22 Intriguing Facts about Lebanon
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- Located on the Asian continent, Lebanon is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south.
- The population of Lebanon was 5,882,562 in 2014 and according to the CIA World Factbook (2013) it has the fastest growing population in the world.
- Lebanon has a total area of 4,036 square miles (10,452 square kilometres).
- It’s the only Arab/Asian country that doesn’t have a desert.
- Lebanon’s capital is Beirut; it an area of 7.7 square miles (20 square kilometres) and a population of 2.02 million (2011).
- The average life span here is 71.8 for men and 75.7 for women.
- Arabic is the official language but French, German, English and Armenian is also spoken here.
- The coordinates for Lebanon are 33.9000° N, 35.5333°
- You’ll need to change your cash into Lebanese pounds if you want to take spending money.
- 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.
- It has more than 100 different banks (not just branches, individual banks!)
- Independence Day, November 22nd, is recognised as a National holiday.
- Lebanon has a list of 40 daily newspapers, an incredible amount considering the UK (which is more than 20 times the size) has 68!
- It also has 42 universities!
- Tony Fadel, originally Lebanese, created and was the production manager for Apple’s iPod.
- Lebanon has a doctor to patient ratio of 1:10; to put that into perspective, it’s 1:100 in Europe and America!
- Byblos is considered one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world – people have been living there since 5000BC!
- In fact, the first alphabet was created in Byblos!
- Lebanon is the oldest country name in the world, remaining unchanged for in excess of 4000 years!
- 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!
- The international dialling code for Lebanon is 00961. To buy a calling card and to make cheap calls to Lebanon, click here