Lebanon

For other uses, see Lebanon (disambiguation).

The historic site of Baalbek in Lebanon

الجمهورية اللبنانية Al-Jumhūrīyyah al-Lubnānīyyah Lebanese Republic
Anthem: Kulluna lil-watan lil 'ula lil-'alam
Capital (and largest city)		Beirut 33°54′N 35°32′E
Official language(s)		Arabic; in some cases French
Other common languages		French, English, Armenian
Demonym		Lebanese
Government		Parliamentary democracy
-	President	Michel Suleiman
-	Prime Minister	Najib Mikati
-	Speaker of Parliament	Nabih Berri
Independence		from France-administered League of Nations mandate
-	Declared	November 26, 1941
-	Recognized	November 22, 1943
Area
-	Total	10,452 km2 (166th) 4,035 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.6
Population
-	February 2008 estimate	4,196,453 (125th)
-	Density	358/km2 (26th) 948/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$41.96 billion (84rd)
-	Per capita	$9,100 (42th)
HDI (2007)		▼ 0.772 (medium) (88th)
Currency		Lebanese pound (LL) (LBP)
Time zone		EET (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD		.lb
Calling code		961

Lebanon is a country in the Middle East (also called west Asia), on the Mediterranean Sea. It has a border with Israel to the south, and Syria to the east and north. Lebanon has been independent since 1943, and almost 4 million people live there. There are 16 million Lebanese people living in other countries. Its capital city is Beirut. Lebanon has 2 chains of mountains. It is often called the ruby of the Middle East. It has a coastline stretching all the way up.The area of Lebanon is 10452 square kilometres. 59.70% of Lebanese people are Muslim and 39% are Christian. The remaining 1.3% is made up of other religions including Judaism, Buddhism, and Bahá'í followers.

Symbol

The important symbol in Lebanon is the Cedar Tree because an abundance of them are found in the Lebanon Mountains.