English: Introduction to the Country and its progress towards the achievement of the MDGs

--- see Introduction to the Millennium Development Goals

Lebanon is a country in the Middle East, lying on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It shares a long border with Syria in the North and East, and with Israel in the South.

With nearly 16 million Lebanese, four times their national population, living or working abroad, Lebanese are entrepreneurs and voracious travelers.

Lebanon's history, since its independence in 1943, has been marked by periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its position as a regional centre for finance, trade and tourism.

Lebanon is known for its unique efforts in the Middle East to guarantee civil rights and freedom to its citizens.

Lebanon’s recovery, from the Civil War that raged between 1975 and 1990, leaving thousands injured and dead, and from the 2006 war with Israel, has been remarkable. However, Lebanon’s achievement of peaceful sectarian existence is being severely challenged by the spill over from the Syrian civil that is resulting in incidents of sectarian violence and armed clashes. More than 678,000 Syrian refugees currently reside in Lebanon.