Back to Embassy of Lebanon
Students Corner	Home Page |	History |	Facts |	Contact Us

This page was designed to help students know more about Lebanon and to gather information needed for their projects. Please feel free to contact the Information Office in the Embassy for further assistance needed.

WELCOME TO LEBANON!!

Lebanon

General Facts | Background | Photo Gallery

General Facts Here are a few general facts that you might be interested in: LEBANON The Republic of Lebanon – “Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah” CAPITAL Beirut LANGUAGE Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian GOVERNMENT Parliamentary Democracy • President: General Michel Suleiman • Prime Minister: Najib Mikati • Speaker of Parliament: Nabih Berri INDEPENDENCE • Declared: November 26, 1941 • Recognized: November 22, 1943 AREA 10,452 square kilometers POPULATION 4.1 Million RELIGION Two major religions Islam (Shia, Sunni and Druze) and Christianity (the Maronite Church, The Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church) CLIMATE Mediterranean climate, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. CURRENCY Lebanese Pound (LBP) • 1 USD = L.L. 1.500 • 1 EUR = 2,217.63 LBP TIME ZONE • + 2 GMT • + 3 GMT (Summer) CALLING CODE + 961

.

---

Lebanon

General Facts | Background | Photo Gallery

Background

Lebanon was the cradle of culture in the Middle East. The invention of the alphabet took place in the land of the Phoenicians known today as Lebanon. Geographically located between the Orient and the Occident, Lebanon played the role of cultural junction beginning with the Roman School of Law of Berytus or old Beirut, up to the American and French universities. Lebanon has thus generated a large part of the intellectual elite among its neighboring Arab countries.

Enjoying a privileged status in the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon imported European trends to the Middle East. The printing press was imported to Lebanon in 1702 and the production of books printed in Arabic started at the beginning of the 19^th century promoting an Arab identity in the midst of a collapsing Ottoman Empire.

The first Western religious missions came to Lebanon after 1820 and helped to set up French and English schools and universities. After World War I, Lebanon came under French mandate. When it gained its independence in 1943 however, it opened up to the West while still preserving its Arab identity.