• Lobby

  • 40 facts about Lebanon

Hello everyone,
I came across these facts, which i didn't know most, and i thought why not share.
40 interesting facts about Lebanon:
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.
Isn’t it a real crime against humanity to destroy a country with such history and legacy? Wake up people! Stay united against all outside forces that cannot live one minute watching a rose rise among thorns in this region…
16. A fact not accepted by all archaeologists, it's a close race between Balkh (Bactra), Byblos, Aleppo, Damascus and Jericho;
23. False, Byblos is a Greek word which means Papyrus, the Bible took its name from Byblos, not vice versa;
27. Wrong, a very small amount of people, most of them being pan-Phoenicians claim this, most archaeologists claim the Vikings under Leif Erikson were the first when they established Vinland;
30. Not all Lebanese are trilingual, in fact a good amount of Lebanese speak only two languages, and some speak only Arabic;
39. Ex-richest man in the world, Bill Gates edges out Carlos Slim by 2.1 billion $.

It's a crime destroying any country, not just one that is historically important.
Cool list! Lebanon is small but influential, eh? By the way, 16, 27, and 39 aren't true if I understand correctly.
Die_Kapitan wrote 30. Not all Lebanese are trilingual, in fact a good amount of Lebanese speak only two languages, and some speak only Arabic;
I'm pretty sure you weren't supposed to take that as literally representing every single Lebanese person. Also there are some Lebanese that don't speak any languages; they are called babies. It is referring to the demographics in general, which is accurate.
tt400 wrote I'm pretty sure you weren't supposed to take that as literally representing every single Lebanese person.
Exactly, i was just trying to spread the love !
I remember reading somewhere that ruins of phoenician boats were found in america.
I don't know about 27 but makes sense to me.
NuclearVision wroteI remember reading somewhere that ruins of phoenician boats were found in america.
I don't know about 27 but makes sense to me.
There are 4 theories about who discovered America, although the term "discover" is wrong as there were people already living there. the theories are, the Phoenicians, the least popular (in terms of archaelogists) theory, the Chinese circa 1400, a similarly opposed and unpopular theory, Christopher Colombus, the ex-most popular theory and the one that's been the most popular to normal people, although the discovery of Viking longhouses in Nova Scotia has nearly made it a hoax, the Vikings under Leif Erikson, the theory that's the most proven and therefore correct.
NuclearVision wroteI came across these facts
Quite a few assertions in that list are just plain wrong, and I'd say much of the rest is debatable. This one in particular kills me:
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”).
Strong irony can be found here, in that this statement is one of the few genuinely demonstrable facts in a list of supposed facts about Lebanon (no doubt made by Lebanese), and it says that people believe in fantasies.

Anyway, unless you want this thread to die a miserable death (and it probably will anyway), I'd propose that people search for valid, non-bullshit references that either support or refute each of the statements in the list, and then we can decide exactly how much of it is based on facts. Should be a much sounder exercise than basking in an unwarranted sense of self-importance.
Well i didn't write those, neither did I search for it, But yeah i shouldn't have said facts, rumors maybe? ...
I didn't expect people to be so picky, i am not defending the statements, but just disappointed for seeing more critical posts than positive.
i enjoyed your post NuclearVision :) thanks dude, who cares if number 29 is a myth, just skip it, most of the points are correct
NuclearVision wroteWell i didn't write those, neither did I search for it, But yeah i shouldn't have said facts, rumors maybe? ...
I didn't expect people to be so picky, i am not defending the statements, but just disappointed for seeing more critical posts than positive.
I'm only critical to this because facts should be proven, not based on theories and what-nots.
eWizzard wrote
NuclearVision wroteI came across these facts
Quite a few assertions in that list are just plain wrong, and I'd say much of the rest is debatable. This one in particular kills me:
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”).
Strong irony can be found here, in that this statement is one of the few genuinely demonstrable facts in a list of supposed facts about Lebanon (no doubt made by Lebanese), and it says that people believe in fantasies.

Anyway, unless you want this thread to die a miserable death (and it probably will anyway), I'd propose that people search for valid, non-bullshit references that either support or refute each of the statements in the list, and then we can decide exactly how much of it is based on facts. Should be a much sounder exercise than basking in an unwarranted sense of self-importance.
I don't think the list was stating as fact that God planted the cedar trees in Lebanon. I think you were supposed to understand the fact as being the symbolism of the cedar tree, what is said about it, its mythology in history, etc.

Don't be so anal about the list, buddy.
tt400 wroteI don't think the list was stating as fact that God planted the cedar trees in Lebanon.
I didn't say that either, so I don't know what you're talking about.
tt400 wroteI think you were supposed to understand the fact as being the symbolism of the cedar tree, what is said about it, its mythology in history, etc.
And how does that constitute a fact? You're just stating your own opinion on how to interpret someone else's selfish subjective interpretation of a myth, which is completely irrelevant because it's still not a fact. Get your facts straight is all I have to say.
tt400 wroteDon't be so anal about the list, buddy.
I don't really care about the list. In my opinion, it's the people's reactions to it that are far more revealing and amusing. I don't know about anyone else here, but between a cheerleader and a skeptic, I'd always pick to be the latter. Having said that, if you (or OP) were seriously expecting some sort of impulsive nationalistic cheer, then I must say that I'm glad to have disappointed you.
Don't be so anal about the list, buddy.
The moment you start calling something a fact, it should be scrutinized diligently.
There is no such thing as being too anal when fact-checking.
That being said, I'm guessing OP meant "fun stories" and not "facts" in the conventional sense.
This is most likely a semantic issue.

Glad to see some healthy skepticism to balance out the usual nationalistic cheer. Thank you Die_Kapitan and eWizzard.
eWizzard wrote And how does that constitute a fact? You're just stating your own opinion on how to interpret someone else's selfish subjective interpretation of a myth, which is completely irrelevant because it's still not a fact. Get your facts straight is all I have to say.
It is a fact that some people say that.
eWizzard wrote I don't really care about the list. In my opinion, it's the people's reactions to it that are far more revealing and amusing. I don't know about anyone else here, but between a cheerleader and a skeptic, I'd always pick to be the latter. Having said that, if you (or OP) were seriously expecting some sort of impulsive nationalistic cheer, then I must say that I'm glad to have disappointed you.
There's no "nationalistic cheer."
What's wrong about the nationalistic cheer? Don't we need it?
38 39 and 40 the people we are most proud of are people who left Lebanon and never came back to it. And yet people never shut up about Carlos Slim. I guess then the best thing to do to Lebanon is leave it.
NuclearVision wroteWhat's wrong about the nationalistic cheer? Don't we need it?
Not at all. Lebanon is a very unified and civil country.
NuclearVision wroteWhat's wrong about the nationalistic cheer? Don't we need it?
Nationalism in small doses is not bad, not good either, but being overly nationalistic, as in "hurr durr Phoenicians discovered America" or "Byblos is the world's oldest city" while it there's no concrete evidence about this thing is bad and makes people think Lebanese people are stupid.
Have you tried googling it?
First, byblos is not the oldest city, let me explain it for you, Or not just read it again.
The phoenician things is a theory as someone mentioned earlier, and i guess neither me or you can prove it or deny it.
tt400 wrote
NuclearVision wroteWhat's wrong about the nationalistic cheer? Don't we need it?
Not at all. Lebanon is a very unified and civil country.
Now repeat after me: "Lebanon is the Switzerland of the Middle East. Beirut is the Paris of the Middle East."
NuclearVision wroteThe phoenician things is a theory as someone mentioned earlier, and i guess neither me or you can prove it or deny it.
It's not even a proper theory. It's more of a hypothesis, and since no real scientific evidence has been found to back it up, then it's perfectly reasonable to dismiss it.

Byblos as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world is by far the most difficult statement in the list to prove, and I would assume that the subject is well beyond the expertise of anyone on this forum. While it is agreed upon that it is indeed one of the oldest, the fact of the matter is that, to this date, there's no unanimous agreement in the scientific community as to which is the world's oldest continuously inhabited city.