Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Lebanon (2001) - Holy See (Vatican City) (2002)

Compare Lebanon (2001) z Holy See (Vatican City) (2002)

 Lebanon (2001)Holy See (Vatican City) (2002)
 LebanonHoly See (Vatican City)
Administrative divisions 5 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Beyrouth, Ech Chimal, Ej Jnoub, El Bekaa, Jabal Loubnane none
Age structure 0-14 years:
27.57% (male 509,975; female 490,031)

15-64 years:
65.72% (male 1,136,995; female 1,247,184)

65 years and over:
6.71% (male 110,964; female 132,625) (2001 est.)
-
Agriculture - products citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats -
Airports 8 (2000 est.) none (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total:
5

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
-
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
3

914 to 1,523 m:
2

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
-
Area total:
10,400 sq km

land:
10,230 sq km

water:
170 sq km
total: 0.44 sq km


land: 0.44 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Background Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions and regaining its national sovereignty since 1991 and the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 25,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's troop deployment was legitimized by the Arab League during Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if Accord. Damascus justifies its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing the continued weakness of the LAF, Beirut's requests, and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from its security zone in southern Lebanon in May of 2000, however, has emboldened some Lebanese Christians and Druze to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Birth rate 20.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Budget revenues:
$3.31 billion

expenditures:
$5.55 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $209.6 million


expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital Beirut Vatican City
Climate Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Coastline 225 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Taif Accord) of October 1989 Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)
Country name conventional long form:
Lebanese Republic

conventional short form:
Lebanon

local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

local short form:
Lubnan
conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)


conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)


local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)


local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Currency Lebanese pound (LBP) euro (EUR); Italian lira (ITL)
Death rate 6.39 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Debt - external $9.6 billion (2000 est.) -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador David M. SATTERFIELD

embassy:
Antelias, Beirut

mailing address:
P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002

telephone:
[961] (4) 543600, 543600

FAX:
[961] (4) 544136
chief of mission: Ambassador R. James "Jim" NICHOLSON


embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome


mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624


telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428


FAX: [39] (06) 5758346
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Farid ABBOUD

chancery:
2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 939-6300

FAX:
[1] (202) 939-6324

consulate(s) general:
Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriel MONTALVO


chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121


FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036
Disputes - international Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976; Lebanese government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as a part of Lebanon from which Hizballah conducts cross-border attacks none
Economic aid - recipient $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001) none
Economy - overview The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. Economic recovery was helped by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994, 7% in 1995, 4% per year in 1996 and 1997 but slowed to 2% in 1998, -1% in 1999, and 1% in 2000. Annual inflation fell during the course of the 1990s from more than 100% to 0%, and foreign exchange reserves jumped from $1.4 billion to more than $6 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have generated foreign payments surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has remained very stable for the past two years. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. Solidere, a $2-billion firm, has managed the reconstruction of Beirut's central business district; the stock market reopened in January 1996; and international banks and insurance companies are returning. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange reserves and by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. The newly re-installed HARIRI government's announced policies fail to address the ever-increasing budgetary deficits and national debt burden. The gap between rich and poor has widened in the 1990s, resulting in grassroots dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution of the reconstruction's benefits. This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
Electricity - consumption 7.86 billion kWh (1999) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) -
Electricity - imports 654 million kWh (1999) NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Electricity - production 7.748 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
91.29%

hydro:
8.71%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: NA%


hydro: NA%


nuclear: NA%


other: NA%
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point:
Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m


highest point: unnamed location 75 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills NA
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% Italians, Swiss, other
Exchange rates Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (January 2001), 1,507.5 (2000), 1,507.8 (1999), 1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4 (1996) euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000), 1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican started using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.17 lire per euro
Executive branch chief of state:
President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)

head of government:
Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 23 October 2000); Deputy Prime Minister Issam FARES (since 23 October 2000)

cabinet:
Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly; the current Cabinet was formed in 1998

elections:
president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim

election results:
Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
chief of state: Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978)


head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990)


cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope


elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope


election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope
Exports $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) -
Exports - commodities foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, metal and metal products, electrical equipment and products, jewelry, paper and paper products -
Exports - partners UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Syria 6%, US 6%, Kuwait 6%, France 5%, Belgium 5%, Jordan 4% (1999) -
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $18.2 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
12%

industry:
27%

services:
61% (1999 est.)
-
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2000 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 33 50 N, 35 50 E 41 54 N, 12 27 E
Geography - note Nahr al Litani 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 urban; landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
Heliports - 1 (2002)
Highways total:
7,300 km

paved:
6,350 km

unpaved:
950 km (1999 est.)
none; all city streets
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs inconsequential producer of hashish; a Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops -
Imports $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, textiles, metals, fuels, agricultural foods -
Imports - partners Italy 13%, France 11%, Germany 8%, US 7%, Switzerland 6%, Japan, UK, Syria (1999) -
Independence 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) 11 February 1929 (from Italy)


note: on 11 February 1929, three treaties were signed with Italy which, among other things, recognized the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century
Industrial production growth rate NA% -
Industries banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles; mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil refining; metal fabricating printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
Infant mortality rate 28.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) -
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0% (2000 est.) -
International organization participation ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 22 (2000) NA
Irrigated land 860 sq km (1993 est.) 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed) there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See


note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pius XII on 1 May 1946
Labor force 1.3 million (1999 est.)

note:
in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (1997 est.)
NA
Labor force - by occupation services NA%, industry NA%, agriculture NA% agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican
Land boundaries total:
454 km

border countries:
Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
total: 3.2 km


border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Land use arable land:
18%

permanent crops:
9%

permanent pastures:
1%

forests and woodland:
8%

other:
64% (1996 est.)
arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (urban area) (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Legal system mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on canon law and revisions to it
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 27 August and 3 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results:
percent of vote by party - Muslim 57% (of which Sunni 25%, Sh'ite 25%, Druze 6%, Alawite less than 1%), Christian 43% (of which Maronite 23%); seats by party - Muslim 64 (of which Sunni 27, Sh'ite 27, Druze 8, Alawite 2), Christian 64 (of which Maronite 34)
unicameral Pontifical Commission
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.52 years

male:
69.13 years

female:
74.03 years (2001 est.)
-
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
86.4%

male:
90.8%

female:
82.2% (1997 est.)
definition: NA


total population: 100%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Map references Middle East Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea:
12 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 379,705 GRT/592,672 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 10, cargo 42, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 3

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Netherlands 1, Syria 1 (2000 est.)
-
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope
Military branches Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force) Swiss Guards Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $343 million (FY99/00) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.8% (FY99/00) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
980,412 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
605,332 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 22 November (1943) Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978)
Nationality noun:
Lebanese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Lebanese
noun: none


adjective: none
Natural hazards dust storms, sandstorms NA
Natural resources limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land none
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Pipelines crude oil 72 km (none in operation) -
Political parties and leaders political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations none
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
Population 3,627,774 (July 2001 est.) 900 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 28% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 1.38% (2001 est.) 1.15% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Antilyas, Batroun, Beirut, Chekka, El Mina, Ez Zahrani, Jbail, Jounie, Naqoura, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre none
Radio broadcast stations AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios 2.85 million (1997) NA
Railways total:
399 km (mostly unusable because of damage in civil war)

standard gauge:
317 km 1.435-m

narrow gauge:
82 km (1999)
total: 0.86 km


standard gauge: 0.86 km 1.435-m gauge


note: a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station (2001 est.)
Religions Muslim 70% (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 30% (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant), Jewish NEGL% Roman Catholic
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.84 male(s)/female

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
-
Suffrage 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Telephone system general assessment:
telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding well underway

domestic:
primarily microwave radio relay and cable

international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan; 3 submarine coaxial cables
general assessment: automatic exchange


domestic: tied into Italian system


international: uses Italian system
Telephones - main lines in use 700,000 (1999) NA
Telephones - mobile cellular 580,000 (1999) NA
Television broadcast stations 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995) 1 (1996)
Terrain narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains low hill
Total fertility rate 2.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) -
Unemployment rate 18% (1997 est.) -
Waterways none none
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.