Lebanon

Country Name: Lebanon
Geographical Area: 10,452 sq km
Population: 4.4 million (based on World Bank data, 2002)
Capital City: Beirut
People: Arabs, Kurds and Armenians
Language: The official language is Arabic; however French and English are widely spoken
Religion: Islam and Christianity are main religions
Government Type: Republic

Introduction

The Facts give you basic information while the Travel Essentials list main travelers' hints. Lebanon lies to the east of the Mediterranean, sharing borders in the north and the east with Syria, and in the south with Israel. It is a mountainous country and enjoys an essentially Mediterranean climate with mild, rainy winters and long warm summers. It was called in the bible “The Land of Milk and Honey” and the nickname for Beirut which is the capital of Lebanon is “Paris of the East”. The famous singer is half Lebanese is Shakira .

Modern History

From 1943 to 1984 there were circumstances that contributed to increasing tensions between Muslims and Christians when the Lebanon gained independence from France in 1943. At the time Christian’s balance of power and Lebanese Muslims had little say in the running of their country. This tension reached their peak in 1975, because the members of a Christian group, the Phalange attacked and killed a bus full of Palestinians down town Beirut. “The Green Line” was a result of the tension and served as a way of separate Palestinians from Christian Phalange. In 1982, the Israel army invaded the city to remove the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The peace deal reached in 1989. The human and economic costs of the conflict were:-
· 150,000 – 20,000 people died
· Another 300,000 wounded
· Beirut economy was paralyzed

Lebanon Now

There are some signs of social and economic recovery in Beirut like, building cranes are everyday and US – style shopping malls have sprouted up across the city. On the Cornish, businessmen in Western suits. Teenager girls on roller blades share the wide walkway dressed in black dresses, robes, coats and scarves. Also the Muslim’s girl has Christian boyfriend. Nowadays, there are some current problems in the country such as:
· There are two groups and they have different thoughts for each group.
· Until now the two groups didn’t agree together to choose a president of Lebanon.

Somthing about me :)

My name is Adel. I am 23 years old. I was born in Al Ruwais which is a small village far away from Abu Dhabi may be one hour and half to reach there. I’m studying in Abu Dhabi Men College as a student in semester two. My major is Food Science. At the same time I work as a food inspector in Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority so I have an experience in my major.
My life when I was child was very simple, but it was better than now because all my family was sit together most of the time. Nowadays my father is busy or has more than one wife and he doesn’t have much time to stay with his children and see what they need for their life.
I have many hobbies. My favorite hobby is taking photos because I like to keep happy memories for the future. Many things in nature attract me like sunsets, sunrises and the beach. As you will see in the picture, I took a picture for the worst day in the UAE which was on the 11th of March 2008 when the biggest car accident in the Arabian Gulf because of the fog. I will let you to see the picture and I will wait for your comments.

The fog in Abu Dhabi from my camera.

Another hobby is camping. I like to go camping with my friends and somtimes I take my family in a trip in the desert. As you will see below, I uploaded some pictures from my trip when I was in Awafi in Ras Al Khaima ( RAK ) and again I will let you to see some pictures fro my trip.