Lebanon 🇱🇧
Lebanon is a country in Asia with a population of 5,489,739. Its capital is Beirut. The official currency is LBP, and the main languages are Arabic.
Quick facts
- Capital: Beirut
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 5,489,739
- Area: 10,452 km²
- Density: 525 people per km²
- Currency: LBP
- Languages: Arabic
- ISO code: LB
Where Lebanon sits
Lebanon 🇱🇧 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Beirut. It covers 10,452 square kilometres — 163rd in the world — and is home to about 5,489,739 people, 118th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Lebanon compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Lebanon sits closest to Norway and Finland. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Kosovo and Jamaica.
At 525 people per square kilometre it is about 8.8 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Arabic is an official language in 25 countries here, among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and Comoros, and 20 others. The LBP is used by Lebanon and no one else.
To see Lebanon next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Lebanon
Beirut sits on a peninsula halfway along Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, and people have lived there for more than 5,000 years. For the flag, just look for the tree: Lebanon is the country with a cedar in the middle.
The flag of Lebanon: red, white and green
🇱🇧 The flag is a red stripe at the top and bottom, with a wider white stripe in the middle holding a green cedar tree. Red stands for the blood shed for liberation, and white for peace, purity and the snow on the mountains. The cedar is Lebanon's national symbol and stands for eternity, steadiness, happiness and prosperity.
Region and neighbours
Lebanon is a small country in the Levant region of West Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It shares land borders with 2 countries: Syria and Israel.
- Syria 🇸🇾 — capital Damascus
- Israel 🇮🇱 — capital Jerusalem
Three facts about Lebanon
- Byblos has had people living in it continuously since about 5000 BC, which makes it one of the oldest cities in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The ancient Phoenicians of this coast are credited with the oldest known alphabet, which inspired the Greek and later the Latin alphabet.
- Jeita Grotto, a cave system in Lebanon, holds the world's largest known stalactite.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lebanon, Wikipedia: Flag of Lebanon, Wikipedia: Beirut, Wikipedia: Byblos, Wikipedia: Jeita Grotto, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Lebanon
- Asian capitals quiz — match Lebanon to Beirut
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Lebanon flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Lebanon
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Lebanon those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Beirut
- Lebanon capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Lebanon
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Lebanon
- Capital of Lebanon: Beirut — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Lebanon flag?
The flag of Lebanon is a red stripe at the top and bottom, with a wider white stripe in the middle holding a green cedar tree. Red stands for the blood shed for liberation, and white for peace, purity and the snow on the mountains. The cedar is Lebanon's national symbol and stands for eternity, steadiness, happiness and prosperity.
Which countries border Lebanon?
Lebanon shares land borders with Syria and Israel.
How can I remember the capital of Lebanon?
Beirut sits on a peninsula halfway along Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, and people have lived there for more than 5,000 years. For the flag, just look for the tree: Lebanon is the country with a cedar in the middle.