Lebanon ( or ; ; ; ),
officially the Republic of Lebanon (Arabic: ;
French: ), is a country in Western
Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north
and east and Israel to the
south. Lebanon's location at the
crossroads of the
Mediterranean Basin and the
Arabian hinterland has
dictated its rich, sometimes violent
history, and shaped its unique
cultural identity of
religious
and
ethnic
diversity.
The earliest
evidence of
civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating
recorded history.
Lebanon was the home
of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly
2,500 years (3000–539 BC). Following the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire after
World War I, the five provinces that comprise
modern Lebanon were
mandated
to France. Lebanon established a unique political system in
1942, known as
confessionalism, a
power-sharing mechanism based on religious
communities.
It was created when the French expanded the
borders of Mount
Lebanon, which was mostly populated by Maronite Catholics and Druze, to include more Muslim elements. The
country gained independence in 1943, and French troops withdrew in
1946.
Before the
Lebanese Civil War
(1975–1990), the country enjoyed a period of relative calm and
prosperity, driven by
tourism,
agriculture, and
banking.
Because of
its financial power and diversity, Lebanon was known in its heyday
as the "Switzerland of the East". It attracted large
numbers of tourists, such that the capital Beirut was referred
to as "Paris of the
Middle East." At the end of the war, there were extensive
efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national
infrastructure.
Until July 2006, Lebanon enjoyed considerable stability, Beirut's
reconstruction was almost complete, and increasing numbers of
tourists poured into the nation's resorts. Then, the month long
2006 War between Israel and
Hezbollah caused significant death toll
and heavy damage to civil infrastructure. The conflict lasted from
12 July until a
UN-sponsored
ceasefire on 14 August.
Etymology
The name
Lebanon comes from the Semitic root lbn, meaning "white",
likely a reference to the snow-capped Mount Lebanon. Occurrences of the name have been found in
texts from the library of Ebla, which date
to the third millennium BC, nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible, and three of the twelve tablets
of the Epic of Gilgamesh (perhaps
as early as 2100 BC).
The name is recorded in
Ancient
Egyptian as
Rmnn, where
R stood for Canaanite
L.
History
Ancient history
Evidence
of the earliest known settlements in Lebanon was found in Byblos, which is
considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in
the world, and date back to earlier than 5000 BC.
Archaeologists discovered remnants of prehistoric huts with crushed
limestone floors, primitive weapons, and burial jars left by the
Neolithic and
Chalcolithic fishing communities who lived on the
shore of the Mediterranean Sea over 7,000 years ago.
Lebanon
was the homeland of the Phoenicians, a seafaring people that spread across the
Mediterranean before the rise of Cyrus
the Great. After two centuries of Persian rule,
Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great attacked and burned
Tyre, the most
prominent Phoenician city. Throughout the subsequent centuries
leading up to recent times, the country became part of numerous
succeeding empires, among them Persian, Armenian, Assyrian, Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern
Roman, Arab, Seljuk, Mamluk, Crusader, and
Ottoman.
Medieval times
In 1516, Sultan Selim I took control of Mt. Lebanon and the
mountainous regions of Syria and Palestine. The administration of
these areas, belonging to Fakhr al-Din I, whose family was
concerned, made loyalty to the higher section. As a strategy to
evade the payment of tribute to them, Sultan Selim's attempts
managed to rattle his Turkish masters. He decided to extend his
direct influence across Lebanon, but the landowners and peasants of
Mt. Lebanon both resisted.
In 1544, the sultan,
already poisoned, died on the floor of Fakhr al-Din Pasha, in
Damascus. His son, Korkmaz, was martyred in
1585 while fighting the Turks.
In
1590,
Fakhr-al-Din II became successor to Korkmaz.
He was a skilled politician and described as a pupil of
Machiavelli. He adjusted to the lifestyles of the Druzes,
Christianity and Islam, according to his needs. He paid tribute to
the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire and shared the spoils of war
with his masters. Eventually, Fakhr-al-Din II was appointed Sultan
of Mt. Lebanon, with full authority. He was considered one of the
greatest rulers of the region, also across the Middle of Lebanon.
But, his enemies and governors angered the Ottoman Sultanate.
Hence, a
campaign, calling for the arrest of Fakhr-al-Din II, found the
deposed leader in Istanbul, where he was executed by hanging. Shortly
afterwards, the Emirate of Mt. Lebanon that lasted more than five
hundred years was replaced, instead of the emirate meteor.
French mandate and independence
Lebanon was part of the
Ottoman
Empire for over 400 years, until 1918 when the area became a
part of the
French Mandate of
Syria following World War I.
By the end of the war, famine had killed
an estimated 100,000 people in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. On 1 September 1920, France formed the State
of Greater Lebanon as one of several ethnic enclaves within
Syria. Lebanon was a largely
Christian (mainly
Maronite) enclave but also included areas
containing many
Muslims (including
Druze). On 1 September 1926, France formed the
Lebanese Republic.
The Republic was afterward a separate entity
from Syria (related to the country Syria) but still
administered under the French Mandate of Syria.
Lebanon gained independence in 1943, while France was occupied by
Germany.
General Henri
Dentz, the Vichy High Commissioner for Syria and Lebanon,
played a major role in the independence of the nation.
The Vichy
authorities in 1941 allowed Germany to move aircraft and supplies
through Syria to Iraq where they
were used against British forces. The United
Kingdom, fearing that Nazi
Germany would gain full control of Lebanon and Syria by pressure
on the weak Vichy government, sent its army into Syria and
Lebanon.
After the fighting ended in Lebanon, General
Charles de Gaulle visited the area. Under
political pressure from both inside and outside Lebanon, de Gaulle
recognized the independence of Lebanon. On 26 November 1941 General
Georges Catroux announced that
Lebanon would become independent under the authority of the
Free French government. Elections were
held in 1943 and on 8 November 1943 the new Lebanese government
unilaterally abolished the mandate. The French reacted by throwing
the new government into prison. In the face of international
pressure, the French released the government officials on 22
November 1943 and accepted the independence of Lebanon.
The
allies kept the region
under control until the end of
World War
II. The last French troops withdrew in 1946. Lebanon's
unwritten
National Pact of 1943
required that its
president be Maronite
Christian, its
speaker of the
parliament to be a Shiite Muslim, its
prime minister be Sunni Muslim, and the
deputy speaker of Parliament be
Greek
Orthodox.
Lebanon's
history since independence has been marked by alternating periods
of political stability and turmoil (including a civil conflict in 1958) interspersed
with prosperity built on Beirut's position as a regional center for finance and
trade.
1948 Arab-Israeli war
In May
1948, Israel planned to
invade Lebanon. While some irregular forces crossed the
border and carried out minor skirmishes against Israel, it was
without the support of the Lebanese government.
During the war, some 100,000 Palestinians fled to Lebanon, and
Israel did not permit their return at the end of hostilities.
Because of the tense sectarian balance that exists in Lebanon, the
Palestinians and their descendants are denied citizenship and
suffer from institutional discrimination. Palestinians are
forbidden to work in 70 different professions, including medicine,
journalism, and law. Today, some 400,000 refugees remain, about
half in camps.
Civil war and beyond
In 1975, civil war broke out in Lebanon. The
Lebanese Civil War lasted fifteen years,
devastating the country's economy, and resulting in massive loss of
human life and property. It is estimated that 150,000 people were
killed and another 200,000 wounded. Some 900,000 people,
representing one-fifth of the pre-war population, were displaced
from their homes. The war ended in 1990 with the signing of the
Taif Agreement and parts of Lebanon
were left in ruins.
GDP Change in Lebanon before and during the civil war (in
real terms)
|
1972 |
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
GDP change (in real terms) |
12.2% |
4.7% |
2.4% |
-30.3% |
-57.0% |
67.7% |
-2.6% |
2.4% |
1.5% |
0.6% |
-36.8% |
GDP per capita (US$, current values) |
893 |
1132 |
1423 |
1186 |
527 |
1005 |
1091 |
1274 |
1526 |
1470 |
1006 |
Source: IMF - World Economic Outlook
During the civil war, the
Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) used Lebanon to launch attacks against
Israel. Lebanon was twice invaded and occupied by the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1978
and 1982, with the PLO expelled in the second invasion. Israel
remained in control of Southern Lebanon until 2000, when there was
a general decision, led by Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Barak, to withdraw because of continuous
attacks executed by
Hezbollah, and a
belief that the violence would diminish and dissolve without the
Israeli presence in Lebanon.
The UN determined that the withdrawal of
Israeli troops beyond the blue
line was in accordance with UN Security Council
Resolution 425, although a border region called the Shebaa Farms is still disputed. Hezbollah declared that it would not stop its
operations against Israel until this area was liberated.
Cedar Revolution
On 14 February 2005, former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri was assassinated in a
car bomb explosion near the Saint George
Bay in Beirut. Leaders of the March 14 Alliance, a pro-Western
coalition, accused Syria of the
attack because of its extensive military and intelligence presence
in Lebanon, and the public rift between Hariri and Damascus over the Syrian-backed constitutional amendment
extending President Lahoud's term
in office. Others, namely the
March 8 Alliance and Syrian officials,
claimed that the assassination may have been executed by the
Israeli
Mossad in an attempt to destabilize
the country.
This incident triggered a series of demonstrations, dubbed the
'Cedar Revolution' by the media, which demanded the withdrawal of
Syrian troops from Lebanon and the establishment of an
international commission to investigate the assassination. The
United Nations Security
Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1595 on 7 April 2005,
which called for an investigation into the assassination of Rafik
Hariri. Preliminary findings of the investigation were officially
published on 20 October 2005 in the
Mehlis
report, which cited indications that high-ranking members of
the Syrian and Lebanese governments were involved in the
assassination. Eventually, and under pressure from the West, Syria
began withdrawing its 15,000-strong army troops from Lebanon. By 26
April 2005, all uniformed Syrian soldiers had already crossed the
border back to Syria. The Hariri assassination marked the beginning
of a series of assassination attempts that resulted in the loss of
many prominent Lebanese figures.
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
On 12 July 2006,
Hezbollah fired rockets
at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an anti-tank missile
attack on two armored Humvees patrolling the Israeli side of the
border fence. Of the seven Israeli soldiers in the two jeeps, two
were wounded, three were killed, and two were kidnapped and taken
to Lebanon. Five more were killed in a failed Israeli rescue
attempt. In Lebanon, air strikes caused serious damage to Lebanon's
civil infrastructure (including Beirut's airport), and were
followed by Israel's ground forces moving into areas of Lebanon
militarily controlled by Hezbollah fighters. Israel rained as many
as 4.6 million cluster sub-munitions across southern Lebanon in at
least 962 separate strikes, the vast majority over the final three
days of the war when Israel knew a settlement was imminent. In
Israel, 3,970 Hezbollah rockets landed on northern Israel, many in
urban areas. The month-long conflict caused significant loss of
life, both Israeli (nearly 160) and Lebanese (over 1,000). The
conflict officially ended on 14 August 2006, when the United
Nations Security Council issued resolution 1701 ordering a
ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. (Goldwasser and Regev were
held for two years, without indication as to their health, until
their remains were returned by Hezbollah to Israel on July 16, 2008
in a trade for living prisoners.)
Nahr al-Bared conflict
Nahr
al-Bared (Arabic: نهر البارد, literally: Cold River) is a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, 16 km
from the city of Tripoli. Some 30,000 displaced Palestinians and
their descendants live in and around the camp, which was named
after the river that runs south of the camp. The camp was
established in December 1949 by the League of Red Cross Societies
in order to accommodate the Palestinian refugees suffering from the
difficult winter conditions in the
Beqaa
Valley and the suburbs of Tripoli. The
Lebanese Army is banned from entering all
Palestinian camps under the 1969
Cairo
Agreement.
Late in the night of Saturday May 19, 2007, a building was
surrounded by Lebanese
Internal
Security Forces (ISF) in which a group of
Fatah al-Islam militants accused of taking
part in a bank robbery earlier that day were hiding. The ISF
attacked the building early on Sunday May 20, 2007, unleashing a
day long battle between the ISF and Fatah al-Islam militants. As a
response, members of Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared Camp attacked
an army checkpoint, killing several soldiers in their sleep. The
army immediately responded by shelling the camp.
The camp became the center of the fighting between the Lebanese
Army and Fatah al-Islam. It sustained heavy shelling while under
siege.
UNRWA estimates the battle between the
army and Islamic militant group Fatah al-Islam destroyed or
rendered uninhabitable as much as 85 percent of homes in the camp
and ruined infrastructure. The camp’s up to 40,000 residents were
forced to flee, many of them sheltering in the already overcrowded
Beddawi camp, 10 km south.
At least 169 soldiers, 287 insurgents and 47 civilians were killed
in the army’s battle with the al-Qaeda-inspired militants. Funds
for the reconstruction of the area have been slow to materialize,
and life for the displaced refugees is difficult.
2008 internal strife
When
Émile Lahoud's presidential
term ended in October 2007, the opposition refused to vote for a
successor unless a power-sharing deal was reached, leaving Lebanon
without a president.
On 9 May 2008, Hezbollah and Amal
forces, sparked by a government declaration that Hezbollah's communications network was illegal,
seized western Beirut in Lebanon's
worst internal violence since the 1975-90 civil war. Moreover, as
the
Daily Star wrote, the
violence "threatened to plunge the nation into [another] civil
war", while the Lebanese government decried it as an attempted
coup. At least 62 people died in the clashes.
On 21 May
2008, after five days of negotiation under Arab League mediation in Qatar, all major
Lebanese parties signed the Doha
Agreement, which ended the fighting. Under the accord,
both sides agreed to elect former army head
Michel Suleiman president and establish a
national unity government with a veto share for the opposition.
This ended 18 months of political paralysis. The agreement was a
victory for opposition forces, who received concessions regarding
the composition of the cabinet, Hezbollah's telecommunications
network, and the airport security chief, increasing their political
clout.
Geography and climate
Lebanon is located in
Western Asia.
It is
bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west along a coastline, by Syria to the east
and north, and by Israel to the south. The Lebanon-Syria
border stretches for and the Lebanon-Israel border for .
The
border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in Syria is disputed by Lebanon in a small area
called Shebaa Farms, but the border has been demarcated by the
United Nations.
Most of Lebanon's area is mountainous terrain, except for the
narrow coastline and the
Beqaa Valley,
which plays an integral role in Lebanon's agriculture. However,
climate change and political differences threaten conflict over
water resources in Valley.
Lebanon has a moderate
Mediterranean climate. In coastal
areas, winters are generally cool and rainy whilst summers are hot
and humid. In more elevated areas, temperatures usually drop below
freezing during the winter with frequent, sometimes heavy snow;
summers are warm and dry. Although most of Lebanon receives a
relatively large amount of rainfall annually (compared to its arid
surroundings), certain areas in north-eastern Lebanon receive
little because of the high peaks of the western mountain front
blocking much of the rain clouds that originate over the
Mediterranean Sea.
In ancient times, Lebanon housed large forests of the
Cedars of Lebanon, which now serve as the
country's national emblem. However, centuries of trading cedar
trees, used by mariners for boats, and the absence of any efforts
to replant them have depleted the country's once-flourishing cedar
forests.
Lebanon has astonishing beaches as well as high mountains and
skiing. Lebanon's geography makes it easy to go from the city to
the slopes in a matter of just 1–2 hours.
Government and politics
Lebanon is a
parliamentary
democracy, which implements a special system known as
confessionalism. This system is
intended to deter sectarian conflict and attempts to fairly
represent the demographic distribution of the 18 recognized
religious groups in government. High-ranking offices are reserved
for members of specific religious groups. The
President, for example, has to be a
Maronite Christian, the
Prime Minister a
Sunni Muslim and the
Speaker of the
Parliament a
Shi’a
Muslim.
Lebanon's
national legislature is the unicameral
Parliament
of Lebanon. Its 128 seats are
divided equally between Muslims
and Christians, proportionately between the 18 different
denominations and proportionately between its 26 regions. Prior to
1990, the ratio stood at 6:5 in favor of Christians; however, the
Taif Accord, which put an end to the
1975–1990 civil war, adjusted the ratio to grant equal
representation to followers of the two religions. The Parliament is
elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage although the
civil war precluded the exercise of this right.
The executive branch consists of the President, the
head of state, and the Prime Minister, the
head of government. The
parliament elects the president for a non-renewable six-year term
by a two-third majority. The president appoints the Prime Minister.
Following consultations with the parliament and the President, the
Prime Minister forms the
Cabinet, which must also adhere to the
sectarian distribution set out by confessionalism.
On June 27, 2009, Lebanon's president appointed parliamentary
majority leader
Saad Hariri as prime
minister after his pro-Western coalition, the
March 14 Alliance, defeated a
Hezbollah-led alliance in a
June 2009 election. In
November, after five months of cabinet negotiations, Hariri formed
a
national unity government.
Lebanon's judicial system is a mixture of
Ottoman law,
Napoleonic code,
canon
law and
civil law. The
Lebanese court system consists of three levels: courts of first
instance, courts of appeal, and the
court of cassation. The
Constitutional Council rules on
constitutionality of laws and electoral frauds. There also is a
system of religious courts having jurisdiction over personal status
matters within their own communities, with rules on matters such as
marriage and inheritance.
Foreign relations
Lebanon concluded negotiations on an association agreement with the
European Union in late 2001, and both
sides initialed the accord in January 2002. Lebanon also has
bilateral trade agreements with several Arab states and is working
toward accession to the
World
Trade Organization. Lebanon enjoys good relations with
virtually all of the other Arab countries (despite historic
tensions with Libya, the Palestinians, and Iraq), and hosted an
Arab League Summit in March 2002 for the
first time in more than 35 years. Lebanon is a member of the
Francophone countries and hosted the
Francophone Summit in October 2002.
Lebanese Military
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has 72,100 active personnel,
including 1,100 in the air force, and 1,000 in the navy.The
Lebanese Armed Forces' primary missions include defending Lebanon
and its
citizens against external
aggression, maintaining internal stability and security,
confronting threats against the country's vital interests, engaging
in social development activities, and undertaking relief operations
in coordination with public and
humanitarian institutions.
Lebanon is a major recipient of foreign military aid. With $400
million since 2005, it is the second largest per capita recipient
of American military aid behind Israel.
Governorates and districts
Lebanon is divided into six
governorates
(
mohaafazaat, ;singular
mohafazah, ) which are further subdivided
into twenty-five districts (
aqdya—singular:
qadaa). The districts themselves are also divided
into several municipalities, each enclosing a group of cities or
villages. The governorates and their respective districts are
listed below:
Economy
The urban population in Lebanon is noted for its commercial
enterprise. Over the course of time, emigration has yielded
Lebanese "commercial networks" throughout the world. As a result,
remittances from Lebanese abroad to family members within the
country total $5.6 billion and account for one fifth of the
country's economy. Lebanon has a high proportion of skilled labor
comparable to most European nations and the highest among Arabic
speaking countries.
Although Lebanon is ideally suited for
agricultural activities in terms of water
availability and
soil fertility, as
it possesses the highest proportion of cultivable land in the
Arabic speaking world, it does not have a large agricultural
sector. Attracting only 12% of the total
workforce, agriculture is the least popular
economic sector in Lebanon. It contributes approximately 11.7% of
the country's
GDP, also placing it in the lowest
rank compared to other economic sectors. Major produce includes
apples, peaches, oranges, and lemons.
Industry in Lebanon is mainly limited to small businesses that
reassemble and package imported parts. In 2004, industry ranked
second in workforce, with 26% of the Lebanese working population,
and second in GDP contribution, with 21% of Lebanon's GDP.
A combination of beautiful climate, many historic landmarks and
World Heritage Sites continues
to attract large numbers of tourists to Lebanon. In addition,
Lebanon's strict
financial secrecy and
capitalist economy have given it
significant, though no longer dominant, economic status among Arab
countries. The thriving tourism and banking activities have
naturally made the services sector the most important pillar of the
Lebanese economy. The majority of the Lebanese workforce (nearly
65%) attains employment in the services sector as a result of the
abundant job opportunities. The GDP contribution, accordingly,
amounts to roughly 67.3% of the annual Lebanese GDP. However,
dependence on the tourism and banking sectors leaves the economy
vulnerable to political instability.
The 1975–1990 civil war heavily damaged Lebanon's economic
infrastructure, cut national output by half,
and all but ended Lebanon's position as a
West
Asian entrepôt and
banking hub.
The subsequent period of relative peace
enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin
collecting taxes (though not always successfully), and regain
access to key port and government facilities. Economic
recovery has been helped by a financially sound
banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale
manufacturers, with family remittances, banking services,
manufactured and farm
exports, and
international aid as the main sources of foreign exchange.
Until the
2006 Lebanon War,
Lebanon's economy witnessed excellent growth, with bank assets
reaching over 75 billion US dollars, By the end of the first half
of 2006, the influx of tourists to Lebanon had already registered a
49.3% increase over 2005 figures (which was a low figure, making
the 49.3% increase seem more spectacular than it was).
Market capitalization was also at an
all time high, estimated at $10.9 billion at the end of the second
quarter of 2006, just weeks before the fighting started.
The war severely damaged Lebanon's fragile economy, especially the
tourism sector. According to a preliminary report published by the
Lebanese
Ministry of Finance on
30 August 2006, a major economic decline was expected as a result
of the fighting.
Rafiq Hariri International Airport re-opened in September 2006, and
the efforts to revive the Lebanese economy have proceeded at a slow
pace.
Major contributors to the reconstruction of
Lebanon include Saudi
Arabia (with US$ 1.5 billion pledged), the European Union (with about $1 billion) and a
few other Persian Gulf countries with contributions of up to $800
million.
According to the
CIA World
Factbook, Lebanon's estimated 2008 public debt exceeded 164% of
GDP, ranking third highest in the world (in % of GDP), though down
from 178% in 2004. Finance minister Mohammad Chatah stated that the
debt reached $47 billion in 2008 and would increase to $49 billion
if privatization of two telecoms companies did not occur. The
Daily Star wrote that
exorbitant debt levels have "slowed down the economy and reduced
the government's spending on essential development projects."
Education
Schools
All Lebanese schools are required to follow a prescribed curriculum
designed by the Ministry of Education. Private schools,
approximately 1,400 in all, may also add more courses to their
curriculum with approval from the Ministry of Education. The main
subjects taught are mathematics, sciences, Arabic, and at least one
secondary language (either French or English). The subjects
gradually increase in difficulty and in number. Students in Grade
11, for example, study up to eighteen different subjects.
The government introduces a mild form of selectivity into the
curriculum by giving 11
th graders choice between two
"concentrations": sciences, humanities, and 12
th graders
choose between four concentrations: life sciences, general
sciences, sociology and economics, and humanities and literature.
The choices in concentration do not include major changes in the
number of subjects taken (if at all). However, subjects that fall
out of the concentration are given less weight in grading and are
less rigorous, while subjects that fall within the concentration
are more challenging and contribute significantly to the final
grade.
Students go through three academic phases:
Name |
Number of years |
Annotations |
Elementary |
5 |
|
Intermediate |
4 |
students earn Intermediate Certification (Lebanese
Brevet) at completion |
Secondary |
3 |
students who pass official exams earn a Baccalaureate
Certificate (Baccalauréat Libanais) in the concentration
they chose in 12th grade. Students studying at French-system
schools or American-system schools may also graduate with a French
Baccalaureate that is considered equivalent to the Lebanese
Baccalaureate. Students can also graduate with an International
Baccalaureate (current in some of the private schools). |
These three phases are provided free to all students and the first
eight years are, by law, compulsory. Nevertheless, this requirement
currently falls short of being fully enforced.
Higher education
Following secondary school, Lebanese students may choose to study
at a university, a college, or a vocational training institute. The
number of years to complete each program varies. While the Lebanese
educational system offer a very high quality and international
class of education, the local employment market lacks sufficient
opportunities, thus encouraging many of the young educated to
travel abroad.
Lebanon has forty-one nationally accredited universities, several
of which are internationally recognized.
The American
University of Beirut (AUB) and the Université Saint-Joseph (USJ)
were the first Anglophone and the first Francophone universities to
open in Lebanon, respectively. The universities, both public
and private, largely operate in French or English.
At the English universities, students who have graduated from an
American-style high school program enter at the
freshman level to earn their baccalaureate
equivalence from the Lebanese Ministry of Higher Education. This
qualifies them to continue studying at the higher levels. Such
students are required to have already taken the
SAT I and the
SAT II upon
applying to college, in lieu of the official exams. On the other
hand, students who have graduated from a school that follows the
Lebanese educational system are directly admitted to the
sophomore year. These students are
still required to take the SAT I, but not the SAT II. The
university
academic degrees for the
first stage are the
Bachelor or
the
Licence, for the second stage are the
Master or the
DEA and the third stage is the
doctorate.
The
United Nations assigned Lebanon
an education index of 0.871 in 2008. The index, which is determined
by the adult literacy rate and the combined primary, secondary, and
tertiary gross enrollment ratio, ranked the country 88th out of the
177 countries participating.
Demographics
The population of Lebanon was estimated to be 4,017,095 in July
2009.
As
of 2007, Lebanon was host to over 375,000 refugees and asylum seekers: 270,800 Palestinians,
50,000 from Iraq, and 4,500
from Sudan.
Lebanon forcibly repatriated more than 300 refugees and asylum
seekers in 2007.
Religions in Lebanon by sect
(2007)
Lebanon is one of the most religiously
diverse places in the Middle East
No official census has been taken since 1932, reflecting the
political sensitivity in Lebanon over confessional balance between
different religious groups. The main religious groups of Lebanon
consists of
Muslims, both
Sunni and
Shi'a, the
Christians, mainly
Maronites, and the
Druze. Over the past 60 years, there has been a steady
decline in the number of Christians as compared to Muslims, because
of higher emigration rates among Christians and a high birth rates
among the Muslim population. Approximately in 2007, 56% of the
population are Muslim (28% each are Sunni and Shi'a Muslims), and
44% are part of Christian denominations, 22% are Maronites, 8%
Greek Orthodox, 4%
Greek Catholic, and the remaining are
Armenian Christians,
Syrian Orthodox and small numbers of
Protestants. The
Druze constitute 5% of the population. There are 18
state-recognized religious sects.
Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "
Arabic is the official national language. A
law determines the cases in which the
French language may be used". The majority
of Lebanese people speak
Lebanese
Arabic, and sometimes French and/or English. The Arabic
language is mostly used in magazines and newspapers. Use of the
French language is the result of the post-World War 1 League of
Nations mandate given to France; as of 2004, some 20% of the
population used French on a daily basis. Lebanese people of
Armenian or
Greek descent often speak
Armenian or
Greek fluently.
Kurdish Lebanese are estimated between
100,000 and 150,000, most of whom live around Beirut. There are
currently around 150,000
Armenians
in Lebanon, or around 4% of the population.
Between 11 and 13 million people of
Lebanese descent are spread all over the
world, especially in
Latin America.
The
country with the largest expatriate population is Brazil, with 7
million Lebanese Brazilians
inhabiting the country. Large numbers of Lebanese migrated to
West Africa, particularly in the
Ivory
Coast (home to over 100,000 Lebanese) and Senegal (roughly 30,000 Lebanese). Australia is home to over 270,000 Lebanese (1999
est.).
In the last three decades, lengthy and destructive armed conflicts
have ravaged the country. The majority of people in Lebanon have
been affected by the armed conflict there; those with direct
personal experience include 75% of the population, and most others
report suffering a range of hardships. In total, almost the entire
population (96%) has been affected insome way – either personally
or because of the wider consequences of armed conflict.
Culture
Overview
The area including modern Lebanon has been home to various
civilizations and cultures for thousands of years.
Originally home to
the Phoenicians, and then subsequently conquered and occupied by
the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the
Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks and most
recently the French, Lebanese culture has over the millennia
evolved by borrowing from all of these groups. Lebanon's
diverse population, composed of different ethnic and religious
groups, has further contributed to the country's festivals, musical
styles and literature as well as cuisine, and numerous violent
clashes amongst different religious and ethnic groups. When
compared to the rest of the
Southwest
Asia, Lebanese society as a whole is well educated, and as of
2003 87.4% of the population was literate. Lebanese society is very
modern and similar to certain cultures of
Mediterranean Europe. It is often considered
as Europe's gateway to Western Asia as well as Asia's gateway to
the Western World.
National flag
The original design
The national flag of Lebanon, created shortly after independence in
1943, consists of three horizontal bands; the top and bottom bands
are red and of equivalent size, each consisting of 1/4 of the
flag's surface, while the larger, middle band is white with a green
cedar tree fixed at its center and consists of 1/2 of the flag's
surface. The
cedar tree, an emblem of
Lebanon, symbolizes survival, and red symbolizes the blood shed for
independence. The top and bottom of the cedar touch the edge of
both red bands.
Sports
Both summer and winter sports thrive in Lebanon because of the
unique geography.
In autumn and spring, for example, it is
possible to go skiing in the morning and swimming in the Mediterranean
Sea in the afternoon. At the competitive level,
basketball and
football are among Lebanon’s most
popular sports. In recent years, Lebanon has hosted the
AFC Asian Cup and the
Pan Arab Games.
Lebanon has six
ski resorts, with
opportunities also available for
cross-country skiing,
snowshoeing, and
snowmobiling.
In the summer, skilifts can be used to
access hiking trails, with views stretching
as far as Cyprus to the west
and Syria to the east
on clear days. Canoeing,
cycling,
rafting,
climbing,
swimming,
sailing and
caving are
among the other common leisure sports in Lebanon. Adventure and
extreme sports are also possible throughout the country. The
Beirut Marathon is held every fall,
drawing top runners from Lebanon and abroad. Race day is promoted
as a fun, family event, and it has become a tradition for many to
participate in costumes or outlandish clothing.
Dance is also a popular activity in Lebanon that may fall under the
category of 'sports'.
Lebanon hosted the
2009
Jeux de la Francophonie from
September
27 to
October 6.
Prominent Lebanese bodybuilders include
Samir Bannout,
Mohammad Bannout, and
Ahmad Haidar.
Cod Watson is the most famous Rugby Union player of Lebanese
decent. He currently plays for the Gympie Hammers in Australia's
Sunshine Coast division.
Rugby league has enjoyed growth in Lebanon with a 5 team domestic
competition. An international team made up of domestic players
recently played a two match tour in Dubai. The Lebanese
international team will take part in the European cup in 2009
against teams such as
Scotland and
Russia.
Hazem El Masri who is
Australian
rugby league' all time points scorer moved from Lebanon to
Australia as a child and has represented Lebanon at international
level, including playing at the 2000
Rugby League World Cup
Arts and literature
By the turn of the 20th century, Beirut was vying with Cairo as the
major center for modern Arab thought, with many newspapers,
magazines, and literary societies.
In
literature, Khalil Gibran, who was
born in Bsharri, is particularly known for his book The Prophet, which has been
translated into more than twenty different languages.
Several contemporary Lebanese writers have also achieved
international success; including
Elias
Khoury,
Amin Maalouf famous for "Le
Rocher de Tanios" and
Hanan
al-Shaykh.
In art,
Moustafa Farroukh was one
of Lebanon's most prominent painters of the 20th century. Formally
trained in Rome and Paris, he exhibited in venues from Paris to New
York to Beirut over his career. His work was applauded for its
representation of real life in Lebanon in pictures of the country,
its people and its customs. Farroukh became highly regarded as a
Lebanese nationalist painter at a time when Lebanon was asserting
its political independence. His art captured the spirit and
character of the Lebanese people and he became recognized as the
outstanding Lebanese painter of his generation. He also wrote five
books and taught art at the American University of Beirut.
Music
Music is pervasive in Lebanese society. While traditional folk
music remains popular in Lebanon, modern music reconciling Western
and traditional Arabic styles,
pop, and
fusion are rapidly advancing in
popularity. Radio stations feature a variety of music, including
traditional Lebanese, classical Arabic, and modern French, English,
American, and
Latin tunes. Prominent
traditional musicians include Wadih El Safi, Sabah, Nasri Shams el
Deen, Salwa Atreeb, Melhem Barakat, Zaki Nassif, Felemon Wehbe,
Rahbani Brothers and
Fairuz, an icon during
the
civil war, and
Najwa Karam, who built an international audience
for the genre. Ziad Rahbani and
Marcel
Khalife, musicians who blend classical Arab music with modern
sounds, boast immense popularity for their politically charged
lyrics. Distinguished commercial pop artists include
Nancy Ajram and Haifa Wehby, whose albums sell
into the millions, as well as Wael Kfoury, Fadel Chaker
etc...
According to the
World Intellectual
Property Organization, Lebanon's music industry is growing and
could attain leading status in the region.
Lebanese performers
are celebrated throughout the Arab World, and with the notable
exception of Egypt enjoy
increasing regional popularity. Rising demand for Arabic
music outside the Middle East has provided Lebanese artists with a
small but significant global audience. However, widespread piracy
continues to inhibit the music industry's growth.
Festivals
Music festivals, often hosted at historical sites, are a customary
element of Lebanese culture. Among the most famous are
Baalbeck International
Festival,
Byblos
International Festival,
Beiteddine Festival, Batroun Festival,
and Tyr Festival. These festivals are promoted by Lebanon's
Ministry of
Tourism.
Movies
There are several movies, which are filmed in or based on Lebanon,
including:
See also
Notes
- Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by
Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic,
a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names, is
also used, but less frequently.
- Countries Quest. "Lebanon, Government". Retrieved 14 December
2006.
- U.S. Department of State (January 2009). "Background Note: Lebanon". Retrieved July 21,
2009.
- Anna Johnson (2006). "Lebanon: Tourism Depends on Stability" . Retrieved 31
October 2006.
- Canadian International Development Agency. "Lebanon:
Country Profile". Retrieved 2 December 2006.
- Center for the Study of the Built Environment. "Deconstructing Beirut's Reconstruction: 1990-2000".
Retrieved 31 October 2006.
- About.com (1987). "Lebanon in Ancient Times". Retrieved 17
December 2006.
- "Photographs in History" (Arabic) - sixth edition 1999, written
by Shafiq Juha, Bahij Othman, Munir Baalbaki and Dar al-Ilm. P.
19-20.
- "Photographs in History" (Arabic) - sixth edition 1999. P.
76.
- Dreaming of Greater Syria. Abdul-Ilah Saadi.
Al Jazeera English.
- Chorbishop Seely Beggiani (2005). "Aspects of
Maronite History (Part Eleven) The twentieth century in Western
Asia". Retrieved 24 January 2007.
- How the Muslim world deals with the rise of
Islamism
- Time (1991). "After the
War, the Mop-Up" . Retrieved 30 November 2006.
- UN IRIN news. "Lebanon: Haven for foreign militants". May 17,
2007.
- Council on Foreign Relations (2006). "The Future of Lebanon". Retrieved 18 December
2006.
- People's Daily (2000). "Lebanese Troops Patrol Near Fatma Gate Along
Border With Israel". Retrieved 18 December 2006.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2000). "Withdrawal from Lebanon: Press Briefing by Foreign
Minister David Levy". Retrieved 1 November 2006.
- The key to Shebaa, Al-Jazeera online. Retrieved 1 April
2007.
- CBC News Indepth (2006). "Recent background on Syria's presence in
Lebanon". Retrieved 10 December 2006.
- See this MEMRI bulletin, includes several
statements and sources.
- CNN (2005) "Last Syrian troops leave Lebanon". Retrieved 11
December 2006.
- 2005: Bassel Fleihan, Lebanese legislator and
Minister of Economy and Commerce; Samir Kassir, Columnist and Democratic Left Movement leader;
George Hawi,
former head of Lebanese Communist Party;
Gibran Tueni,
Editor in Chief of "An Nahar" newspaper. 2006: Pierre Gemayel,
Minister of Industry. 2007: Walid Eido, MP; Antoine Ghanim, MP.
- UN IRIN news. "Life set to get harder for Nahr al-Bared refugees".
Retrieved 5 November 2008.
- Telegraph (2000) "Israel's Withdrawal from Lebanon Given UN's
Endorsement". Retrieved 1 November 2006.
- UN IRIN news. "Climate change and politics threaten water wars in
Bekaa". Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- (Bonechi et al.) (2004) Golden Book Lebanon, p. 3,
Florence, Italy: Casa Editrice Bonechi. ISBN 88-476-1489-9
- Country Studies US. "Lebanon
- Climate". Retrieved 5 November 2006.
- Blue Planet Biomes. "Lebanon Cedar - Cedrus libani". Retrieved 10 December
2006.
- Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2002). "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002:
Lebanon". Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- Lijphart, Arend. Consociational Democracy, in "World
Politics", Vol. 21, No. 2 (January 1969), pp. 207–225.
- Lijphart, Arend. Multiethnic democracy, in S. Lipset
(ed.), "The Encyclopedia of Democracy". London, Routledge, 1995,
Volume III, pp. 853–865.
- United States Institute of Peace (March 2006). "Lebanon's Confessionalism: Problems and
Prospects". Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- Marie-Joëlle Zahar. "Chapter 9 Power sharing in Lebanon: Foreign
protectors, domestic peace, and democratic failure". (DOC)
Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- "Eager Lebanese race to polls to cast their ballots".
Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- UNDP. "Democratic Governance, Elections, Lebanon". Retrieved
15 December 2008.
- USAID Lebanon. "USAID Lebanon — Definitions of Terms used".
Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- U.S. Department of State (1994) Header: People, 4th paragraph. Retrieved 3
December 2006.
- Background Note: Lebanon "www.washingtoninstitute.org". Retrieved 3
December 2006.
- International
Organization for Migration. "Lebanon -
Facts and Figures" Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- Reuters. "FACTBOX: Facts on Lebanon's economy" Retrieved
13 June 2009.
- United Nations Population
Fund. "Lebanon - Overview" . Retrieved 9 November 2006.
- Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, U.S.A.
1986-1988. [1]. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
- Jean Hayek et al, 1999. The Structure, Properties, and Main
Foundations of the Lebanese Economy. In The Scientific Series
in Geography, Grade 11, 110–114. Beirut: Dar Habib.
- CIA World Factbook 2001. Retrieved
2006-12-04.
- Bank Audi (2006). "Lebanon Economic Report: 2nd Quarter, 2006".
Retrieved 27 November 2005.
- Lebanese Ministry of Finance (2006). "Impact of the July Offensive on the Public
Finances in 2006". Retrieved 24 September 2006.
- Cyprus News (2006). "Saudi
Arabia Key Contributor To Lebanon's Reconstruction". Retrieved
26 November 2006.
- Lebanon Under Siege (2006). "Donors pledge more than $940 million for
Lebanon". Retrieved 26 November 2006.
- Ain-Al-Yaqeen (2006). "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Reviews with the
Jordanian King the Situation in Lebanon...". Retrieved 27
November 2006.
- Samidoun (2006). "Aid groups scramble to fix buildings; fill
backpacks before school bell rings". Retrieved 9 December
2006.
- Infopro Management. "Lebanon Opportunities - Business Information".
Retrieved 30 January 2007.
- Lebanese Directory of Higher Education. "Decrees". Retrieved 30 January 2007.
- eIFL.net Regional Workshop (2005). "Country Report: Lebanon" . Retrieved 14
December 2006.
- Université Saint-Joseph. "125
years of history - A timeline" . Retrieved 8 December
2006.
- "Yalla! Students". Retrieved 15 December
2006.
- {}
- Surviving in the city: A review of UNHCR’s operation for
Iraqi refugees in urban areas of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria
- Lebanon : Overview. Minority Rights Group
International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous
Peoples.
- Lebanon - International Religious Freedom Report
2008 U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2009-09-04.
- "Article 11 of the Lebanese Constitution"
http://www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/le00000_.html#A011_Retrieved 28
June 2008.
- Armenians jump Lebanon's divide. Not counted in
the above-mentioned demographic survey of 2007 are the Armenian
Christians and Syrian Orthodox who number 4% and 1% of the
population. There are small numbers of Protestants and members of
the Church of the East. BBC News. April 16, 2009.
- Lebanese Diaspora. Prof. Van Dusenbery. Hamline
University.
- The world's successful diasporas. Management
Today. April 3, 2007.
- Marina Sarruf (2006). "Brazil Has More Lebanese than Lebanon". Retrieved 30
November 2006.
- Ivory Coast - The Levantine Community. Source:
U.S. Library of Congress.
- Lebanese Immigrants Boost West African
Commerce, By Naomi Schwarz, voanews.com, July 10, 2007
- Australian Population: Ethnic Origins.
(PDF)
- Lebanon, Opinion survey 2009 , by ICRC and
Ipsos
- Lebanon Culture. [2]. 18 December 2006.
- The Hindu (5 January 2003). "Called by life";. Retrieved 8 January
2007.
- One source says "cult following", other says "folk heros"
References
- Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by
Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic,
a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names, is
also used, but less frequently.
- Countries Quest. "Lebanon, Government". Retrieved 14 December
2006.
- U.S. Department of State (January 2009). "Background Note: Lebanon". Retrieved July 21,
2009.
- Anna Johnson (2006). "Lebanon: Tourism Depends on Stability" . Retrieved 31
October 2006.
- Canadian International Development Agency. "Lebanon:
Country Profile". Retrieved 2 December 2006.
- Center for the Study of the Built Environment. "Deconstructing Beirut's Reconstruction: 1990-2000".
Retrieved 31 October 2006.
- About.com (1987). "Lebanon in Ancient Times". Retrieved 17
December 2006.
- "Photographs in History" (Arabic) - sixth edition 1999, written
by Shafiq Juha, Bahij Othman, Munir Baalbaki and Dar al-Ilm. P.
19-20.
- "Photographs in History" (Arabic) - sixth edition 1999. P.
76.
- Dreaming of Greater Syria. Abdul-Ilah Saadi.
Al Jazeera English.
- Chorbishop Seely Beggiani (2005). "Aspects of
Maronite History (Part Eleven) The twentieth century in Western
Asia". Retrieved 24 January 2007.
- How the Muslim world deals with the rise of
Islamism
- Time (1991). "After the
War, the Mop-Up" . Retrieved 30 November 2006.
- UN IRIN news. "Lebanon: Haven for foreign militants". May 17,
2007.
- Council on Foreign Relations (2006). "The Future of Lebanon". Retrieved 18 December
2006.
- People's Daily (2000). "Lebanese Troops Patrol Near Fatma Gate Along
Border With Israel". Retrieved 18 December 2006.
- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2000). "Withdrawal from Lebanon: Press Briefing by Foreign
Minister David Levy". Retrieved 1 November 2006.
- The key to Shebaa, Al-Jazeera online. Retrieved 1 April
2007.
- CBC News Indepth (2006). "Recent background on Syria's presence in
Lebanon". Retrieved 10 December 2006.
- See this MEMRI bulletin, includes several
statements and sources.
- CNN (2005) "Last Syrian troops leave Lebanon". Retrieved 11
December 2006.
- 2005: Bassel Fleihan, Lebanese legislator and
Minister of Economy and Commerce; Samir Kassir, Columnist and Democratic Left Movement leader;
George Hawi,
former head of Lebanese Communist Party;
Gibran Tueni,
Editor in Chief of "An Nahar" newspaper. 2006: Pierre Gemayel,
Minister of Industry. 2007: Walid Eido, MP; Antoine Ghanim, MP.
- UN IRIN news. "Life set to get harder for Nahr al-Bared refugees".
Retrieved 5 November 2008.
- Telegraph (2000) "Israel's Withdrawal from Lebanon Given UN's
Endorsement". Retrieved 1 November 2006.
- UN IRIN news. "Climate change and politics threaten water wars in
Bekaa". Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- (Bonechi et al.) (2004) Golden Book Lebanon, p. 3,
Florence, Italy: Casa Editrice Bonechi. ISBN 88-476-1489-9
- Country Studies US. "Lebanon
- Climate". Retrieved 5 November 2006.
- Blue Planet Biomes. "Lebanon Cedar - Cedrus libani". Retrieved 10 December
2006.
- Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2002). "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002:
Lebanon". Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- Lijphart, Arend. Consociational Democracy, in "World
Politics", Vol. 21, No. 2 (January 1969), pp. 207–225.
- Lijphart, Arend. Multiethnic democracy, in S. Lipset
(ed.), "The Encyclopedia of Democracy". London, Routledge, 1995,
Volume III, pp. 853–865.
- United States Institute of Peace (March 2006). "Lebanon's Confessionalism: Problems and
Prospects". Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- Marie-Joëlle Zahar. "Chapter 9 Power sharing in Lebanon: Foreign
protectors, domestic peace, and democratic failure". (DOC)
Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- "Eager Lebanese race to polls to cast their ballots".
Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- UNDP. "Democratic Governance, Elections, Lebanon". Retrieved
15 December 2008.
- USAID Lebanon. "USAID Lebanon — Definitions of Terms used".
Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- U.S. Department of State (1994) Header: People, 4th paragraph. Retrieved 3
December 2006.
- Background Note: Lebanon "www.washingtoninstitute.org". Retrieved 3
December 2006.
- International
Organization for Migration. "Lebanon -
Facts and Figures" Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- Reuters. "FACTBOX: Facts on Lebanon's economy" Retrieved
13 June 2009.
- United Nations Population
Fund. "Lebanon - Overview" . Retrieved 9 November 2006.
- Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, U.S.A.
1986-1988. [1]. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
- Jean Hayek et al, 1999. The Structure, Properties, and Main
Foundations of the Lebanese Economy. In The Scientific Series
in Geography, Grade 11, 110–114. Beirut: Dar Habib.
- CIA World Factbook 2001. Retrieved
2006-12-04.
- Bank Audi (2006). "Lebanon Economic Report: 2nd Quarter, 2006".
Retrieved 27 November 2005.
- Lebanese Ministry of Finance (2006). "Impact of the July Offensive on the Public
Finances in 2006". Retrieved 24 September 2006.
- Cyprus News (2006). "Saudi
Arabia Key Contributor To Lebanon's Reconstruction". Retrieved
26 November 2006.
- Lebanon Under Siege (2006). "Donors pledge more than $940 million for
Lebanon". Retrieved 26 November 2006.
- Ain-Al-Yaqeen (2006). "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Reviews with the
Jordanian King the Situation in Lebanon...". Retrieved 27
November 2006.
- Samidoun (2006). "Aid groups scramble to fix buildings; fill
backpacks before school bell rings". Retrieved 9 December
2006.
- Infopro Management. "Lebanon Opportunities - Business Information".
Retrieved 30 January 2007.
- Lebanese Directory of Higher Education. "Decrees". Retrieved 30 January 2007.
- eIFL.net Regional Workshop (2005). "Country Report: Lebanon" . Retrieved 14
December 2006.
- Université Saint-Joseph. "125
years of history - A timeline" . Retrieved 8 December
2006.
- "Yalla! Students". Retrieved 15 December
2006.
- {}
- Surviving in the city: A review of UNHCR’s operation for
Iraqi refugees in urban areas of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria
- Lebanon : Overview. Minority Rights Group
International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous
Peoples.
- Lebanon - International Religious Freedom Report
2008 U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2009-09-04.
- "Article 11 of the Lebanese Constitution"
http://www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/le00000_.html#A011_Retrieved 28
June 2008.
- Armenians jump Lebanon's divide. Not counted in
the above-mentioned demographic survey of 2007 are the Armenian
Christians and Syrian Orthodox who number 4% and 1% of the
population. There are small numbers of Protestants and members of
the Church of the East. BBC News. April 16, 2009.
- Lebanese Diaspora. Prof. Van Dusenbery. Hamline
University.
- The world's successful diasporas. Management
Today. April 3, 2007.
- Marina Sarruf (2006). "Brazil Has More Lebanese than Lebanon". Retrieved 30
November 2006.
- Ivory Coast - The Levantine Community. Source:
U.S. Library of Congress.
- Lebanese Immigrants Boost West African
Commerce, By Naomi Schwarz, voanews.com, July 10, 2007
- Australian Population: Ethnic Origins.
(PDF)
- Lebanon, Opinion survey 2009 , by ICRC and
Ipsos
- Lebanon Culture. [2]. 18 December 2006.
- The Hindu (5 January 2003). "Called by life";. Retrieved 8 January
2007.
- One source says "cult following", other says "folk heros"
Further reading
- Fisk, Robert. Pity the Nation: The Abduction of
Lebanon. New York: Nation Books, 2002.
- Firzli, Nicola Y. Al-Baath wa-Lubnân [Arabic only]
("The Baath and Lebanon"). Beirut: Dar-al-Tali'a Books, 1973
- Glass, Charles, "Tribes with
Flags: A Dangerous Passage Through the Chaos of the Middle East",
Atlantic Monthly Press (New York) and Picador (London), 1990 ISBN
0436181304
- Hitti Philip K. History
of Syria Including Lebanon and Palestine, Vol. 2
(2002) (ISBN 1-931956-61-8)
- Holst, Sanford. Phoenicians: Lebanon's Epic Heritage.
Los Angeles: Cambridge and Boston Press, 2005.
- Norton, Augustus R. Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the
Soul of Lebanon. Austin and London: University of Texas Press,
1987.
- Plonka Arkadiusz, L’idée de langue libanaise d’après Sa‘īd
‘Aql, Paris, Geuthner, 2004 (French) ISBN 2705337393
- Sobelman, Daniel. New Rules of the Game: Israel and Hizbollah
After the Withdrawal From Lebanon, Jaffee Center for Strategic
Studies, Tel-Aviv University, 2004.
- Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Oxford Illustrated History of
the Crusades. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
- Salibi, Kamal. A House of Many Mansions: The History of
Lebanon Reconsidered. Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1990.
External links