Population: 4 million (2009 estimate)

Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Religions: Shiite Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Christian (Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Apostolic), Druze; 17 religious sects recognized

Ethnic Groups: Arab, Armenian

Capital: Beirut

Date of Independence: November 22, 1943 from League of Nations mandate under French administration

Government: Parliamentary democracy with partially autonomous president

Last Elections: June 7, 2009 (parliamentary)

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

GDP: $44.07 billion (2008 estimate)

GDP Per Capita: $11,100 (2008 estimate)

External Debt: $24.634377 billion (2007)

Unemployment: 9% (2007)

Poverty Rate: 28% below national poverty line (CIA, 1999 estimate)

Ratio of Richest 10% to Poorest 10%: N/A

Gini Index: N/A

Literacy: male 93.1%, female 82.2% (2005 estimate)

Human Development Index: 0.772 (2005)

Major Exports: jewelry, base metals, chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Major Industries and Natural Resources: banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating, limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Adults: 0.1% (2007)

Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births): 27 (2006)

Maternal Mortality Adjusted Ratio (per 100,000 live births): 150 (2005)

Free Trade Agreements: EU Association Agreement, in force since April 2006

Tourism: $5.4 billion in receipts (2004), 1.1 million visitors (2005)

Miscellaneous: 10% of the Lebanese population is comprised of Palestinian refugees, registered with UNRWA.

Arms Imports/Exports: Major conventional weapons imported from UAE, US. (Hizballah received imports from Iran and Syria.) Major conventional weapons exported to Pakistan.

Small arms imported from Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Tokelau Islands, Turkey, UK, US. Small arms exported to Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Canada, Central African Republic, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, UAE, UK, US.

Military Expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2007)

US Military Personnel: 2 active duty US military personnel (2009)

US Military Bases: N/A

US Aid:

* - At the time these data were published, final FY 2009 totals were not yet known.

IMET: International Military Education and Training

DA: Development Assistance

ESF: Economic Support Fund (assists countries making the transition to democracy, supports Middle East peace negotiations, finances economic stabilization programs)

NAD: Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining

NADR-HD: Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs - Humanitarian Demining Program

P.L. 480: Public Law 480 -- Food Aid

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All figures in US dollars.

Sources: Unless stated otherwise, data are current CIA estimates from the World Factbook.

Ethnic Groups -- US Department of State

External Debt -- World Bank

Unemployment (age 15+) -- International Labor Organization

Poverty Rate (below $2 a day, unless otherwise stated) -- UNDP Human Development Report 2009

Ratio of Richest 10% to Poorest 10% (ratio of income or expenditure share) -- UNDP Human Development Report 2009

Gini Index (a scale of 0-100 where 0 equals perfect equality) -- UNDP Human Development Report 2009

Literacy (adult) -- UNDP Human Development Report 2009

Human Development Index (measurement based on life expectancy, education, and GDP index in 2007) -- UNDP Human Development Report 2009

HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Adults -- "Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic," UNAIDS 2008

Infant Mortality Rates -- World Health Organization

Maternal Mortality Rates -- World Health Organization

Free Trade Agreements -- Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; European Commission

Tourism -- World Tourism Organization

Military Expenditures -- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Arms Imports/Exports (1995 to present): Major conventional arms -- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; Small arms -- The Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers

US Military Personnel -- Defense Manpower Data Centre (DoD), Statistical Information Analysis Section (2009)

US Military Bases -- Global Security

US Aid -- US Department of State Bureau of Resource Management