| |
|
|
| |
Home
>
World
> Middle East
> Lebanon
|
General Information
Area: 10,452 sq km (4036 sq miles).
Population: 3,282,000 (UN estimate 2000).
Population Density: 314.0 per sq km.
Capital: Beirut. Population: 1,500,000 (1990).
GEOGRAPHY: Lebanon lies to the east of the Mediterranean, sharing borders to the north and east with Syria, and to the south with Israel. It is a mountainous country and between the two mountain ranges of Jebel Lubnan (Mount Lebanon), Mount Hermon and the Anti-Lebanon range lies the fertile Bekaa Valley. Approximately half of the country lies at an altitude of over 900m (3000ft). Into this small country is packed such a variety of scenery that there are few places to equal it in beauty and choice. The famous cedar trees grow high in the mountains, while the lower slopes bear grapes, apricots, plums, peaches, figs, olives and barley, often on terraces painstakingly cut out from the mountainsides. On the coastal plain, citrus fruit, bananas and vegetables are cultivated, with radishes and beans grown in tiny patches.
Government: Republic. Head of State: President Emile Lahoud since 1998. Head of Government: Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri since 2000.
Language: The official language is Arabic, followed by French as the second language; English is widely spoken. Kurdish and Armenian are spoken by a small percentage of the population.
Religion: Islam and Christianity are the main religions. Islam (predominantly Shi’ite) accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the population’s beliefs. Christian denominations, mainly Greek Orthodox, Maronite, Armenian and Protestant account for another 40 per cent. Other religions account for the remaining 20 per cent (including a very small Jewish community).
Time: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from April to September).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 961. Outgoing international code: 00. Cellular phones are widely used and are available for hire to visitors.
Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network in use. Network providers are Libancell (website: www.libancell.com.lb) and Cellis (website: www.cellis.com.lb).
Fax
International facilities available. Faxes can be sent from centrales (state telephone bureaux) in major towns and from most hotels (who often add 25 per cent to the official rates).
Internet
The main ISPs are Cyberia (website: www.thisiscyberia.com) and IDM (website: www.idm.net.lb). There are Internet cafes in Beirut, Tripoli and most major towns.
Post
With the newly privatised LibanPost, post to Europe usually takes two to four days and to the USA between four to seven days. Post offices are open Mon-Thurs 0800-1400, Fri 0800-1100.
Press
There are more than 30 daily newspapers published in Arabic, Armenian and French and over 100 publications appear on a weekly or monthly basis. The Daily Star and Beirut Times are published in English and there are several English-language weeklies, primarily Monday Morning. The best-selling Arabic dailies are Al Anwar, An Nahar, Al Liwa‘, Al Safir and Al Dyar. The most important dailies in French are L’Orient-Le Jour and Le Soir. A wide choice of international newspapers and magazines are also available.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
|
|
|
|
|
