Lebanon

Geography

History
Economy
Culture
Geography
Baalbek

Lebanese Geography

Topography

There are four main geographical regions going north to south parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. The four regions are the coastal plain, the Lebanon Mountain range, the Bekaa Valley, and the Anti-Lebanon Mountain range. The narrow, arable coastal plain is broken at several points by the foothills and peaks of the Lebanon Mountains. Lebanon’s main cities are located in this plain. These cities are Beirut and Tripoli.  The Lebanon Mountains are have many rivers, which must flow down to the Mediterranean Sea. Lebanon’s highest peak, Qornet Es-Sauda, rises to 3090 meters or 3379 yards is located in the Lebanon Mountain range. Directly behind the Lebanon Mountains is the Bekaa Valley. The Bekaa Valley is an extension of the Great Rift Valley. In the 15-kilometer or 9.3 mile wide Bekaa Valley is Lebanon’s main agricultural region. Crops in this region vary from the sugar beat to tomatoes to grapes are grown in the valley. The Valley’s archaeological findings are among Lebanon’s finest. The cities of Baalbek and Anjar have been found in the Bekaa Valley. Baalbek was once a Roman mega city and Anjar was an Umayyad 8th century version of modern day Chtaura. The two main rivers of Lebanon are the Litani and the Orantes rise in the Bekaa Valley. The Bekaa Valley ends suddenly at the Anti-Lebanon Mountain range. The Anti-Lebanon Mountain range is the arid mountain-boarder between Lebanon and Syria. The highest peak in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains is Mt. Hermon rises to 2814 meters or 3077.4 yards.

 

Climate and Environment

In Lebanon’s arable coastal plain is where most of the country’s population lives. This part of Lebanon has a mild Mediterranean climate, which gives it rainy winters. The soil is fertile because of the rich alluvial deposits found throughout the valley. Along the coast a dry undergrowth called the maquis grows while vineyards, wheat, olives, and oranges are refined. Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool rainy winters. The sun is shining 300 days a year every year.  The coastal plain gets around 35 inches of rain, while the mountains get more than 50 inches of rainfall. The coast has high humidity, which gives it days and nights around 30˚C or 86˚F. Beirut in the summer is a commuter society because most families move to the mountains for the cooler but still dry climate. Winters along the coast can be dry and balmy one day, and chilly and cool the next. Winter temperatures are 15˚C or 59˚F and 26C or 79˚F in the mountains and pleasantly cool at night.


Flora

Most of Lebanon is now deforested. Great cedar forests are now mostly only in the high mountains. A Mediterranean undergrowth called maquis is found almost everywhere.

 

Fauna

Random hunting has greatly reduced the once rich bird and animal population in the wild. Few species can still survive in the wild today. These species are the jackal, the wolf, the wild donkey, and the gazelle can still survive.