Area & Population

Lebanon, the homeland of the ancient Phoenicians, became part of Turkey´s Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. When, in 1918, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved (at the end of the First World War) a Greater Lebanese state was created by the Allied powers.The new state was a response to the nationalist aspirations of the predominant Christian population in the area, but it included territories traditionally considered to be part of Syria, with largely Muslim populations.

Lebanon was administered by France, under a League of Nations mandate, from 1920 until independence was declared on 26 Nov. 1941. A republic was established in 1943, and full autonomy was granted in January 1944

Area :Lebanon is a small country of only 10,452 sq km (4036 sq mi); from north to south it extends 217 km (135 mi) and from east to west it spans 80 km (50 mi) at its widest point.

Population :The 1997 estimated population was 3,111,828, but this figure, provided by the Lebanese government, does not include Palestinian refugees and foreign workers, mainly Syrian.

Religion :Unlike most other Arab countries, Lebanon is characterized by great religious and cultural diversity. At the time of independence Christians formed a slight majority of the population, the largest single community (nearly 30% of the total) being the Maronite Christians, who mostly inhabited the north of Lebanon and the capital, Beirut. Other Christian groups included Greek Orthodox communities, Greek Catholics and Armenians. The Muslim groups were the Sunnis (living mainly in the coastal towns of Tyre, Sidon and Beirut), the Shiaas (a predominantly rural community in southern Lebanon and the northern Bekaa valley) and the much smaller Druzes, an ancient community in central Lebanon.

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