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About Lebanon |
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Lebanon, officially
the Lebanese Republic, is a small, largely mountainous country in
the Middle East, located at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean
Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to
the south. The flag of Lebanon features a cedar in green against a
white backdrop, bounded by two horizontal red stripes along the top
and bottom. |
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| Until the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990),
the country enjoyed relative calm and prosperity, driven by the tourism,
agriculture, and banking sectors of the economy. It was considered
the banking capital of the Arab world and was widely known as the
"Switzerland of the Middle East" due to its financial power. Lebanon
also attracted large numbers of tourists to the point that the capital
Beirut became widely referred to as the "Paris of the Middle East."
Immediately following the end of the war, there were extensive
efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure.
By early 2006, a considerable degree of stability had been achieved
throughout much of the country, Beirut's reconstruction was almost
complete, and an increasing number of foreign tourists were pouring
into Lebanon's resorts. |
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Capital City |
Beirut |
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Area |
10,400 sq km |
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Population
(July 2006 est.) |
3,874,050 |
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Language |
Arabic (official),
French, English, Armenian |
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Economy Status |
GDP (Purchasing
Power Parity) : $21.45 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official
exchange rate) : $19.62 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita
(PPP) : $5,500 (2006 est.) |
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