Land use: arable land : 21% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 8% other: 61% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 860 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
@Lebanon:People
Population: 3,449,578 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30% (male 531,171; female 511,522) 15-64 years: 64% (male 1,036,728; female 1,150,847) 65 years and over: 6% (male 100,682; female 118,628) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.62% (1997 est.)