Lebanon

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Below, you will find the graph that displays the states and their amount of memberships

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

However, in recent years, Lebanon has spent 2.5 billion US dollar, or around 5 percent of its GDP on its military, which ranks it as the 57th highest military spender in the world.

The Lebanese military, officially called the Lebanese Armed forces, consists of an air force, a navy and an army. After gaining independence, the Lebanese military has been kept weak by the Lebanese government for fears of coups due to religious tensions.

Military membership

It is also a member of four international military organizations which ranks it as the 121st most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, Lebanon has fought two international wars. These are:

Arab–Israeli War 1948-1949
Lebanon War 2006-2006

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Lebanon is a member of 11 international political organizations which ranks it as the 108th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Union for the Mediterranean
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
Arab League
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

There are several threats to its democratic legitimacy by making a consensus between the religions, which has left some demands by vote neglected. This ranks Lebanon as the 108th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Lebanon takes place in the form of a parliamentary democratic republic. Because of political unrest as well as civil wars, the Lebanese politics are established among religious power sharing. This means that the president of Lebanon is a Christian, the Prime Minister is a Sunni and the speaker of Parliament is a Shia and most of the decisions are made through consensus between the three religions.

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Lesotho.

Known for its world-famous bread as well as being home to some of the most iconic historical sites, Lebanon has had a long and interesting history. From the 16th century until the start of the 20th century, it was part of the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the territory of Lebanon was under the jurisdiction of France until the end of the second world war. France granted full autonomy to the Lebanese government which claimed independence in 1944. In order to prevent religious tensions between the Muslim and the Christian population, an agreement was made to share political power. Peace remained until 1958 when a civil war broke out which led to a request to the United States to intervene and to reestablish full control to the Lebanese government. Since then, Lebanon has had an internal struggle for power between Christianity and Islam and an external struggle for influence between Syria and Israel which both have militarily intervened in Lebanon.

Geographically, Lebanon consists of a low-lying plane to its west and a Valley to its east which are separated by a mountain range that runs through its center from its north to its south. Its landscape mainly consists of a low-lying vegetation with the exception of its mountain range which is lightly forested. Lebanon borders Syria to its north and east and Israel to its south. To its west it is located on the Mediterranean Sea.

It has a total surface area of 10,504 square kilometers or 4056 square miles. This makes Lebanon the 161st largest state in the world being slightly larger than Cyprus and slightly smaller than Jamaica.

Lebanon is the 133rd state with the highest amount of surface water with 170 square kilometers or 66 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its drinking water is derived from groundwater which is mainly extracted through wells and natural springs.

Lebanon enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and moderate and rainy winters. Its summer period is from June to September while its winter period is from December to February. On average, the temperature is 16.5 degrees Celsius or 61.8 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Lebanon the 126th warmest state in the world.

During the summer period, the average temperature goes up to 19.1 degrees Celsius or 66.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the winter period, the average temperature goes down to 11.1 degrees Celsius or 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of its rainfall occurs during its winter. With January being the month of the highest amount of rainfall. On average, Lebanon receives 86 centimetres or 34 inches of rainfall per year, making it the 113th state with the highest amount of rainfall.

The capital of Lebanon, Beirut, is home to 1.5 million people. The capital that is closest located to Beirut is Damascus, Syria, with a distance of 98 kilometers or 61 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Beirut is Nuku'alofa Tonga with a distance of 16,718 kilometers or 10,388 miles.

The economy of Lebanon is a market economy with a focus on the services sector. On average, the economy of Lebanon grows by approximately six percent. However, in recent years, due to internal as well as external political unrest, Lebanon has increased its sovereign debt which has hindered further economic growth in recent years. Most of its exported goods are copper, gold as well as agricultural products. These are mainly exported to the United Arab Emirates, which is solely responsible for more than 15 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and Greece which are together responsible for nearly 20 percent of all imports.

Lebanon is a member of eight international economic organizations which makes it the 178th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 77
Group of 24

Its GDP is US$45.2 billion, which is the 90th highest in the world and represents 0.0005 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per service area is US$430,000 or US$1.1 million per square mile making it the 93rd highest in the world.

Its GDP per capita is the 88th highest in the world with US$6570.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power is US$15,419 which is the 85th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a population of 6.9 million people, Lebanon is the 106th most populous state in the world. Its population is made up of different ethnicities, mainly Greek Arab and Armenian and is also divided in different religions. The majority of its population speaks several languages with Arab being its official language which is mostly spoken with French English or Armenian as a second language.

It is the 12th most densely populated state in the world with 653 people per square kilometer or 1690 people per square mile.

Around 850,000 people, or 12.3 percent of its population has migrated from Lebanon. The most popular states to emigrate to are Saudi Arabia, the United States, Australia as well as France and Germany. The main reason are the low employment prospects that are currently present in Lebanon. This ranks Lebanon as the 75th state with the highest number of emigrants.

Immigration to Lebanon has been largely limited due to a strict immigration policy. However, it has accepted a large number of refugees from neighbouring Syria because of the Syrian civil war. These refugees represent 70 percent of the 1.8 million immigrants that Lebanon currently houses. This makes Lebanon the 32nd state with the highest number of immigrants representing 27.1 percent of the total population.

Lebanon is also the 105th state with the highest literacy rate which stands at 93.9 percent. This number is likely to increase as the enrolment rate of children is higher than the literacy rate of the adult population.

As a result of the large investments into its healthcare system, Lebanon has made great strides in the increase of the average life expectancy. As a result of reducing infant mortality as well as the decrease in communicable diseases, the average life expectancy is the 78th highest in the world with 79.3 years. Women reach 81.2 years while men reach 77.5 years. Currently, noncommunicable diseases such as obesity and cancers, are the largest cause of death.

Lebanon is ranked as the 38th most multi religious state in the world. This is mainly because of a large population of Muslims and Christians residing within its border. This has also led to a division of political power along religious lines within the Lebanese government.

Christianity is represented by 36.5 percent of the population and makes Lebanon the 131st most Christian state in the world, but the most Christian state within the middle east. Christianity has been present in Lebanon since the spread of Christianity in the first century. However, this spread has been fairly slow which has led to a low share of Christianity in present-day Lebanon.

Islam is followed by 58.1 percent of the population, with a roughly equal divide between Sunni and Shia denominations. Islam arrived in Lebanon during the seventh century when the Arabs conquered Syria and made its way through Lebanon.

There are no official Buddhist organizations within Lebanon.

Around 0.06 percent of the population adheres to Hinduism. These are mainly immigrants from India that have been looking for economic opportunities in Lebanon as well as searching for enterprise there.

Judaism has been present within Lebanon for several centuries. However, as a result of the Arab Israeli war as well as internal unrest, most Jews have migrated to Israel or other Western states. Currently, around 0.003 percent of the population is represented by Jews.

Other religions are represented by 0.07 percent of the population and are mainly represented by the Druze people.

It is estimated that 0.2 percent of the population does not adhere to any faith. However, the real number is unclear because Lebanon does not recognize irreligion.