Lebanon 
Facts
Population: 3,925,502 (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.2% (male 525,199/female 504,240)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,255,624/female 1,361,265)
65 years and over: 7.1% (male 125,904/female 153,270) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 1.198% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 18.08 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.042 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.922 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.821 male(s)/female
total population: 0.944 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 23.39 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.15 years
male: 70.67 years
female: 75.77 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 1.88 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,800 (2003 est.).
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.).
Nationality: noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese.
Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians.
Religions: Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%
note: 17 religious sects recognized.
Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian.
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 93.1%
female: 82.2% (2003 est.).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $22.02 billion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: -6.4% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,700 (2006 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7%
industry: 21%
services: 72% (2005).
Labor force: 1.5 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2005 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%.
Population below poverty line: 28% (1999 est.).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.8% (2006 est.).
Unemployment rate: 20% (2006 est.).
Budget: revenues: $4.444 billion
expenditures: $7.429 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.).
Agriculture - products: citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats.
Industries: banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating.
Industrial production growth rate: NA%.
Electricity - production: 9.762 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - consumption: 9.529 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004).
Electricity - imports: 450 million kWh (2004).
Exports: $1.881 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.).
Exports - commodities: authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper.
Exports - partners: Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 5.4% (2005).
Imports: $9.34 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.).
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco.
Imports - partners: Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.4%, China 5.4%, US 5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005).
Debt - external: $31.1 billion (2006 est.).
Economic aid - recipient: $2.2 billion received (2003) from the $4.2 billion in soft loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference.
Currency (code): Lebanese pound (LBP).
Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002).
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
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Displaying 1 to 7 of 36 items.
Ad-Dabbour
(Weekly magazine), Beirut
(Independent newsmagazine), Beirut
http://www.alnabad.com/
Al-Anwar
(Independent), Beirut
Al-Diyar
(Independent), Beirut
Al-Dunya
(Independent), Beirut
Al-Hadaf
(Palestinian weekly), Beirut
Al-Hayat
(Independent, Saudi-owned), Beirut
Lebanon in the News
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Displaying 21 to 24 of 43 items.
The assassination of Rafiq Hariri, former prime minister of Lebanon, could not have come at a more opportune moment for the United States, which is working to build support for a move against Syria. By Andy Mason.
Hezbollah — the Pary of God — emerged in Lebanon in the 1980’s. Responding to Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon with military action, it gained in popularity. When Israel ended its occupation in 2000, Hezbollah embraced the Palestinian cause. By Manuela Paraipan.
On Oct. 6, the European Commission agreed to begin negotiations with Turkey on membership in the European Union. The international press responds to the European Commission’s decision to open the door to Turkey’s accession.
As long as American foreign policy remains the same and the Palestinian issue is left unresolved, the U.S.
Americas 
