Lebanon - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Lebanon. Smallest country in continental Asia; Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 21 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Lebanon
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Geographic coordinates 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Map references Middle East
Tarrain narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Natural Resources limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Natural Hazards earthquakes; dust storms, sandstorms
Irrigated Land 1,040 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 484 km
Border Countries Israel 81 km; Syria 403 km
Coastline 225 km
Climate Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; the Lebanon Mountains experience heavy winter snows
Area
Total Area
Land Area 10,230 sq km
Water Area 170 sq km
comparative Area about one-third the size of Maryland
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Elevations
Highest point Qornet es Saouda 3,088 m
Lowest point Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Mean elevation 1,250 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 63.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 11.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 12.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 39.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 13.4% (2018 est.)
Other 23.3% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The majority of the people live on or near the Mediterranean coast, and of these most live in and around the capital, Beirut; favorable growing conditions in the Bekaa Valley, on the southeastern side of the Lebanon Mountains, have attracted farmers and thus the area exhibits a smaller population density

People and Society

In Lebanon, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

Population
Pop growth rate 0.61% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 12.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.7 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.71 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.83 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate NA
Est married women (ages 15-49) 51.4% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Lebanese | Lebanese (singular and plural)
Languages
Religions Muslim 67.8% (31.9% Sunni, 31.2% Shia, smaller percentages of Alawites and Ismailis), Christian 32.4% (Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group), Druze 4.5%, very small numbers of Jews, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Hindus (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 18.9% (male 519,352/female 495,591)
15-64 years 71.6% (male 1,939,311/female 1,900,574)
65 years and over 9.5% (2024 est.) (male 219,880/female 289,774)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 59.3
Youth dependency ratio 44
Elderly dependency ratio 15.3
Potential support ratio 6.5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 36.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 35.6 years
Female 36.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 89.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization -1.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 2.421 million BEIRUT (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 79.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 77.8 years
Female 80.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: NA
Improved: rural rural: NA
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: NA
Unimproved: rural rural: NA
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 1.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 38.2% (2020 est.)
Male 47.5% (2020 est.)
Female 28.9% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 1.4%
Women married by age 18 6% (2016 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Lebanon

Want to know more about Lebanon? Check all different factbooks for Lebanon below.

Lebanon is found in Western Asia