Lebanon

General
UNRWA Lebanon Field Office (main office) is located in Beirut Southern Suburb; UNRWA installations and offices are spread over the country near to the Palestinian Camps; five Area Offices are located in the five main areas (Tripoli, Beqaa, Saida, Tyre, Beirut) in Lebanon in addition to installations and offices in the 12 camps and Palestinian gatherings.

Location and Geography
Lebanon lies on the Mediterranean with Syria to the West and North and Israel/Occupied Palestine Territories to the south. The border with Israel/(OpT) is 79 km, the border with Syria is 375 km. The Mediterranean coastline is 225 kms along a low coastal plain. Inland, the Bekaa Valley separates the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountain chains.

Beirut, Saida, Tripoli, Tyre and Byblos are the main cities.

Climate
Beirut has a Mediterranean climate characterized by a hot and humid summer, pleasant fall and spring, and cool, rainy winter.

People
90.3% of the population is Arab. Armenians, Kurds, and other minorities account for 9.7% of the population.

Government
Lebanon is a republic and Beirut is the capital.

Religion
Lebanon is one of the most religiously diverse cities of the Middle East, with Christians, and Muslims both having a significant presence.

Lebanese are Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%

Language
Arabic is the official language of Lebanon. French, English, Armenian are also spoken.

Currency
The Lebanese pound (LBP) is the official currency.

Time Zone
Lebanese time is GMT +2 hours in winter and GMT +3 hours in summer.

Healthcare
Public Health service is available to locals, in rural areas but mainly in the 5 major cities whereas Private Health Care has the bigger share and is considered to be of high caliber in the region and the destination of choice to patients from the Middle East.

Education
Primary, secondary and university education is available for international staff members; many foreign schools and universities are available in the country.

Living Arrangements
Accommodations are available with different levels; hotels of all types are available in Beirut and its surroundings while choices are limited in the other main cities. Furnished apartments are not difficult to find but they are relatively expensive depending on the location.

Transportation
Beirut has frequent bus connections to other cities in Lebanon and major cities in Syria. Beirut has International air service from the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut located in the southern suburbs. Buses connect to international destinations and taxi service is available within the city. Automobile rental companies provide self-driven cars or cars with a chauffeur. Lebanese taxis are comfortable and reasonably priced.

Communication
International telephone service and cellular phone service are widely available. Two main cellular telephone lines are currently operating in Lebanon; both companies are foreign (MTC is Kuwaiti and Alfa is French). The cellular line subscription/fees are among the highest in cost in the region which is due to the high taxes paid to the government and the low number of companies competing in the market. Landlines are abundant in all cities and DSL internet is available in the main cities; wireless internet is also not difficult to subscribe to.

Living in Beirut
Beirut is the largest city with a population of 1.5 million. Beirut is Lebanon’s capital and main seaport. Beirut is also the focal point of the region's social life, renowned for its resorts, theaters and cultural activities. Beirut has a wide array of night clubs, discotheques and international restaurants. Beirut has first class hotels and small, well-run hostelries conveniently located in business areas.

References
Beirut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut
Lebanon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon