LEBANON
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| (See reference map VI) |
LAND
10,360 km²; 27% agricultural land, 64% desert, waste, or urban, 9% forested
Land boundaries: 531 km
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): no specific claims (fishing, 6 nm)
Coastline: 225 km
PEOPLE
Population: 3,177,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.6%; this estimate does not take into account any demographic consequences of the 1975-76 civil war
Nationality: noun—Lebanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Lebanese
Ethnic divisions: 93% Arab, 6% Armenian, 1% other
Religion: 55% Christian, 44% Muslim and Druze, 1% other (official estimates); Muslims, in fact, constitute a majority
Language: Arabic (official); French is widely spoken
Literacy: 86%
Labor force: about 1 million economically active; 49% agriculture, 11% industry, 14% commerce, 26% other; moderate unemployment
Organized labor: about 65,000
GOVERNMENT
NOTE: Between early 1975 and late 1976, Lebanon was torn by civil war between its Christians—then aided by Syrian troops—and its Muslims and their Palestinian allies. The cease-fire established in October 1976 between the domestic political groups has generally held, despite occasional fighting, although the country is still under the occupation of Syrian troops constituted as the Arab Deterrent Force by the Arab League. In March 1978 southern Lebanon was invaded by Israeli troops. When the Israelis withdrew in June, they turned much of the south over to a United Nations interim force but left Christian militias in control of zones along the border. The country's own army is gradually being reestablished but is still too fragile to give the central government effective power. Syria's move toward supporting the Lebanese Muslims and the Palestinians and Israel's growing support for Lebanese Christians have brought the two sides into rough equilibrium, but no progress has been made on national reconciliation or political reforms—the original cause of the war. The following description is based on the present constitutional and customary practices of the Lebanese system.
Official name: Republic of Lebanon
Type: republic
Capital: Beirut
Political subdivisions: 5 provinces
Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, and civil law system; constitution mandated in 1926; no judicial review of legislative acts; legal education at Lebanese University; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November
Branches: power lies with President elected by parliament (Chamber of Deputies); Cabinet appointed by President, approved by parliament; independent secular courts on French pattern; religious courts for matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.; by custom, President is a Maronite Christian, Prime Minister is a Sunni Muslim, and president of parliament is a Shia Muslim; each of nine religious communities represented in parliament in proportion to national numerical strength
Government leader: President Elias SARKIS
Suffrage: compulsory for all males over 21; authorized for women over 21 with elementary education
Elections: Chamber of Deputies held every four years or within three months of dissolution of Chamber; security conditions have prevented parliamentary elections since April 1972
Political parties and leaders: political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations; most parties have well-armed militias which are still involved in occasional clashes
Communists: the Lebanese Communist Party was legalized in 1970; members and sympathizers estimated at 2,000-3,000
Other political or pressure groups: Palestinian guerrilla organizations
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISCON, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO
