Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

still numerous sites where waste disposal, trash accumulation or water leakage haveallowed notable local build-up of pest or vector species. Filth flies and mosquitoes are themost frequently encountered pests in these settings.H. Lebanon.a. Geography. Lebanon has a land area of 10,400 sq km, about twice the size ofDelaware, and can be divided into four physiographic areas. (1) A narrow coastal plain(known locally as sahil) extends the length of Lebanon and varies in width from 1.5 to 12km, with its widest point in the north. (2) Bordering the plain to the east are the LebanonMountains, which rise sharply to a series of crests and ridges, reaching about 3,000 mabove sea level in several locations. (3) The Lebanon Mountains drop sharply to the east,forming the country’s chief agricultural area, the Beka’a Valley, which is about 900 mabove sea level and 8 to 16 km wide. (4) The Anti-Lebanon Mountains have an averageelevation of 2,000 m, with a peak elevation reaching 2,800 m above sea level, and risefrom the eastern Beka’a Valley to form the boundary between Lebanon and Syria.b. Climate. Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate, with regional variations. Thecoastal lowlands are characterized by hot summers (June to September), with mean dailymaximum and minimum temperatures of 30 o C and 20 o C and highs and lows of 41 o C and13 o C. The Beka’a Valley has mean daily maximum and minimum summer temperaturesof 34 o C and 13 o C, with extremes of 42 o C and 7 o C. The mountainous areas remain cooler,producing mean daily maximum and minimum summer temperatures of 23 o C and 11 o C,with extremes of 29 o C and 3 o C at 1,900 m elevation. Winter (December to March)temperatures along the coast reach a mean daily maximum and minimum of 19 o C and 9 o C,with extremes of 35 o C and 0 o C. The Beka’a Valley has mean daily maximum andminimum winter temperatures of 14 o C and 0 o C, with extremes of 25 o C and –7 o C; frost,snow, and a severe north wind occur occasionally. The mountains have mean dailymaximum and minimum winter temperatures of 13 o C and –3 o C, with extremes of 18 o Cand –11 o C at 1,900 m. Lebanon receives nearly all its precipitation from October throughApril. Annual precipitation is approximately 700 mm on the coast, more than 1,200 mmin the mountains, and about 890 mm in the Beka’a Valley. Snow covers the mountainpeaks much of the year.________________________________________________________________________Beirut (elevation 19 m)Mean Daily Temperatures ( o C)MONTH J F M A M J J A S O N DMaximum 16 17 19 22 24 27 29 30 29 26 22 17Minimum 9 10 11 14 17 20 23 24 22 19 15 12Monthly PrecipitationMean (mm) 194 107 96 34 19 1 0 1 5 35 100 153______________________________________________________________________________________c. Population and Culture. The population of Lebanon is largely urban and mostlyliterate. Lebanon, one of the most densely populated countries in the Middle East, has an52