Lebanon
, a nation that once proudly called itself the Switzerland of the Middle
East, is today a country in name only. Its government controls little more than
half of the nation's capital, Beirut. Its once-vibrant economy is a shambles.
And its society is fragmented - so fragmented, some believe, that it may be
impossible to re-create a unified state responsive to the needs of all its
varied peoples.
Lebanon lies on the eastern shore of the Mediterranea n Sea, in that part of
southwestern Asia known as the Middle East. Because of its location - at the
crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa - Lebanon has been the center of commerce
and trade for thousands of years. It has also been on the route ...
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south, along the border with Israel, Lebanon's eastern border is only 20
miles from the sea.
Although a tiny land, Lebanon boasts a great diversity in its landscape which
makes it one of the most picturesque countries in the world. The coast line is
br oken by many bays and inlets of varying size. At some points, the mountains
wade silently right into the sea - then climb suddenly tier on tier away from
the Mediterranean to the sky. Because of the limitation of flat agricultural
land, all but the steepest hillsides have been patiently and neatly terraced and
planted with garlands of twisted grapevines. The mountains lend a great variety
of hues - pale pink, rosy red, forest green or deep purple - to the landscape.
Depending on the time of day, they never appear the same twice, and from time to
time whipped white clouds hide all except their snow-capped peaks. Even on the
darkest night, the lights of the villages perched on the mountains shine in
small clusters as a reminder of ...
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it gets to the sea. The
Orontes rises not far from the Litani, but it flows northward between the two
mountain ranges, wending its way into Syria. Beyond the Bekaa and the anti-
Lebanon mountains, the Syrian desert only stretches east f or about 800 miles to
the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This geography has been a
determining factor for millenia in keeping Lebanon turned toward the West.
The landscape cannot be described without mentioning the most celebrated tree o
f Lebanon, the cedar. Called by the Lebanese "Cedar of the Lord," this famed
tree retains somewhat of a sacred aura this day. It has become the symbol of
Lebanon and appears in the center of the flag, on the ...
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CITE THIS PAGE:
Lebanon. (2008, July 11). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Lebanon/86643
"Lebanon." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 11 Jul. 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Lebanon/86643>
"Lebanon." Essayworld.com. July 11, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Lebanon/86643.
"Lebanon." Essayworld.com. July 11, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Lebanon/86643.
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