Lebanon (LE-buh-nuhn), republic (4,015 sq mi/10,400 sq km; 1996 estimated population 3,800,000; 2004 estimated population 3,777,218), SW Asia, on the Mediterranean Sea; (cap.) Beirut ; 33°50'N 35°50'E.
Geography
The country faces the E shore of the Mediterranean and is bordered on the N and E by Syria and on the S by Israel. In addition to Beirut there are four ports: Tripoli in the N, Saida and Tyre (now Sur) in the S, and Juniye in central Lebanon. There are four physical regions. The fertile narrow coastal plain is the most densely populated part of the country, containing most of Lebanon’s big cities and intensive agriculture. The W highlands, rising abruptly from the coastal plain, consist of two main ranges: the Lebanon Mountains (extending N of the Litani River to the Nahr el Kebir on the Syria border) and the N part of the Galilee Highlands (stretching from the Israeli border to the Litani River). The fertile Al Beqa'a Valley (average elevation 3,280 ft/1,000 m) lies in the Syrian-African rift, an extension of the Jordan Valley, and is drained in the N by the Orontes Asi River and in the S by the Litani River; and the Anti-Lebanon range, which is more densely inhabited on its W slopes. Much of the terrain is mountainous; the Lebanon Mountains, which run parallel to the coast, reach their highest point at Qurnet es Sauda (elevation 10,131 ft/3,088 m); on the E border are Mount Hermon and the Anti-Lebanon range, along which the boundary of Lebanon and Syria extends. The Orontes in the N and the Litani in the S are the main rivers.
Population
About 93% of Lebanese are Arabs. Arabic is the official language; English is also spoken, as is Armenian to a limited extent. The country’s last official census was in 1932; at that time, the Christian population was 53% of the total. No census has been taken since in order to maintain the fiction of a balanced Christian-Muslim population; however, most knowledgeable observers believe that about two-thirds of the population is now Muslim. The rapidly growing group of Shiites, in the N Beka and S of Beirut, now rival the Sunni in number. About one-quarter of the population is divided into Greek Orthodox, Armenians, and Maronites (an ancient Eastern Christian church that was independent until it was united with the Catholic Church). There is also a minority of Druze, whose religion combines Muslim and Christian elements. The civil war has resulted in the extensive emigration of Maronites and Armenians. Political life is profoundly affected by the country’s religious diversity; political groups that are mainly Christian, especially of the Maronite sect, generally favor an independent course for Lebanon, stressing its ties with Europe; the Muslims, however, favor closer ties with the surrounding Arab countries. Maronites, Sunni Muslims, and Shiite Muslims are represented in the legislature, cabinet, and civil service.
Economy
Lebanon is the distribution center for the Middle East, and commerce is its major industry. Lebanon itself is largely agricultural. The main crops are citrus fruits, apples, bananas, pears, olives, vegetables, and grapes. Grain is grown, but not enough for Lebanon to be self-sufficient. Sugarcane, cotton, and tobacco are also grown, and hemp (hashish) is grown and illegally exported. Livestock are raised, and poultry is a large source of revenue. The largest manufacturing industries are engaged in food processing and the production of textiles, apparel, carpeting, and tobacco products. Lebanon has few minerals. There used to be two oil pipelines terminating in Lebanon—one from Iraq to Tripoli and another from Saudi Arabia to Sidon (Zahrani)—but they have closed because they fell victim to Middle East conflicts. The refineries near Sidon and Tripoli that were destroyed are being rebuilt. Not many of the famed cedars remain, although oak and pine are exploited. Tourism and financial services, which flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, has decreased dramatically with the onset of Lebanon’s political unrest. The country exports fruit, vegetables, and textiles, largely to the other Arab countries; imports include grain, flour, and manufactured goods from Italy, France, Germany, Syria, and China.
History to the 16th Century
In ancient times the area of Lebanon and Syria was occupied by the Canaanites, who founded the great cities of Phoenicia and later established a commercial maritime empire. Lebanon’s cities, as well as its forests and iron and copper mines (since exhausted), attracted the successive dominant powers in the Middle East. The Phoenician cities occupied a favored position in the Persian Empire and were conquered by Alexander the Great. The region came under Roman dominion starting in 64 B.C. (there are notable Roman ruins at Baalbek) and was Christianized before the Arab conquest in the 7th century. By then the Maronites had established themselves—a cardinal fact in the history of Lebanon, which long remained predominantly Christian while Syria became Muslim. Later (11th century) the Druze settled in the S part of Mount Lebanon and in adjacent regions of Syria, and trouble between them and the Christians was to become a constant theme in regional history. The Crusaders were active in Lebanon (late 11th century) and were aided by the Lebanese Christians. After the Crusaders, Lebanon was loosely ruled by the Mameluks (c.1300). Invasions by Mongols and others contributed to the decline of trade until the reunification of the Middle East under the Ottoman Turks (early 16th century).
History - 16th Century to World War II
In the later years of Ottoman control, Lebanon had considerable autonomy, and powerful families ruled the country. Conflict among the religious communities, culminating in massacres of the Maronites by the Druze in 1860, led to intervention by France (1861), and the Ottoman sultan was forced to appoint a Christian governor for Lebanon. Mount Lebanon was set aside as a special, semi-autonomous district within the Ottoman Empire, and its boundary was drawn to ensure a Christian majority. This was called “smaller Lebanon” and controlled by the dominant Christian group, the Maronites. The French were given the mandate of Syria after World War I by the League of Nations, and Lebanon was a part of that mandate. The French, being Catholic, separated Lebanon (home of most of the Maronite Catholics) from Syria, thus creating a new state. They added the Tripoli area to the N, the Seka in the E, and the Mutarirbi area in the S, creating a “greater Lebanon.” In 1926 the mandate was given a republican constitution. A treaty with France in 1936 provided for independence after a three-year transition period, but it was not ratified by France.
History - World War II to 1975
In World War II the French Vichy government controlled Lebanon until a British–Free French force conquered (June–July 1941) both Lebanon and Syria. The Free French proclaimed Lebanon an independent republic. Lebanon became independent on Jan. 1, 1945. In that year it became a member of the UN, and soon afterward all British and French troops were evacuated. As a member of the Arab League, Lebanon declared war on Israel in 1948 but took little part in the conflict; an armistice agreement with Israel was signed in 1949. In the spring of 1958 opposition to the ruling president Camille Chamoun’s pro-Western policies and his acceptance of U.S. aid under the Eisenhower doctrine erupted in rioting in Tripoli, Beirut, and elsewhere. The rioting grew into full-scale rebellion, and Chamoun called in U.S. forces (July 1958). General Fouad Chehab, a nonpolitical personality, was elected to succeed Chamoun, and the rebellion ebbed. By the fall, U.S. forces had left the country. In 1962 a military coup was attempted in Beirut but was crushed. During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Lebanon gave verbal support to the Arab effort against Israel but did not become involved in any military action. Israel, however, has repeatedly accused Lebanon of not doing enough to prevent the Palestinian commandos from operating against Israel from Lebanese soil. After the bloody suppression in 1970–1971 of the guerrillas in Jordan, large numbers of Palestinians fled to S Lebanon and Beirut. Lebanon did not enter the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, nor did the Lebanese army interfere with Palestinian guerrillas operating in S Lebanon. Israel continued its attacks on Palestinian guerrilla bases in S Lebanon.
History - 1975 to 1987
Lebanon became embroiled in civil war among the Christians, Muslims, and Palestinians from early 1975 to late 1976. At the request of the president, Suleiman Franjieh, Syrian forces entered Lebanon (April 1976), halting Muslim and Palestinian advances. An estimated 50,000 Lebanese were killed and twice that number wounded. The country became devastated, the economy crippled, and tourism plummeted to the point of nonexistence. A cease-fire in October 1976, proved unstable, and hostilities resumed full scale in 1977. In response to guerilla attacks by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Israel occupied S Lebanon in March 1978, but withdrew in June. In 1981 fighting continued between Christian (Phalangist) and Syrian forces, as Israeli air raids on Beirut became a destructive form of reprisal. On June 6, 1982, Israeli forces invaded Lebanon full scale, primarily to eliminate Palestinian guerilla bases. Israeli troops and their Christian allies laid siege to Beirut. Nearly 7,000 Palestinian guerillas were forced to leave Lebanon, which was accomplished under the supervision of a Multinational Force (MNF) comprised of U.S. and European-allied troops, and Israeli forces occupied W Beirut on September 15. The next day, Phalangist militia began the massacres of Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila on the SW part of Beirut. The uproar that followed, both internationally and in Israel, was a major reason for the return of the MNF and Israeli pullback from W Beirut. The U.S. and MNF withdrew from Beirut after the Palestinian bombings of the U.S. embassy (April 1983; sixty-three killed) and the U.S. Marine barracks (October 1983; 241 killed). As Israeli troops slowly left the Beirut and S area, Lebanese militias fought in the wake of the Israeli withdrawal. Israel completed its withdrawal in mid-1985, but left soldiers to work in conjunction with the Christian South Lebanese Army (SLA) to maintain a security (“buffer”) zone.
History - 1987 to Present
Beirut remained a major battle area, and in February 1987, Syrian troops moved into the city to suppress the attacking factions. A tentative peace accord in 1989 between Christian and Muslim representatives was aided by the Arab League to halt fighting. Throughout the 1980s, Westerners were the targets of numerous kidnappings by radical Shiite groups, and Lebanon became notorious for taking Western hostages. In early 1991, Lebanese troops organized to regain control of the S from PLO guerillas and Israelis who controlled a 6-mi/10-km-deep security zone. By 1994 neither the Israeli nor the Syrian forces had quit the country, and clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian units across the border and extreme militant Shiite organizations supported by the Hezbollah group in Iran, as well as among the existing Lebanese militias, were still common. A formula on communal representation based on the 1932 census distribution of the population has traditionally provided for the president of Lebanon to be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the Parliament a Shiite Muslim. This arrangement lasted until 1989, when a Muslim president, René Mowad (who was backed by Syria), was elected. Mowad was assassinated that November, and Elias Hrawi succeeded him. The many years of fighting have ruined Lebanon’s infrastructure, national economy, and tourism industry. However, international pressure on Lebanon had eased since the release of the last Western hostages in the country in early 1992. The Ta'if Accord, a blueprint for reconcilation has provided for a more equitable political system by allowing Muslims greater input into the political process. Since the end of the fighting there have been several successful elections, the militias have been weakened or abandoned, and the Lebanese Army has let the central government have authority over about two-thirds of the country, though Hizballah (the radical Shi'a party retains its weapons) and Syria maintains troops in Lebanon. Israel withdrew from its security zone in May 2000. Lebanon is divided into six administrative districts.: Beqa'a, Beirut, North Lebanon, South Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, and En Nabatiye.
Government
The country is governed under a 1926 constitution with later amendments. The legislature, called the National Assembly, is elected every four years by universal adult suffrage. The president, who appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister, is elected for a six-year term, and he chooses the members of his cabinet in consultation with the National Assembly. The current president is Emile Lahud, and the head of government is Prime Minister Omar Karami, who was forced to quite under pressure by opponents of Syria's occupation, but was voted back into the post on March 9, 2005.
On April 13th, Prime Minister Karami resigned again because he had failed to persuade pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian member to cooperate. On April 15th, President Lahoud appointed a member of Parliament, Najib Mikati, prime minister.
Parliamentary elections will be held sometime before the end of May.
