The most interesting facts about Lebanon, from one of the world’s oldest countries to a capital city once known as the “Paris of the East”.
Fast facts
Official name: Lebanese Republic
Population: 5,469,612
Area: 10,400 sq km
Capital city: Beirut
Major languages: Arabic, French, English, Armenian
Major religions: Muslim, Christian, Druze
Time zone: UTC+2 (Eastern European Time)
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
Interesting facts about Lebanon
1. Lebanon is a small country in the Middle East bordered by Syria, Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea.
– Source: Britannica
2. Lebanon is one of the world’s oldest countries with thousands of years of history.
– Source: National Geographic
3. Lebanon has been permanently settled since around 10,000 BC.
– Source: Lonely Planet
4. The name Lebanon comes from the Semitic origin word “lbn” which means “white” in reference to the snow-capped Mount Lebanon.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
5. Lebanon is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible – somewhere between 65 and 75 times – often in reference to Mount Lebanon and its famous cedar trees.
– Source: New York Times
6. Lebanon was ruled by a number of ancient empires including the Phoenician, Akkadian, Egyptian, Mitanni, Hittite, Babylonian, Persian Greek and Roman.
– Source: Lonely Planet
7. For over 400 years (1516-1918), Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire.
– Source: BBC News
8. In 1920 following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon was ruled by France, which created the State of Greater Lebanon.
– Source: BBC News
9. Lebanon declared independence in 1946.
– Source: BBC News
10. The Lebanese flag is horizontally striped red-white-red with a green cedar tree in the centre. Historically, red and white have been associated with the Kassite and the Yemenite clans that have existed for more than 1,000 years. The cedar tree, mentioned in the Bible as a symbol of strength and wealth, has long been associated with Lebanese Christians.
– Source: Britannica
11. Lebanon is the third smallest country in the Middle East after Bahrain and the Palestinian Territories.
– Source: World Bank
12. Despite its size, Lebanon is home to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites including four ancient cities (Anjar, Baalbek, Byblos and Tyre) and the Qadisha valley and its Christian monastic settlements.
– Source: UNESCO
13. The most famous is Baalbek, also known as Heliopolis or ‘Sun City’. Baalbek is the most spectacular ancient site in Lebanon, “one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture” and is arguably the best-preserved ancient site in the Middle East.
– Source: Lonely Planet, UNESCO
14. Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities, has been inhabited since the Neolithic period (10,000-4,500 BC). Its buildings date back 8000 years and demonstrate several millennia of constructions.
– Source: UNESCO
15. The Phoenician city of Tyre is supposedly where purple dye was invented. According to legend, purple pigment was discovered and reproduced in Tyre, although its use was initially reserved for royalty and nobility.
– Source: UNESCO
16. Lebanon is one of the highest cigarette consumers in the world with over 2,000 cigarettes smoked per person per year.
– Source: The Tobacco Atlas
17. During the 1960s, Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, was known as the “Paris of the East” due to its image as a playground for the world’s most affluent tourists.
– Source: Lonely Planet, CNN
18. Legend has it that Beirut has been rebuilt from the ashes seven times, making it an “urban phoenix in mythology”.
– Source: National Geographic
19. The city’s name derives from the Canaanite or Phoenician word “ber’ot,” which means “the wells” or “fountain,” referencing the area’s accessible water table.
– Source: CIA World Fact Book
20. In 2020, a massive explosion in Beirut killed at least 200 people, injured over 6,000 and levelled a huge area of the city. The blast – estimated at one-twentieth of that of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima – was caused by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a port warehouse
– Source: The Guardian
21. From 1975 to 1990, Lebanon was embroiled in a civil war. By the end of the conflict, over 100,000 people had died and nearly 1,000,000 had been displaced. Both Syria and Israel also got involved in the war with their troops occupying parts of Lebanon until 2000 (Israel) and 2005 (Syria).
– Source: Britannica
22. Tied with Thailand, Lebanon has the world’s third-highest number of public holidays. With 16 public days of holiday per year, only India and Colombia with 18, have more.
– Source: The Telegraph
23. Lebanon is one of the world’s oldest wine-producing regions. Phoenicians are believed to have transported their grapevines to the area from as early as 3000 BC. The region was reportedly known for its wine well into the Middle Ages.
– Source: Lonely Planet, Bradt
24. Lebanon is part of an area known as the Fertile Crescent, also known as the “Cradle of Civilization”. The Fertile Crescent covers a roughly crescent-shaped area of fertile land that also includes parts of present-day Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Cyprus.
– Source: History Channel
25. In total, Lebanon is the world’s fifth-largest receiver of refugees. In 2019, it received 1,392,174 refugees. As such, it also ranks highly for net migration.
– Source: World Bank
26. Lebanon is one of the world’s worst countries for gender equality when measured by the relative gaps between women and men in health, education, economy and politic. In 2020, it ranked as the ninth-worst country.
– Source: Global Gender Gap Report
27. Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian, 200,000 Palestinian, 16,000 Ethiopian, Iraqi, Sudanese and other origin refugees in Lebanon.
– Source: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
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