Lebanon, or the Lebanese Republic, is an Eastern Mediterranean nation of an estimated 4, 125,000 people. Located between neighboring Syria and Israel, it is a country with a rich heritage and vast cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity.
The official language of Lebanon is Arabic, however more than 40% of the population is consider fluent in French, and a vast majority of student in secondary schools study English.
One of the most religiously diverse nations in the Middle East, it is estimated that about 59% of the country is Muslim and 39% are Christian, however the Christian population is on a steady decline, likely due to emmigration.
Lebanon is a parliamentary democracy, which implements a special system known as confessionalism, to deter sectarian conflict and attempts to fairly represent the demographic distribution of the 18 recognized religious groups in government. High-ranking offices are reserved for members of specific religious groups to ensure this representation.
The Lebanese pound (sign: £ or L£) is the currency unit of Lebanon.
