Lebanon

Reported By:

Salas, Meia Ester T.

BSED2-Eng.

Location:

Middle East,bordering the

Mediterranean Sea,between

Israel and Syria.

Flag Description:Three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle) and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band; the redbands symbolize blood shed for liberation, the white band denotes peace, the snow of the mountains, and purity; the green cedar tree is the symbol of Lebanon and represents eternity, steadiness, happiness, and prosperity.

National Emblem:

“The coat of Arms of Lebanon”Consists of a red shield witha white bend sinister on whichis placed a cedar tree. It is verysimilar to the flag of Lebanon,

with the exception of theSpanish fess on the flag beingchanged into a bend sinister.

Capital and largest City:Beirut

Area:total: 10,400 sq kmland: 10,230 sq kmwater: 170 sq km

border countries: Israel 79 km,Syria 375 km

National Anthem:"Kulluna lil-watan" (All Of Us, For Our

Country!)

lyrics/music: Rachid NAKHLE/WadihSABRA

note: adopted 1927; the anthem was chosen following a nationwide competition.

Official Language:Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Religions:Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (MaroniteCatholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Coptic, Protestant), other 1.3%

Population:4,131,583 (July 2013 est.)

Birth Rate:14.79 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Death Rate:6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Maternal Mortality Rate:25 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

Total Fertility Rate:1.75 children born/woman (2013 est.)

Life Expectancy at birth:total population: 75.46 years

male: 73.86 yearsfemale: 77.13 years (2013 est.)

Currency:Lebanese pound

Natural Hazards:dust storms, Sand storms

Government:Unitary confessionalist parliamentary

constitutional republic.

President: Michel Suleiman

Legal System:Mixed legal system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities.

3 branches:ExecutiveLegislativeJudicial

Lebanon’s economy follows a laissez-faire model.Most of the economy is dollarized, and the country has no restrictions on the movement of capital across its borders. The Lebanese government’s intervention in foreign trade is minimal.

Suffrage:21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education; excludes military personnel.

GDP (purchasing power parity):$64.31 billion (2013 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):$43.49 billion (2013 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):$15,800 (2013 est.)

Gross national saving:24.6% of GDP (2013 est.)

Labor force:1.481 million

Unemployment rate:NA%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin:agriculture: 4.6%industry: 20%

services: 75.4% (2013 est.)

Exports - partners:South Africa 19.3%, Switzerland 12.2%, Saudi Arabia 8%, UAE 7.9%, Syria 6.6%, Iraq 4.7%

(2012)

Imports - partners:US 11.2%, Italy 8.6%, China 8.3%, France

7.2%, Germany 5.6%, Turkey 4.5%, Greece 4.2% (2012)

Military service age and obligation:17-30 years of age for voluntary military service; 18-24 years of age for officer

candidates; no conscription (2013)

Manpower available for military service:males age 16-49: 1,081,016

females age 16-49: 1,115,349 (2010 est.)

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has 72,000 active personnel, including 1,100 in the air

force, and 1,000 in the navy.

Lebanon is a major recipient of foreign military aid. With $400 million since 2005, it is the second largest per capita recipient of

American military aid behind Israel

Education:

Literacy Rate:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 89.6%male: 93.4%female: 86% (2007 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):total: 13 yearsmale: 13 yearsfemale: 13 years (2012)

Listed by the World Economic Forum’s 2013 Global Information Technology Report, Lebanon has been ranked globally as the fourth best country for math and science education, and as the tenth best overall for quality of education. In quality of management schools, the country was ranked 13th worldwide.

Both public and private, largely operate in French or English.

Lebanon has forty-one nationally accredited universities, several of which are internationally recognized:

The American University of Beirut (AUB) and the Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) were the first Anglophone and the first Francophone universities to open in Lebanon, respectively.

10Interesting FactsinLebanon.

Fact 1Lebanon used to be known as the “Switzerland of the East” due to the diversity and financial power that it enjoyed.

Fact 2The capital city Beirut, used to be called the “Paris of the Middle East’ because it was at one time a thriving city with a rich culture and attracted tourists from all over the world. When the war was over, extensive efforts were made to redevelop the national infrastructure and the failing economy.

Fact 3It is widely believed that Jesus Christ performed his first miracle here.

Fact 4The country’s name is known to be the oldest in the world and has remained unchanged for over 4000 years.

Fact 5Byblos is the world’s oldest, continuously occupied city and the first alphabet was also created here.

Fact 6The world’s first ever law school was founded in the city of Beirut in Lebanon.

Fact 7The cedar which is a native tree of Lebanon is mentioned 75 times in the Old Testament.

Fact 8Beirut was destroyed and built from scratch seven times and is known as the “Phoenix”.

Fact 9It is the one and only Asian country that has absolutely no desert.

Fact 10The first ever people to build a boat and set sail in it were the Phoenicians who were the original occupants of Lebanon.

By: Khalil Gibran

The Prophet

(January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese artist, poet, and writer.

Born in the town of Bsharri in the north of modern-day Lebanon (then part of Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Empire)

As a young man he immigrated with his family to the United States, where he studied art and began his literary career, writing in both English and Arabic literature,

Especially prose poetry, breaking away from the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still celebrated as a literary hero.

He is chiefly known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose.

The book sold well despite a cool critical reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and again especially in the 1960’s counterculture.

Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.

Namibia

Location:Southern Africa,

bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,

between Angola and

South Africa

Area:total: 824,292 sq km

country comparison to the world: 34

land: 823,290 sq kmwater: 1,002 sq km

Land boundaries:total: 3,936 km

border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa

967 km, Zambia 233 km

Flag Description:Red signifies the heroism of the

people and their determination build a future of equal opportunity for all;

white stands for peace, unity, tranquillity, and harmony; blue

represents the Namibian sky and the Atlantic Ocean, the country's

precious water resources and rain; the yellow sun denotes power and

existence; green symbolizes vegetation and agricultural

resources.

Namibian’s Coat of Arms:

The arms are based on the flag of Namibia, and are rooted in the sand of the Namib Desert. Rooted in the sand is the unique plant Welwitschiamirabilis, one of the worlds oldest plants, which may live for more than one century.The fish eagle on the

The two Oryx are indigenous to the semi-arid parts of the country and are pride and brave animals.The headband is made from diamonds, which are of importance to the economy of the country, and are placed in a traditional pattern.The motto represents the key principles of

National anthem:name: "Namibia, Land of the Brave"

lyrics/music: AAxali DOESEBadopted: 1991

Population:2,182,852 (July 2013 est.)

Ethnic groups:black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%

Climate:hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Natural resources:diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten,

zinc, salt, hydropower, fishLand use:

arable land: 0.97%permanent crops: 0.01%other: 99.02% (2011)

Natural hazards:prolonged periods of drought

Environment - current issues:limited natural freshwater resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land

degradation has led to few conservation areas

Languages:English (official) 7%, Afrikaans (common

language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population), German 32%, indigenous languages

(includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama) 1%

Religions:Christian 80% to 90% (at least 50% Lutheran), indigenous beliefs 10% to

20%Population growth rate:

0.75% (2013 est.)Birth rate:

20.72 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Death rate:13.33 deaths/1,000 population (2013

est.)

Life expectancy at birth:total population: 52.03 years

male: 52.36 yearsfemale: 51.69 years (2013 est.)

Infant mortality rate:total: 45.62 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 48.68 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 42.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

Government:

Legal system:mixed legal system of unmodified civil law based on Roman-Dutch law and customary lawSuffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Chief of state President :Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005)

The politics of Namibia takes place in a framework

of a semi-presidential representative democratic

public, whereby the president of Namibia is elected to a five-year term

and is both the head of state and the head of

government

Currency:

GDP (purchasing power parity):$17.79 billion (2013 est.)GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,200 (2013 est.)GDP (official exchange rate):

$12.3 billion (2013 est.)GDP - composition, by sector of

origin:agriculture: 7.7%industry: 29.6%

services: 62.6% (2013 est.)

Unemployment rate:51.2% (2008 est.)

Exports - commodities:diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish,

karakul skinsImports - commodities:

foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment,

chemicalsExchange rates:

Namibian dollars (NAD) per US dollar -9.28 (2013 est.)

Military branches:Namibian Defense Force (NDF): Army,

Navy, Air Force (2013)Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for voluntary military

serviceManpower available for military

service:males age 16-49: 568,231 (2010 est.)

Military expenditures:3.11% of GDP (2012)

country comparison to the world: 19

Manpower fit for military service:males age 16-49: 351,431

females age 16-49: 311,513 (2010 est.)

Namibia does not have any enemies in the region but consistently spends more as a percentage of GDP on its military than all of its neighbours,

except Angola.

Education:Literacy Rate:

age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 88.8%

male: 89%female: 88.5% (2010 est

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Namibia has compulsory free education for 10 years between the ages of 6 and 16. Grades 1–7 are primary level, grades 8–12 secondary

Curriculum development, educational research, and professional development of teachers is centrally organised by the National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in Okahandja.

Most schools in Namibia are state-run, but a few private schools are also part of the country's education system. There are four teacher training colleges, three colleges of agriculture, a police training college, a Polytechnic at university level, and a National University.

10

interesting

Facts

About

Namibia ^_^

1. The Welwitschia Mirabilis, a fossil plant that can be found in the Namib Desert, has a lifespan that can reach 2,000 years.

2. The Constitution of Namibia is the first constitution to include a provision for environmental protection.

3. Around 14% of Namibia’s land area is protected zone.

4. The members of the Herero community of Namibia gather every

last Sunday of August to pay respect to those who lost their lives during

colonial times.

5. The largest meteorite shower ever, the Gibeon meteorite shower, was

discovered in Namibia in 1838.

6. The longest cave system in Namibia is the Arnhem Cave.

7. Tsumeb Mine was once Africa’s richest source of lead and zinc.

8. Dragon’s Breath, located in Hariseb, is the world’s largest underground lake.

9. Averaging at 2,500, the free-roaming cheetah population of Namibia

is the largest in the world.

10. The Namib Desert is known as the world’s oldest desert.

About the Author..

Neshani Andreas-the second eldest of eight children,

-she was born in 1964 in Walvis Bay, Namibia.

-Neshani trained as a teacher at Ongwediva Training College and taught English, history, and business economics from 1988 to 1992 in a school in rural northern Namibia, where her first novel The Purple Violet of Oshaantu is set.

The novel was published in 2001 in the Heinemann African Writers Series.Neshani is the first Namibian to be included in this series and this novel is the only Namibian novel that is widely available internationally.

The novel has been included in the English Literature curriculum for secondary schools in Zimbabwe.