Lebanon
Lebanon is a country in the Middle East. It borders Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Its official languages are Arabic and French. The capital and largest city of Lebanon is Beirut.
Lebanon was created in its present form after World War I and administered by the French as a mandated territory until World War II. The country is religiously diverse, containing Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Maronite Christians, Druze, and various smaller religions. Lebanon went through a long civil war from the 1970's until the 1990's that was caused by differences among its religious groups and tensions between Syria and Israel. It was further damaged by a war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, an Islamist terrorist organization. The war ended with both sides claiming victory, and many issues in Lebanon's politics are still unresolved.
Geography
The center of Lebanon is dominated by Mount Lebanon, which, despite its name, is actually an entire mountain range. Extensions of the Mount Lebanon range span almost the entire country north to south. On the eastern border of the country are the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, which are partially in Syria. The large Bekaa valley, which contains Lebanon's most fertile agricultural land, lies between these two mountain ranges. The Litani river flows through the south of Lebanon, and many other rivers flow from Mount Lebanon into the sea. The coast of Lebanon has many harbors, including the ports of Beriut, Tripoli, Sidon, and Tyre. These harbors have been used for trade since ancient times.[1][2]
History
Ancient History
In antiquity, Lebanon was the homeland of the Phoenicians. They probably first came into Lebanon from south of the area sometime around 3500 BC. The Phoenicians were known for their sailing skills and established a network of trading centers that spanned the entire Mediterranean, some of which (Carthage, for instance) eventually became great powers in their own right. In about 1800 BC, Phoenicia was conquered by the Egyptians. Over the ensuing centuries, the region would be fought over by empires such as the Babylonians and Assyrians. Eventually it was conquered by the Persians. In 332 BC, Lebanon, along with the rest of Persia, fell to Alexander the Great. Alexander's empire broke up after his death. In 64 BC, the Romans took control of Lebanon. It would remain a province of the Romans, and later the Byzantines, for many centuries. Christianity was established in Lebanon by 395.[3]
Early Islamic History
In 640, Lebanon fell to the newly Muslim Arabs, whose language and culture became dominant. Lebanon was a province in the Sunni Umayyad and Abbasid empires, and later the Shia Fatimid Empire. In 975 it was briefly recaptured by the Byzantines, but soon fell back into Fatimid hands. This era established three major religious communities. The Maronite Christians lived mostly in Mount Lebanon, where they existed largely independently from the Muslim Empires swirling around them, although they gradually adopted the Arab language. The coastal cities, such as Beirut, Tripoli, and Tyre, were inhabited by Orthodox Christians and Sunnis. A mostly Shia population inhabited the south. Starting in 1021, these groups were joined by communities of Druze refugees fleeing persecution in their native land of Egypt. The Druze settled in the south of Mount Lebanon (replacing Shia as the local majority) and elsewhere in present day Syria and Israel. By the 11th century, the Fatimids had declined and effective power in the Middle East had passed to the Seljuq Turks, who ruled Lebanon along with various smaller states[4]
The Crusades
Parts of Lebanon were occupied by the Crusaders in 1098. Lebanon was divided between two crusader states-the County of Tripoli and the northern part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The crusaders built several fortresses, including Gibalcar Castle, Beaufort and Cave de Tyron. The crusaders failed to hold anything east of Mount Lebanon, so the Beqaa region remained free. During the Crusader era, the Maronite Church recognized the superiority of Rome and became a Eastern Rite church within Catholicism, which it remains to this day.[5]
Mamluks and Ottomans
The Crusaders were driven out by the Egyptian Mamluks starting with the fall of Beaufort and Cave de Tyron in the 1260's. The last Crusader stronghold, Acre, fell in 1291. The Mamluks were conquered by the Ottomans in 1516. However, during this time Mount Lebanon was in reality controlled by local Christian and Druze lords who ruled over it and some of the surrounding area in the name of the dominant power (Mamluks, Ottomans, etc). The Druze leader Fakhr al-Din, who, before his execution by the Ottomans, controlled Mount Lebanon and some of the surrounding areas, was the most notable.[6] Druze power wained after his death.[7]
The Mutasarrifiya
In 1864, after a Maronite-Druze war, the French and British creating a semi-autonomous province known as the Mutasarrifiya[8] (from mutasarraf, Arabic for "administrator", which was its governor's title). It included Mount Lebanon and the adjacent coast (except Beirut). The Mutasarrifiya had no ports of any significance, little agricultural land, and few resources in general. Maronite nationalists therefore began to lobby European powers for the creation of a "Greater Lebanon" including Beirut, the Beqaa valley, and expanded territory to the north and south of the Mutasarrifiya's current boundaries. The Ottoman Empire was hostile to the existance of the Mutasarifiya and sought to abolish it and place the area under the control of the Ottoman central government. During World War I, the French (the main patrons of the Mutasarifiya and the Maronite community) fought the Ottomans, allowing them to finally end the Mutasarifiya in 1915.[9]
The French Mandate and Independence
Coming soon
The Civil War and Syrian Domination
Lebanon since 2005
Politics
Political power in Lebanon is shared among the country's many religious groups in a system known as confessionalism. Specifically, the President is always a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister is always a Sunni, and the Speaker of Parlament is always a Shia. Additionally, all of the religions are guaranteed a fixed number of seats in the Lebanese parliament. The religious quotas were heavily modified by the Ta'if agreement.
Lebanonese politics were dominated by Syria until recently. Lebanese politics are historically very unstable. There is currently a political crisis surrounding the upcoming Presidential election.
Culture
Section will contain information on the culture of Lebanon.
Demographics
Lebanon's population is made of many different religious groups, and, due to power sharing between these groups, is a highly politicized issue. The last census, taken in 1932, showed a population of 782,415 people, made up of 29% Maronites, 22% other Christians, 21% Sunnis, 17% Shias, and 7% Druze. No census has been taken since then because of the political implications. Studies of Lebanon's modern population show a rise in the proportion of Muslims, to about 60% of the population, with Shias being the biggest single sect at about 35% of the total. Lebanon's total population is probably close to 4 million.
Except for small Armenian and Kurdish minorities, Lebanon's population is almost entirely Arabic speaking.[10]
Economy
Section will contain information about the Lebanese economy.