Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
33 50 N, 35 50 E
Middle East
total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km
about one-third the size of Maryland
total: 484 km
border countries (2): Israel 81 km, Syria 403 km
225 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; the Lebanon Mountains experience heavy winter snows
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
highest point: Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 1,250 m
limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
agricultural land: 63.3% (2018 est.)
arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 12.3% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 39.1% (2018 est.)
forest: 13.4% (2018 est.)
other: 23.3% (2018 est.)
1,040 sq km (2012)
4.503 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
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
earthquakes; dust storms, sandstorms
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
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
NOTE: The information regarding Lebanon on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Lebanon 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Lebanon 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 16 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.