This document provides information about Lebanon and Namibia. For Lebanon, it summarizes that the country is located in the Middle East, bordering Israel and Syria. Its capital and largest city is Beirut. The official language is Arabic, and the majority religions are Muslim and Christian. For Namibia, it notes that the country is located in southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Angola and South Africa. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. The official language is English and the majority religion is Christian. Both countries have a diverse landscape and history.

1. Lebanon
Reported By:
Salas, Meia Ester T.
BSED2-Eng.

2. Location:
Middle East,
bordering the
Mediterranean Sea,
between
Israel and Syria.

3. Flag Description:
Three horizontal bands consisting of red (top),
white (middle) and red (bottom) with a green
cedar tree centered in the white band; the red
bands symbolize blood shed for liberation, the
white band denotes peace, the snow of the
mountains, and purity; the green cedar tree is
the symbol of Lebanon and represents
eternity, steadiness, happiness, and prosperity.

4. National Emblem:
“The coat of Arms of Lebanon”
Consists of a red shield with
a white bend sinister on which
is placed a cedar tree. It is very
similar to the flag of Lebanon,
with the exception of the
Spanish fess on the flag being
changed into a bend sinister.

5. Capital and largest City:
Beirut
Area:
total: 10,400 sq km
land: 10,230 sq km
water: 170 sq km
border countries: Israel 79 km,
Syria 375 km

6. National Anthem:
"Kulluna lil-watan" (All Of Us, For Our
Country!)
lyrics/music: Rachid NAKHLE/Wadih
SABRA
note: adopted 1927; the anthem was chosen
following a nationwide competition.

7. Official Language:
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Religions:
Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite,
Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite
Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic,
Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian
Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic,
Chaldean, Assyrian, Coptic, Protestant), other
1.3%

8. Population:
4,131,583 (July 2013 est.)

9. Birth Rate:
14.79 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Death Rate:
6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Maternal Mortality Rate:
25 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
Total Fertility Rate:
1.75 children born/woman (2013 est.)

10. Life Expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.46 years
male: 73.86 years
female: 77.13 years (2013 est.)
Currency:
Lebanese pound
Natural Hazards:
dust storms, Sand storms

11. Government:
Unitary confessionalist parliamentary
constitutional republic.
President: Michel Suleiman

12. Legal System:
Mixed legal system of civil law based on the
French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and
religious laws covering personal status,
marriage, divorce, and other family relations
of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian
communities.
3 branches:
Executive
Legislative
Judicial

13. Lebanon’s economy follows a laissez-
faire model.
Most of the economy is dollarized, and the
country has no restrictions on the movement
of capital across its borders. The Lebanese
government’s intervention in foreign trade is
minimal.
Suffrage:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males;
authorized for women at age 21 with
elementary education; excludes military
personnel.

14. GDP (purchasing power parity):
$64.31 billion (2013 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$43.49 billion (2013 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$15,800 (2013 est.)
Gross national saving:
24.6% of GDP (2013 est.)

15. Labor force:
1.481 million
Unemployment rate:
NA%
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 4.6%
industry: 20%
services: 75.4% (2013 est.)

16. Exports - partners:
South Africa 19.3%, Switzerland 12.2%, Saudi
Arabia 8%, UAE 7.9%, Syria 6.6%, Iraq 4.7%
(2012)
Imports - partners:
US 11.2%, Italy 8.6%, China 8.3%, France
7.2%, Germany 5.6%, Turkey 4.5%, Greece
4.2% (2012)

17. Military service age and obligation:
17-30 years of age for voluntary military
service; 18-24 years of age for officer
candidates; no conscription (2013)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,081,016
females age 16-49: 1,115,349 (2010 est.)

18. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has 72,000
active personnel, including 1,100 in the air
force, and 1,000 in the navy.
Lebanon is a major recipient of foreign
military aid. With $400 million since 2005, it
is the second largest per capita recipient of
American military aid behind Israel

19. Education:
Literacy Rate:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 86% (2007 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary
education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2012)

20. Listed by the World Economic Forum’s 2013
Global Information Technology Report,
Lebanon has been ranked globally as the fourth
best country for math and science
education, and as the tenth best overall for
quality of education. In quality of management
schools, the country was ranked 13th
worldwide.
Both public and private, largely operate in
French or English.

21. Lebanon has forty-one nationally accredited
universities, several of which are
internationally recognized:
The American University of Beirut (AUB) and
the Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) were the
first Anglophone and the first Francophone
universities to open in Lebanon, respectively.

22. 10
Interesting
Facts
in
Lebanon. 

23. Fact 1
Lebanon used to be known as the “Switzerland
of the East” due to the diversity and financial
power that it enjoyed.
Fact 2
The capital city Beirut, used to be called the
“Paris of the Middle East’ because it was at
one time a thriving city with a rich culture and
attracted tourists from all over the world.
When the war was over, extensive efforts
were made to redevelop the national
infrastructure and the failing economy.

24. Fact 3
It is widely believed that Jesus Christ
performed his first miracle here.
Fact 4
The country’s name is known to be the oldest
in the world and has remained unchanged for
over 4000 years.
Fact 5
Byblos is the world’s oldest, continuously
occupied city and the first alphabet was also
created here.

25. Fact 6
The world’s first ever law school was founded
in the city of Beirut in Lebanon.
Fact 7
The cedar which is a native tree of Lebanon is
mentioned 75 times in the Old Testament.
Fact 8
Beirut was destroyed and built from scratch
seven times and is known as the “Phoenix”.

26. Fact 9
It is the one and only Asian country that has
absolutely no desert.
Fact 10
The first ever people to build a boat and set
sail in it were the Phoenicians who were the
original occupants of Lebanon.

27. By: Khalil Gibran
The Prophet

28. (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) was a
Lebanese artist, poet, and writer.
Born in the town of Bsharri in the north of
modern-day Lebanon (then part of Mount
Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Empire)
As a young man he immigrated with his family
to the United States, where he studied art
and began his literary career, writing in both
English and Arabic literature,

29. Especially prose poetry, breaking away from
the classical school. In Lebanon, he is still
celebrated as a literary hero.
He is chiefly known in the English-speaking
world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early
example of inspirational fiction including a
series of philosophical essays written in poetic
English prose.

30. The book sold well despite a cool critical
reception, gaining popularity in the 1930s and
again especially in the 1960’s counterculture.
Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all
time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.

31. Namibia

32. Location:
Southern
Africa,
bordering
the South
Atlantic
Ocean,
between
Angola and

33. Area:
total: 824,292 sq km
country comparison to the
world: 34
land: 823,290 sq km
water: 1,002 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 3,936 km
border countries: Angola 1,376 km,
Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa
967 km, Zambia 233 km

34. Flag Description:
Red signifies the heroism of the
people and their determination build
a future of equal opportunity for all;
white stands for peace, unity,
tranquillity, and harmony; blue
represents the Namibian sky and the
Atlantic Ocean, the country's
precious water resources and rain;
the yellow sun denotes power and
existence; green symbolizes
vegetation and agricultural

35. Namibian’s Coat of Arms:
The arms are based on
the flag of Namibia, and
are rooted in the sand of
the Namib Desert.
Rooted in the sand is the
unique plant Welwitschia
mirabilis, one of the
worlds oldest plants,
which may live for more
than one century.

36. The two Oryx are
indigenous to the semi-
arid parts of the
country and are pride
and brave animals.
The headband is made
from diamonds, which
are of importance to
the economy of the
country, and are placed
in a traditional pattern.
The motto represents

37. National anthem:
name: "Namibia, Land of the Brave"
lyrics/music: AAxali DOESEB
adopted: 1991
Population:
2,182,852 (July 2013 est.)
Ethnic groups:
black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%

38. Climate:
hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
Natural resources:
diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver,
lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten,
zinc, salt, hydropower, fish
Land use:
arable land: 0.97%
permanent crops: 0.01%
other: 99.02% (2011)
Natural hazards:
prolonged periods of drought

39. Environment - current issues:
limited natural freshwater resources;
desertification; wildlife poaching; land
degradation has led to few conservation
areas
Languages:
English (official) 7%, Afrikaans (common
language of most of the population and
about 60% of the white population),
German 32%, indigenous languages

40. Religions:
Christian 80% to 90% (at least 50%
Lutheran), indigenous beliefs 10% to
20%
Population growth rate:
0.75% (2013 est.)
Birth rate:
20.72 births/1,000 population (2013
est.)
Death rate:
13.33 deaths/1,000 population (2013

41. Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.03 years
male: 52.36 years
female: 51.69 years (2013 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 45.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 48.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 42.46 deaths/1,000 live
births (2013 est.)

42. Government:
Legal system:
mixed legal system of unmodified
civil law based on Roman-Dutch law
and customary law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state President
:Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21

43. The politics of Namibia
takes place in a framework
of a semi-presidential
representative democratic
public, whereby
the president of Namibia is
elected to a five-year term
and is both the head of
state and the head of
government

44. GDP (purchasing power parity):
$17.79 billion (2013 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,200 (2013 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$12.3 billion (2013 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of
origin:
agriculture: 7.7%
industry: 29.6%
services: 62.6% (2013 est.)

45. Unemployment rate:
51.2% (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead,
uranium; cattle, processed fish,
karakul skins
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs; petroleum products and
fuel, machinery and equipment,
chemicals
Exchange rates:
Namibian dollars (NAD) per US dollar -

46. Military branches:
Namibian Defense Force (NDF): Army,
Navy, Air Force (2013)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military
service
Manpower available for military
service:
males age 16-49: 568,231 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.11% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 19

47. Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 351,431
females age 16-49: 311,513 (2010
est.)
Namibia does not have any enemies
in the region but consistently spends
more as a percentage of GDP on its
military than all of its neighbours,
except Angola.

48. Education:
Literacy Rate:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.8%
male: 89%
female: 88.5% (2010 est
School life expectancy (primary to
tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2006)

49. Namibia has compulsory free education
for 10 years between the ages of 6 and
16. Grades 1–7 are primary level,
grades 8–12 secondary
Curriculum development, educational
research, and professional
development of teachers is centrally
organised by the National Institute for
Educational Development (NIED) in

50. Most schools in Namibia are state-run,
but a few private schools are also part
of the country's education system.
There are four teacher training
colleges, three colleges of agriculture,
a police training college, a
Polytechnic at university level, and
a National University.

51. 10
interesting
Facts
About
Namibia ^_^

52. 1. The Welwitschia Mirabilis, a fossil
plant that can be found in the Namib
Desert, has a lifespan that can reach
2,000 years.
2. The Constitution of Namibia is the
first constitution to include a
provision for environmental
protection.
3. Around 14% of Namibia’s land area is

53. 4. The members of the Herero
community of Namibia gather every
last Sunday of August to pay respect
to those who lost their lives during
colonial times.
5. The largest meteorite shower ever,
the Gibeon meteorite shower, was
discovered in Namibia in 1838.
6. The longest cave system in Namibia

54. 7. Tsumeb Mine was once Africa’s
richest source of lead and zinc.
8. Dragon’s Breath, located in Hariseb,
is the world’s largest underground lake.
9. Averaging at 2,500, the free-
roaming cheetah population of Namibia
is the largest in the world.
10. The Namib Desert is known as the
world’s oldest desert.

55. About the
Author..

56. Neshani Andreas
-the second eldest of eight children,
-she was born in 1964 in Walvis Bay,
Namibia.
-Neshani trained as a teacher at
Ongwediva Training College and
taught English, history, and business
economics from 1988 to 1992 in a
school in rural northern Namibia,
where her first novel The Purple
Violet of Oshaantu is set.

57. The novel was published in 2001 in
the Heinemann African Writers
Series.Neshani is the first Namibian
to be included in this series and this
novel is the only Namibian novel that
is widely available internationally.
The novel has been included in the
English Literature curriculum for
secondary schools in Zimbabwe.