Basic Country Facts

Geography Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Geographic coordinates: 33 50 N, 35 50 E Map references: Middle East Area: total area: 10,400 sq km land area: 10,230 sq km comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut Land boundaries: total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km Coastline: 225 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976 Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows Terrain: narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal al Makmal 3,087 m Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region Land use: arable land: 21% permanent crops: 9% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 8% other: 61% Irrigated land: 860 sq km (1990 est.) Environment: current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation Geographic note: Nahr al Litani 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