Type: republic

Capital: Beirut

Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Al Biqa, Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan

Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under
French administration)

Constitution: 26 May 1926 (amended)

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

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet; note—by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the president of the legislature is a Shia Muslim

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Arabic—Majlis
Alnuwab, French—Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch: four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)