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Lebanon - GENERAL INFORMATION
 
Population - Local time - Languages - Religion - Political system - Climate - Tourism - Food



Population



Main Cities Population
Beirut   1,500,000  
Tripoli   300,000  
Sidon   165,000  
Zahl?   125,000  
Tyre   110,000  



Total population (millions): 4.6
Source: World Bank 2004

Urban population: 88%
Source: World Bank 2004

Average annual population growth: 1.2%
Source: World Bank 2004

Surface area (km²) : 10,452 km?


Population origin

Origin of the population% Of the population
Arab95
Armenian4
Other1


Local time


It is %T:%M %A in Beirut


GMT+2 in winter, GMT+3 in summer


Languages


Official language: Arabic.
Spoken languages: French, English and Armenian
Business language: French and Arabic.

Free translation tools in Lebanon :
Arjeeb
Free English-Arabic-English translation of texts and web pages

Ectaco
Free Arabic-English-Arabic dictionary



Religion


Religious practises : Muslims (shiites and sunni) 70%
Christians (othodox, armenians, gregorians) 30%


Political system


Lebanon is a democratic republic with a parliamentary system, independent since 1943. The President of the Lebanese Republic, is elected for 6 years by the National Assembly, he must be a Maronite Christian.
Head of State: President: General Emile Lahoud, since november 24th of 1998.

The Prime Minister who holds more and more powers, is chosen jointly by the President of the Republic and by the President of the National Assembly. He must be a Sunni Muslim.

The National Assembly is composed of 128 representatives who are elected by universal suffrage for 4 years and whose seats are shared out among Christians and Muslims. The President of the National Assembly must be a Shiite Muslim.
The Current national Assembly President is Nabih Berri since October the 20th 1992 and Najib Mikati since April 15, 2005

The constitution is based on the separation of executive, legislative and legal powers.


Climate

 


Tourism

Number of visitors in Lebanon 2002 2003 2004 World rank
Number of visitors (1000) 956   1016   1278   n.a.
Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005

 

Tourist sites


Anjar, Baalbek, Byblos, Tyr. As for the relief: there are 4 successive zones parallel to the shore:
-The narrow coastal plain of Sahel, limited by a coast which is favorable to the establishment of ports.
-The massif of the Lebanon Mount-Djebel Liban - slightly bent southward down to Galilee mountains. The rivers digged deep gorges in the mountain.
-The high inland plain of Bekaa - 900 m high; it is prolonged with Akkar.
-Finally the massif of Anti-Lebanon: a desert plateau reaching its highest point at 2,300 m .

For more information about tourism in Lebanon , check out the following web site(s) :
Lebanese Tourism Board
Lebanese Ministry of Tourism


Food


Traditional dishes


Falafel: fried balls made of dry beans and chickpeas, traditionally served hot with chopped parsley sprinkled on top; they are served with slices of tomatoes and a sesame sauce. Falafels can constitute a meal or they can be served as an appetizer in smaller portions.
Tabouhl?or Tabbouleh: The famous Lebanese tabouhlé is famous for its energy-giving properties: it is a healthy salad, that you can either enjoy in a pita bread or as a side dish.
Hummus bi Tahina (Arabic Countries): it is a classic of Arabic countries, a chickpeas mush spread on pita bread; it replaces the mayonnese in an oriental " sandwich "; perfectly served with chicken or shish kebab; it is also used as a "quick dip" for mixed-salad.
Lahm Mishwi
Mouttabal.

Food-related taboos


Culinary taboos may vary with the religions of each community.

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Last modified in October 2005
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