22 Lovely Facts About Lebanon

1. Lebanon has a few neighbors

Located on the continent of Asia, Lebanon is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south.

2. Lebanon isn’t its full name

Its official name is the Lebanese Republic.

3. Lebanon is growing fast!

The population of Lebanon was 5.49 million in 2022 and according to the CIA World Factbook it was the fastest growing population in the world in 2013.

The Lebanese Flag

4. Lebanon is fairly large

Lebanon has a total area of 4,036 square miles (10,452 square kilometers).

5. It’s a unique Middle Eastern oddity

It’s the only Arabian/Asian country that doesn’t have a desert.

6. Lebanon has a big capital

Lebanon’s capital is Beirut; Its Lebanon’s largest city and spans an area of 7.7 square miles (20 square kilometers) and has a population of 2.433 million (2022).

7. Life is fairly long here!

The average life span here is 75.05 years (2021).

8. Lebanon has many languages

Arabic is the official language but French, German, English and Armenian is also spoken here.

9. The country is fairly easy to find and call

The coordinates for Lebanon are 33.9000° N, 35.5333°

Want to call friends or family here?  You’ll need to use the international dialling code +961.

Hermel, Lebanon

10. Lebanon has its own currency

You’ll need to change your cash into Lebanese pounds if you want to take spending money.

11. Lebanon has an interesting trade setup

Agriculturally, Lebanon produces apples, grapes, citrus fruits, tomatoes, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, sheep and goats.

This country has industries in tourism, banking, food processing, jewellery, textiles, mineral and chemical products, cement, oil refining, metal fabricating, and wood and furniture products.

12. Lebanon is all about finance!

It has more than 100 different banks (not just branches, individual banks!

13. The Lebanese have a summer independence celebration

Independence Day, November 22nd, is recognised as a National holiday.

Jbeil, Lebanon

14. There’s plenty of press in Lebanon

Lebanon has a list of 40 daily newspapers, an incredible amount considering the UK (which is more than 20 times the size) has 68! (2015).

15. Lebanon is well-educated

It also has 42 universities!

16. The iPod is a Lebanese creation

Tony Fadel, originally Lebanese, created and was the production manager for Apple’s iPod.

17. There’s a really good chance you’ll see a doctor in Lebanon

Lebanon has a doctor to patient ratio of 1:10; to put that into perspective, it’s 1:100 in Europe and America.  The UK falls further behind and has one of the poorest ratios, with just 2.8 doctors per 1,000 patients!

Al Shallal Jezzine, Lebanon

18. Lebanon has ancient cities

Byblos is considered one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world – people have been living there since 5,000BC!

19. Lebanon led the way for literacy!

In fact, the first alphabet was created in Byblos!

20. Lebanon’s name came before the rest

Lebanon is the oldest country name in the world, remaining unchanged for in excess of 4,000 years!

Beirut, Lebanon

21. Lebanon has a varied terrain

If you’re a lover of outdoor pursuits the best time to visit Lebanon is in the spring because you could be skiing in the mountains in the morning and taking a dip in the sea in the afternoon – brilliant!

22. Lebanese food is delicious

The national dish of Lebanon is kibbeh (or kibbe).  It’s a ground lamb and cracked wheat paste dish, quite similar to pate.

FAQs about Lebanon