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Lebanon
Ancient Phoenicia, medieval Mount Lebanon Maronite refuge, and modern confessional republic.
Overview
Home of the Phoenicians and the biblical cedars, Lebanon later became a Christian mountain refuge under Ottoman rule and a cosmopolitan republic after French independence.
Basic Information
CapitalBeirut
Population5.5 million
Area10,452 km²
CurrencyLebanese pound (LBP)
LanguagesArabic, French
RegionMiddle East (West Asia)
History Timeline
- c. 1200 BCEPhoenician city-states flourish
- 64 BCERoman incorporation
- 1516Ottoman conquest
- 1943Independence
- 1975 – 1990Lebanese Civil War
Ancient Peoples
- Phoenicians
- Canaanites
Ancient Kingdoms
- Tyre
- Sidon
- Byblos
Empires
- Phoenician city-states
- Roman
- Umayyad
- Crusader
- Ottoman
Religions
- Maronite Christianity
- Sunni Islam
- Shia Islam
- Druze
Culture
Kahlil Gibran, Fairuz, cedar symbolism, Levantine cuisine.
Language
Arabic; French and English widely spoken.
Important Battles
- Siege of Tyre332 BCE
Alexander's conquest
Historical Figures
Fakhr al-Din II
1590 – 1635
Druze prince and unifier
Archaeological Sites
- Byblos
- Baalbek
- Tyre
- Sidon
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Byblos
- Baalbek
- Tyre
- Anjar
- Ouadi Qadisha & Cedars
Dynasties
- Ma'an
- Shihab
Colonial Period
French Mandate 1920 – 1943.
Modern History
Confessional parliamentary republic in prolonged economic crisis.