Lebanon is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south.
The Capital is Beirut.
The President is Michel Suleiman. He served until 5.25.14. Tammam Salam was the acting president until 10.31.16, then Michel Aoun assumed the presidency.
Lebanon is the most religiously diverse country in the Middle East. As of 2014 the CIA World Factbook estimates the following: Muslim 54% (27% Sunni Islam, 27% Shia Islam), Christian 40.5% (includes 21% Maronite Catholic, 8% Greek Orthodox, 5% Melkite Catholic, 1% Protestant, 5.5% other Christian), Druze 5.6%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, Hindus and Mormons.
The official language is Arabic. Recognised languages are English and French.
The Country profile , the CIA Factbook, and the history.
5.22.09 Biden: U.S. aid at risk if Lebanon strays from 'principles' . He spoke shortly after arriving in Beirut, a visit that comes two weeks before a key vote there that could usher in the Shia militia group, Hezbollah-dominated government. They emerged in Lebanon in the early 1980s and became the region's leading radical Islamic movement, determined to drive Israeli troops from Lebanon. Hezbollah was conceived in 1982 by a group of clerics after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon . It was formed primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation. Inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution, the party also dreamt of transforming Lebanon's multi-confessional state into an Iranian-style Islamic state. Hezbollah's political rhetoric has centered on calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. Its definition of Israeli occupation has also encompassed the idea that the whole of Palestine is occupied Muslim land and it has argued that Israel has no right to exist. The party was long supported by Iran, which provided it with arms and money.
The desperate final days of a domestic worker, Faustina Tay , in Beirut,Lebanon.
8.7.20: The UN agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon after Tuesday's devastating blast in Beirut. Lebanon was already suffering a major economic downturn before the explosion, which left at least 154 people dead, 5,000 injured and 300,000 homeless.
