Between Asia and the Mediterranean

Lebanon, the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic, is a country that borders Israel to the south, north and east by Syria and is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Lebanon is a state in western Asia, located along the Mediterranean Sea. North and east, Lebanon gives way to the semi-desert of Syria and the border south of the country bordering Israel.

Basically Lebanon is quite mountainous, can be divided into four main structural units that occur from west to east.

The climate of Lebanon is influenced by two factors: the topography and the proximity or remoteness of the sea. We distinguish, therefore, a coastal climate, very humid and warm, distinctly Mediterranean character, a mountain and a dry and arid, further east.

The coast has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and long warm summers. In Beirut, temperatures range between 23 ° and 32 ° C in August and 11 ° and 17 ° C in January. In the mountains the winters are cold with frequent frosts.

The vegetation is typically Mediterranean in the coastal strip and, in general, in regions not very high, depending on soil type dominates the maquis or garrigue. The firs and cedars are found in some mountain sites located between 1,200 and 2,000 m, with beech, fir and cedar in the northern mountains, lush forests of pine and oak trees cover the slopes of the southern mountains.

Lebanon lacks natural raw materials and depends on the Arab countries for oil and the establishment of productive industries profitable, so that the focus of the manufacture of Lebanon and the reinstallation of imported products.

The most important economic sectors in Lebanon are in the service sector and some tourism and banks.

Lebanon’s culture is rooted mostly Arab, Phoenician and Aramaic, with an important Western influence, especially French.

Has a transport infrastructure consists of 6,300 km of roads, almost all paved. Rail lines (222 km) were destroyed during the war or subsequently dismantled, and is not currently in service any stretch. Beirut and Tripoli are the major seaports Although just opened a modern port city of Jounieh near Beirut for tourist vessels, and there was a time when Beirut was the center forced shipping lines serving the eastern Mediterranean. The country has an international airport in Khalde near Beirut Rafik Hariri Int’l Airport.