40 Interesting Facts about Lebanon

6 years ago

1. Lebanon has 18 religious communities.

2. It has 40 daily newspapers.

3. It has 42 universities.

4. It has over 100 banks (that are banks and not branches of a bank).

5. 70% of the students are in private schools.

6. 40% of the Lebanese people are Christians (this is the highest percentage of all the Arab countries).

7. There's 1 doctor per 10 person in Lebanon. (In Europe and America, there's around 1 doctor per 100 person).

8. The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament.

9. The name CEDAR (Lebanon's tree) appears 75 times too in the Old Testament.

10. Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times (this is why it's compared to The Phoenix).

11. There are 4.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon and around 18 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon.

12. Sky Bar voted number 1 night club in the world.

13. Beirut is the 10th most popular shopping destination in the world.

14. Beirut was named "World Book Capital" in 2009.

15. Lebanon, the country, was occupied by over 16 countries (Egyptians - Hittites - Assyrians - Babylonians - Persians - Alexander the great's Army - the Roman Empire Byzantine - the Arabian Peninsula - The Crusaders - the Ottoman Empire - Britain - France - Israel - Syria).

16. Byblos (city in Lebanon) is the oldest continuously living city in the world.

17. The country's name is known to be the oldest in the world and has remained unchanged for over 4000 years.

18. Lebanon is the only Arab and Asian country that has absolutely no desert.

19. There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains).

20. Lebanon is one of the most populated countries in its archaeological sites in the world.

21. The first alphabet was created in Byblos (city in Lebanon).

22. The only remaining temple of Jupiter (the main Roman god) is in Baalbeck, Lebanon (The City of the Sun).

23. The name of BYBLOS comes from the BIBLE.

24. Lebanon is the country that has the most books written about it.

25. According to Christianity, Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle in Lebanon, in Sidon (The miracle of turning water into wine).

26. The Phoenicians (Original People of Lebanon) built the 1st boat, and they were the first to sail ever.

27. Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus did.

28. The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon, in Downtown Beirut.

29. People say that the cedars were planted by God's own hands (This is why they're called "The Cedars of God", and this is why Lebanon is called "God's Country on Earth").

30. Lebanese are trilingual (They speak 3 languages: Arabic, French & English).

31. The creators of Tom & Jerry are originally Lebanese. (Joseph Barbara & William Hanna)

32. King Solomon's temple was built with Lebanon's cedars.

33. Egypt's Pharaohs imported Lebanon's cedars, marble and timber.

34. Lebanon is the first Arab country that had a constitution.

35. Lebanon, which represents 1/40 of the total area of the Arabic Peninsula, produces 70% of the publications in the Arab world.

36. In springtime, and on the same day, you can ski in the mountains and/or swim in the sea.

37. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". Most people associate this quote to a speech made by US President John Kennedy in 1961. In fact, it came from one of Gibran Khalil Gibran's books. (Lebanese writer and artist)

38. The creator and the production manager of the iPod is originally Lebanese. (Tony Fadel)

39. The richest man in the world comes from a Lebanese descent. (Carlos Slim)

40. The lebanese Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah was a technological leader whose inventions in electricity had a great impact on the development of the 20th century technology and he was the first one who was working on creating electricity from sunlight.