Surface: 10.400 km²
Population: over 4,000,000 inhabitants
Density of population: 358 inhabitants/km²
Capital: Beirut
Official language: Arabian
Official currency: Lebanon lira
Brut Intern Product: 10.8 billion $
State type: republic
Imported products: car pieces, textiles, gold, vegetables, electric products
Exported products: eggs, fruits, textiles, gold, furniture, wine, tobacco
Geographical characteristics:
Lebanon is a rocky land. The depressions of the Mediterranean sea’s coast are ending with mountains which occurs 30% of the surface of the country and has 3.088m in Qornet es Souda. Oronte River start near Ba’albek to the south and flows in the Mediterranean Sea. The other rivers exist only in winter season and disappear in the summer.
Climate:
The cli
mate conditions vary with the height. The coast region is gentle in the winter but some mountains have snow. The interior is very arid but not like a desert. In Beirut the medium temperature in 14ºC in January and 27ºC in July, with a rainfall of 90 cm per year, especially between November an March. The rainfall in west are enough just for forests.
Mining and Energy:
Lebanon has few deposits of iron ore, salt, copper, phosphates and calcareous rocks. The salt is obtained from the sea and the argyles are used for ceramics. The imported petroleum is refined in Saida and Tripoli and is the main source of electricity. 63% of the energy is produced by the thermo electric power stations and 37% by the hydro electric stations.
Industry:
Most of the processing industries were badly affected by the war and most of the factories are still in reconstruction. There are textiles, food, cement and petroleum industries. The manufactured and glass articles are important for tourism.
Population and cities:
Beirut is the most important industrial city, although a post and a commercial center, but for many years was affected by instability and terrorism. The second city is Tripoli, a post and an industrial center. 90% of the population are Arabians but are many important minorities: Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Greeks, Turkish and Jewish. The differences in religion can be seen in the political scene.
Agriculture:
29% of the Lebanon’s surface is cultivated and only 1% is grass land. The depressions produce grain and potatoes. The fruits are the most important. The opium and the cannabis are produced for illegal traffic. The eggs are an important product for export.
Surface: 10.400 km²