CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Lebanon


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!| Background:
 * Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shia organization, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 16,000 troops in Lebanon, based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 170 sq km land: 10,230 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 13.98% other: 69.4% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation !| Geography - note:
 * Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
 * 33 50 N, 35 50 E
 * Middle East
 * total: 10,400 sq km
 * about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
 * total: 454 km
 * 225 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
 * narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
 * lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
 * limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
 * arable land: 16.62%
 * 1,200 sq km (1998 est.)
 * dust storms, sandstorms
 * deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
 * Nahr el Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,197,430; female 1,305,339) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 117,930; female 142,275) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 25.9 years female: 27.9 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 69.91 years female: 74.91 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Lebanese !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: note: seventeen religious sects recognized !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
 * 3,777,218 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 517,356; female 496,888)
 * total: 26.9 years
 * 1.3% (2004 est.)
 * 19.31 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 6.28 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 25.48 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 72.35 years
 * 1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.09% (2001 est.)
 * 2,800 (2003 est.)
 * less than 200 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
 * Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
 * Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant), other 1.3%
 * Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Lebanon local short form: Lubnan local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: Prime Minister Omar KARAMI (since 21 October 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next election date NA); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim election results: For 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held spring 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by sect - Muslim 64 ( of which Sunnis 27, Shia 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300 chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Awkar, Lebanon mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002 telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600 FAX: [961] (4) 544136 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
 * republic
 * Beirut
 * 6 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
 * 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
 * Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
 * 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
 * mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
 * chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
 * unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
 * four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
 * political activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, ethnic, clan, and economic considerations
 * NA
 * ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN
 * three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 21% services: 67% (2000) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.) !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $7.026 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% in 1996 and in 1997, but slowed to 1.2% in 1998, -1.6% in 1999, -0.6% in 2000, 0.8% in 2001, 1.5% in 2002, and 3% in 2003. During the 1990s, annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In order to reduce the ballooning national debt, the re-installed HARIRI government began an economic austerity program to rein in government expenditures, increase revenue collection, and privatize state enterprises. The HARIRI government met with international donors at the Paris II conference in November 2002 to seek bilateral assistance restructuring its domestic debt at lower rates of interest. While privatization of state-owned enterprises had not occurred by the end of 2003, massive receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2002-04.
 * purchasing power parity - $17.82 billion (2003 est.)
 * 3% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 12%
 * 24.8% of GDP (2003)
 * 28% (1999 est.)
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 2.5% (2003 est.)
 * 1.5 million
 * agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
 * 18% (1997 est.)
 * revenues: $4.414 billion
 * 185.1% of GDP (2003)
 * citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
 * banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating
 * NA
 * 6.728 billion kWh (2001)
 * 7.44 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 1.183 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 107,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $-2.865 billion (2003)
 * $1.359 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
 * Switzerland 10.8%, UAE 10%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, US 7.3%, Turkey 5.5%, Jordan 4.4% (2003)
 * $6.073 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
 * France 13.4%, Germany 11.7%, Italy 10.7%, Syria 5.3%, China 5.2%, UK 4.9%, US 4.5% (2003)
 * $16.35 billion (2003)
 * $20.79 billion (2003 est.)
 * $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001); $4.2 billion in soft loan pledges November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference (2002)
 * Lebanese pound (LBP)
 * LBP
 * Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.84 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 678,800 (2002)
 * 775,100 (2002)
 * general assessment: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway
 * AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
 * 2.85 million (1997)
 * 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
 * 1.18 million (1997)
 * .lb
 * 6,998 (2004)
 * 22 (2000)
 * 400,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: standard gauge: 319 km 1.435-m note: rail system was unusable because of damage during the civil war in the 1980s; short sections are operable (2003) narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050-m !| Highways: paved: 6,198 km unpaved: 1,102 km (1999 est.) !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: registered in other countries: 52 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Greece 7, India 1, Netherlands 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Syria 2 by type: bulk 5, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 3 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
 * total: 401 km
 * total: 7,300 km
 * oil 209 km (2004)
 * Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
 * total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 198,602 GRT/248,313 DWT
 * 8 (2003 est.)
 * total: 5
 * total: 3
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force)
 * 18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
 * males age 15-49: 1,049,097 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 643,050 (2004 est.)
 * $541 million (2002)
 * 4.8% (FY99)
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