Country Profile: Lebanon

Last reviewed: 23 September 2008

Country information

Country Map: Lebanon

Area: 10,452 sq km (4,036 sq miles)
Population: 4million
Capital City: Beirut (population: 1.6m, estimate 1996)
People: 4.2 million, including an estimated 300,000 Palestinian refugees. The population is predominantly Arab with a sizeable Armenian minority. The Lebanese diaspora is thought to total 14 million
Languages: Arabic (official), English, French, Armenian
Religion(s): There are 18 registered sects in Lebanon including, Maronite Christian, Shia Muslim, Sunni Muslim and Druze
Currency: Lebanese Pound
Major political parties: Numerous political groupings exist in Lebanon, organised along mostly sectarian lines
Government: Republic
Head of State: General Michel Sleiman
Prime Minister/Premier: Fouad Siniora
Foreign Minister: – Fawzi Salloukh
Membership of international groups/organisations: Arab League (AL), Intergovernmental Group of 24 (G-24), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G-77), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), United Nations (UN), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Trade Organisation (WTrO - observer).