neolithic period as early
as the 8th-7th millennium BC. e.
Lebanon became the birthplace of
Phoenicia, a developed maritime trading state that stretched along the
coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenicians gave the world the first
alphabet. The heyday of Phenicia fell on 1200-800 BC. e. In the VI
century BC. e. Phoenicia fell under the rule of the Persians, led by
Cyrus the Great. In 332 BC. e. Alexander the Great made a campaign
against Phenicia, destroying its largest city, Tire. With the collapse
of the Macedonian empire, Lebanon became part of the Seleucid Kingdom,
and at the end of the 1st century BC. e. - The Roman Empire.
During the period of the Arab conquests and the formation of the
Caliphate, Islam penetrated Lebanon. In the 12th century, Lebanon became
part of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1261, the crusaders were
expelled from Lebanon by the Mamluk Turks, and Lebanon was part of
Mamluk Egypt until 1516. In 1517, Sultan Selim I annexed this territory
to the Ottoman Empire. The emirs of the Shehab dynasty ruled Lebanon
from 1697 to 1842.
French Mandate
The territory of Lebanon (as
part of Greater Syria) was part of the Ottoman Empire for more than 400
years. After the defeat of Turkey in the First World War and the
collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the territory of Greater Syria was
occupied in 1918 by British troops under the command of General Alenby.
Subsequently, under the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 between the
Entente countries, the territory of Syria was transferred to France, and
management was legalized in the form of a French mandate from the League
of Nations. In 1926, the territory of Lebanon was separated from Syria,
and Lebanon became a separate territorial unit, governed, however, by
the administration of the French Mandate of Syria.
Independent
Lebanon
In 1940 France was occupied by Germany. Already in November,
the first elections were held and a government was formed. Lebanon
officially gained independence in 1943. The unwritten "National Pact"
established a rule according to which the president of the country
should be a Maronite Christian, and the prime minister should be a Sunni
Muslim (the speaker of parliament should be a Shiite Muslim). In 1948,
Lebanon took part in the first Arab-Israeli war. After the defeat of the
Arab Liberation Army, Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
100 thousand Arab refugees moved to Lebanon.
Since 1956,
contradictions between Christians and Muslims began to intensify in
Lebanon, which resulted in a civil war in May 1958. To maintain power in
the country, President Camille Chamoun turned to the United States for
military assistance. American troops were in the country from July to
October until the situation was completely normal.
Civil War
In 1975, a second civil war broke out in Lebanon between right-wing
Christian forces and left-wing Muslim militias, who were supported by
Palestinian militants in Lebanon. The war lasted 15 years, destroying
the once prosperous economy of the country, and claimed the lives of
more than 150,000 people. The bloodshed ended in 1990 with the signing
of the Taif Accords.
In 1976, at the request of the then
government, Syrian troops entered Lebanon. Syrian occupation (eng.)rus.
continued until 2005, despite the official demands of the Lebanese
presidents for the withdrawal of Syrian troops, starting in 1983.
Twice Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops were introduced into
Lebanese territory. The first time was in March 1978, after the capture
of two buses with hostages, when 36 Israeli citizens died and over 70
were injured; the second in June 1982 - in response to the assassination
attempt on the Israeli ambassador in London, Shlomo Argov, massive
bombardments were carried out on PLO positions in Lebanon. Then the PLO
subjected to massive shelling of the territory of Israel, and the IDF
forces entered the territory of southern Lebanon. IDF forces remained in
southern Lebanon until 2000. After the withdrawal of troops between
Israel and Lebanon, a clear border was drawn - the so-called "blue
line", but the Shebaa farms north of the Golan Heights remained a
disputed territory.
Subsequent period
In the post-war period,
the Lebanese economy grew rapidly.
A short period of relative
calm was interrupted by a government crisis provoked by the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, followed by the
withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country and the Israeli-Lebanese
conflict in 2006.
In 2007, the situation in Lebanon was
complicated by the crisis around the Nahr al-Barid camp.
In 2011,
a conflict arose in Lebanon between the largest parliamentary factions.
And in 2015, a wave of protests swept across the country due to
government inaction and a political crisis, during which parliament
could not elect a president until 2016.
On March 9, 2020, Lebanon
defaulted on US$1.2 billion in bonds for the first time in the country's
history. The total external debt reached $90 billion (more than 150% of
GDP).
On August 10, 2020, the Lebanese government officially
resigned in full force.
The "Lebanese model" (confessionalism) of the state system, which has
existed for more than half a century, was created in 1943 in the process
of gaining independence from France by Lebanon. In order to ensure more
or less equal access to supreme power for all religious denominations,
the following order was developed: the president of the country should
be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister should be a Sunni Muslim,
the speaker of parliament should be a Shiite Muslim, and the government
should be equally represented by Christians and Muslims. According to
the constitution, Lebanon is a parliamentary republic.
Legislative power is represented by the Assembly of Representatives
(Arabic: مجلس النواب), the Lebanese Parliament, which consists of 128
deputies directly elected for a four-year term. The Assembly has 64
Muslims (27 Sunnis, 27 Shiites, 8 Druze and 2 Alawites) and 64
Christians (32 Maronites, 20 AAC Armenians, 2 Armenian Catholics, 7
Orthodox, 1 Greek Catholic (Melkite), 1 Protestant, as well as 1 more at
your discretion). The parliament elects the president, approves the
composition of the government, approves the laws and budget of the
republic.
The President (Maronite) is elected by the Assembly of
Representatives for a 6-year term, and the same person cannot hold
office twice. Twice in history, this rule was violated: in 1995, the
term of office of Ilyas Chraoui was extended for 3 years, and also in
2004, the presidential powers until November 23, 2007 were extended for
Emile Lahoud. The President, on the recommendation of Parliament,
appoints the Prime Minister (Sunni) and his first deputy. After
consultations with the president and parliament, the prime minister
forms the cabinet of ministers also on the principle of religious
quotas.
In accordance with the confessional division in Lebanon,
political parties were also born, which for the most part have a
religious character. Christian, Sunni, Shiite, Druze parties are not
fighting against each other, but for seats within predetermined
confessional quotas. In each of the confessions, several political
forces opposing each other have historically developed. For example,
among the Lebanese Christians there were both fierce opponents of the
Syrian military presence in Lebanon (for example, General Michel Aoun or
the commander of the united Christian militia "Lebanese Forces" Samir
Jaajaa), as well as politicians loyal to Syria, who just got
presidential posts (Rene Muawwad, Elias Chraoui, Emile Lahoud).
Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was the first to challenge this
system. He came to power not relying on any of the existing religious
and political parties, but thanks to his colossal fortune. It also
allowed him to carry out the restoration of the destroyed country. Syria
supported the preservation of the old system of confessional quotas,
stating that the only alternative to it could be a new civil war.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the country in 2018
was classified on the Democracy Index as a hybrid regime.
Lebanese political forces
A feature of Lebanese politics is the
division of all political forces into supporters and opponents of Syrian
influence in the country [source not specified 1886 days]. Currently,
the first are united in the March 8 Coalition, which has 68 out of 128
seats in parliament, and the second - in the March 14 Coalition (60
seats in parliament). In every ethno-confessional group in Lebanon there
are parties that act both from pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian positions.
The main parties of the Christian community are the Free Patriotic
Movement (SPD), Kataib (Lebanese Phalanx), Lebanese Forces, National
Liberal Party (NLP), Marada. The pro-Syrian positions are occupied by
the SPD and Marada, the anti-Syrian ones by the Falangists, the Lebanese
Forces, and the National Liberals. The movement of the Freedom Front
stands for the consolidation of Christian political forces.
The
largest Sunni Muslim party is the anti-Syrian Future Movement. The Shia
community is dominated by the pro-Syrian Amal and Hezbollah.
A
special place is occupied by the Druze Progressive Socialist Party
(whose leader Walid Jumblatt is known for his unscrupulousness). It
constantly changes its position depending on which political and / or
military force prevails in Lebanon, standing up for the interests of the
Druze community.
Party lists are built on a confessional basis,
and within the party lists, seats are distributed according to the clan
principle. At the same time, the confessional-clan division of Lebanon
has a geographical reflection: adherents of one clan, as a rule,
compactly inhabit a certain area and traditionally nominate the same
representative.
Constituency No. 1 - Beirut (19 deputies). All 19 seats went to the
Al-Mustaqbal party. General Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement and
the Armenian Dashnaktsutyun Party did not win a single seat. Even before
the elections, Michel Aoun called on the people of Beirut to boycott the
elections, since, in his opinion, their results were predetermined. The
leaders of the Armenian Dashnaktsutyun party also called not to
participate in the elections. As a result, the lowest voter turnout was
observed in the Christian districts of Beirut.
Constituency No. 2
- South Lebanon. The majority was received by the Amal-Hezbollah
alliance.
Constituency No. 3 - Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley
- Michel Aoun received the majority.
Constituency No. 4 -
Northern Lebanon - Saad Hariri's bloc received all 28 seats.
Lebanese make up the bulk of the Lebanese population. A large number of
refugees from Palestine and their descendants, many of whom still live
in camps organized decades ago (they have a number of restrictions on
their rights compared to the native Lebanese: for example, there is a
ban on practicing 70 professions).
Currently, there are (many
illegally) about two million refugees and temporary migrants from Syria
in the country.
In addition, thousands of foreign workers (India,
Bangladesh, Philippines, Ethiopia, etc.) have been living in the country
for years, doing various unskilled work in the country.
A fairly
large Russian-speaking diaspora (including the descendants of citizens
of the Russian Empire who moved to Lebanon after the 1917 revolution).
Benefits: Tourism. Financial Services Industry. Potential for winemaking
and fruit growing. Low inflation (0.5% in 2004). The US has lifted its
financial restrictions. Labor productivity in agriculture - the highest
in the Arab world - is more than ten times higher than in Russia, higher
than in Germany, etc.
Weaknesses: dependence on oil and gas
imports. High public debt. Neighboring Syria is driving down the prices
of essential goods. Reports of corruption undermine investor confidence.
Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Saad al-Shami announced the
"bankruptcy of the state and the Central Bank of Lebanon."
There are 4 universities in Beirut, a state symphony orchestra, many
music festivals are held - the most famous Beiteddinsky and Baalbek,
where Pavarotti, Carreras and other world celebrities performed.
Many Lebanese speak at least 3 languages.
About 60% of the Lebanese population is Muslim (Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites and Druze). The number of Christians of various denominations in Lebanon reaches 40% (according to experts, 40.5%) of the population. On the territory of Lebanon, there are, in particular, the Orthodox (Greek Orthodox), the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Syrian-Jacobite Orthodox Church, six Eastern Catholic churches - Maronite (Western Syrian), Chaldean Catholic, Melkite (Greek Catholic), Armenian Catholic, Syrian Catholic and Coptic Catholic.
Lebanon is home to an extremely small number of world famous athletes.
Future bodybuilders Samir Bannut (winner of the Mr. Olympia tournament)
and Mohammed Bannut, Ahmad Haidar (absolute world champion in 1997) were
born in Lebanon.
Lebanon regularly takes part in the Asian and
Olympic Games, both in summer and winter. Four times Lebanese athletes
became Olympic medalists: wrestler Zakaria Chigab (Helsinki-1952) and
weightlifter Mohamed Torabulsi (Munich-1972) won silver, wrestlers
Khalil Taha (Helsinki-1952) and Hasan Bekhara (Moscow-1980) won bronze.
.
Participation in the Asian Games brought great success to
athletes from Lebanon - they climbed to the highest step of the podium
five times. One of the gold medals was won at the Asian Winter Games.
This success was achieved by skier Niki Furstbauer at the Winter Asian
Games-2003.
During the civil war, the state armed forces actually disintegrated, and
all the opposing groups had their own armed formations. Subsequently,
government forces were restored, and in the 90s they were able to take
control of the entire territory of the country; most of the militias
were disarmed. According to the agreement, the reconstituted army
included 20,000 militias, in particular, 8,000 Lebanese Forces fighters,
6,000 Amal fighters, 3,000 members of the Druze militias, 2,000 members
of Hezbollah and a thousand members of the Marada Christian units.
In 1996, the Armed Forces amounted to 48.9 thousand people (Ground
Forces - 97.1%, Navy - 1.2%, Air Force - 1.7%).
Until 2000, in
the south of the country there was an allied Israel "Army of South
Lebanon", which ceased to exist after the withdrawal of Israeli troops
from the country. Armed formations in the south of the country remained
with Hezbollah, which at the time of the outbreak of the Second Lebanese
War actually controlled the south of Lebanon.
There are 5,600
UNIFIL soldiers permanently stationed in Lebanon, responsible for
maintaining peace in the country. Part of the Syrian military
contingent, which amounted to 35.5 thousand people in the late 90s, was
withdrawn in 2001.