Area comparison map:

about one-third the size of Maryland

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

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

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]

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

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

Elevation:
mean elevation: 1,250 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
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% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 11.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 12.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 39.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 13.4% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 23.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use 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:
earthquakes; dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil deterioration, erosion; desertification; species loss; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills; waste-water management

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