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. Lebanon was created in its present form after World War I and administered by the French as a mandated territory until the 1940's. Lebanon is noted for its religious diversity, in particular the nearly even division of the majority of the population into Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, and Maronite Christians. Power in the Lebanese government is divided by religious groups (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. Lebanon went through a long civil war from the 1970's until the 1990's that was caused by differances among its religious groups and tensions between Syria and Israel. It was further damaged by a war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, an armed islamist group considered by the United States, European Union, and the UN to be a terrorist organization. The war ended with both sides claiming victory, and many issues it raised are still unresolved.

History

Section will contain information about the history of Lebanon.

Politics

Section will contain information on the government system of and current political situation in Lebanon.

Culture

Section will contain information on the culture of Lebanon.