Pearl of the Middle East - Meypack

Lebanon is a country of mountains, ocean and in particular, of
cities. Over the last 50 years, most of the 3.8 million residents of
Lebanon have been leaving the countryside for life in the cities,
albeit around half of them live in the capital Beirut. With 500,000 residents,
Tripoli is the second largest city, followed by Zahlé with 200,000, and Sidon
& Tyros together with between 180,000 and 200,000 residents. The fi gures are,
however, all estimates because there has not been an offi cial census taken
since 1932.
The majority of Lebanese speak Arabic. English and French are also widely
spoken and are considered the key languages for communication with Europe.
In Lebanon there are 17 recognised religious communities. The largest communities
are the Sunnis, Maronite and Schiites. On November 26th, 1941 the
French General Georges Catroux declared the independence of Lebanon under
the authority of the Free French government. Elections were held in 1943 and
at the end of that year, the new Lebanese government unilaterally abolished
the French mandate. Directly after the independence of Lebanon, approximately
20,000 men volunteered to serve under the command of the future
president Fouad Chehab where they were integrated into the Free French
Army under Charles de Gaulle and contributed to the success of the Allied
Forces in Bir Hakeim and near Monte Cassino in the Mediterranean theatre
of war. After the Second World War, the independent Lebanon was one of the
founding members of the United Nations. In 1945, during the United Nations
Conference on International Organisation, which laid out the foundation for
the United Nations, the Lebanese delegate Charles Malik – along with Eleanor
Roosevelt – played a dominating role and co-authored essential sections of the