Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia, bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west; Cyprus lies a short distance from the country's coastline. It is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula. Lebanon has a population of more than five million and an area of 10,452 square kilometres (4,036 sq mi). Beirut is the country's capital and largest city.
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the fourth-largest city in the Levant region and the sixteenth-largest in the Arab world. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon.
Samir Farid Geagea is a Lebanese politician and former militia commander who has been the leader of the Lebanese Forces political party and former militia since 1986.
The Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese Christian-based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament, being the largest party of the country.
Armenians have lived in Lebanon for centuries. According to Minority Rights Group International, there are 156,000 Armenians in Lebanon, around 4% of the population. Prior to the Lebanese Civil War, the number was higher, but the community lost a portion of its population to emigration.
Michel Pharaon is a Lebanese politician, and was Minister of Tourism in Lebanon. He was the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in the Fouad Siniora government. In the general election held in 2000, he won a seat from Beirut's first district. He ran on the list of late Rafik Hariri.
The Beirut Central District is the historical and geographical core of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Also called downtown Beirut, it has been described as the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of the country.” It is thousands of years old, with a traditional focus of business, finance, culture, and leisure.
Akl Awit is a Lebanese poet, critic, literary journalist and academic professor holding a Ph.D. degree in modern Arabic literature. All his life, Awit has been passionate about poetry, for it has been the mean for him to express his feelings. His writings have been known to be bold and "daring". Awit's work, including individual poetry books and anthologies, has been published not only locally, but also translated and distributed internationally.
The 2008 Lebanon conflict was a brief intrastate military conflict in May 2008 in Lebanon between opposition militias and pro-government Sunnis. After the 18-month-long political crisis spiralled out of control, with the government's decision to dismantle Hezbollah's telecommunication system, Hezbollah seized control of majority Sunni neighorhoods in west Beirut. The conflict ended with the adoption of the Doha Accord in 2008.
Wajdi Mallat was a Lebanese jurist, statesman and author. He was the first president of the Constitutional Council of Lebanon, from 1994 to 1997. He resigned from the Council over the handling of the parliamentary elections of 1996.
Mashrou' Leila, sometimes transliterated as Mashrou3 Leila or translated as "Leila's Project", was a Lebanese four-member indie rock band from Beirut. It was formed in 2008 as a music workshop at the American University of Beirut, and released four studio albums: Mashrou' Leila (2009), Raasük (2013), Ibn El Leil (2015) and The Beirut School (2019), as well as an EP, El Hal Romancy (2011). The band has been controversial due to their satirical lyrics and themes.
The architecture of Lebanon embodies the historical, cultural and religious influences that have shaped Lebanon's built environment. It has been influenced by the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Umayyads, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and French. Additionally, Lebanon is home to many examples of modern and contemporary architecture. Architecturally notable structures in Lebanon include ancient thermae and temples, castles, churches, mosques, hotels, museums, government buildings, souks, residences and towers.
The Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon (SSNP-L) is a Syrian nationalist party operating in Lebanon. The Lebanese section of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party advocates subsuming Lebanon into a Greater Syrian nation state spanning the Fertile Crescent.
Beirut I is an electoral district in Lebanon. The district elects eight members of the Lebanese National Assembly – three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Greek Catholic, one Greek Orthodox, one Maronite and one Minorities.
A total of 583 candidates contested the 2018 Lebanese general election, running on 77 lists.
The 17 October Protests, commonly referred to as the 17 October Revolution or Hirak or Thawrah, were a series of civil protests in Lebanon that began after the Lebanese cabinet announced financial measures on 17 October 2019. These national protests were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and VoIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp, but quickly expanding into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule, the stagnation of the economy, unemployment, endemic corruption in the public sector, legislation that was perceived to shield the ruling class from accountability and failures of the government to provide basic services such as electricity, water, and sanitation.
The Saadé family is a prominent Greek Orthodox family from the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. They notably own two vineyards, Domaine de Bargylus in Syria and Château Marsyas in Lebanon, and have kept their production ongoing despite the chronic instability facing the Middle East.
