Page last updated on January 12, 2017

Location:
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Geographic coordinates:
33 50 N, 35 50 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 10,400 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 10,230 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 170 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 170

Area - comparative:
about one-third the size of Maryland
Area comparison map: about one-third the size of Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 484 km
border countries (2): Israel 81 km, Syria 403 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
225 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; the Lebanon Mountains experience heavy winter snows

Terrain:
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation:
mean elevation: 1,250 m
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m

Natural resources:
limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 63.3% arable land 11.9%; permanent crops 12.3%; permanent pasture 39.1%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 13.4%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 23.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
1,040 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
the majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

Natural hazards:
dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
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

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
smallest country in continental Asia; Nahr el Litani is the 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