13 amazing facts about Lebanon – Switzerland of the East

  1. Here are few facts about Lebanon, it’s name is known to be one of the oldest in the world. It has not been changed over 4000 years. It was widely known as the Switzerland of the East during the 1960s. Interestingly, this was because of its financial soundness and diversity.

2. The Parliament of Lebanon has been divided equally, based on the religious groups. According to the rules, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of Parliament a Shiite Muslim.

3. Lebanon ranks third in the world for cigarette consumption. According to the World Health Organization, the country had the third-greatest number of smokers per capita in the world in 2015. On average, a person consumes between eight and nine cigarettes per day. Around one-third of the country’s youth smoke today, with many of them starting at the tender of 11 or 12.

4. A piece of land in Lebanon can have two legal owners. The piece of land is owned by one and the crop growing on the land is owned by the other. If someone wishes to be the sole owner, they need to pay for both these parties.

5. Lebanon is called God’s country on earth as people say that the cedars were planted by God’s own hands and that is why they’re called, the Cedars of God.

6. According to Christianity, Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle of turning water into wine in Lebanon, in Sidon.

7. Are you a fan of Tom and Jerry? Thank Lebanon!. The creators of Tom & Jerry, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera are both originally Lebanese.

8. The Phoenicians who built the 1st boat, also the first to sail ever, were originally from Lebanon. They reached America even before Christopher Columbus.

9. It is illegal to raise any foreign flag in Lebanon, since 1945. Any violations of this decision leads to the removal of the flag at the violators expenses and the referral of violators to court.

10. Beirut came to be known as the Mother of Laws, as it had earned more recognition than any other law school in the Empire. The first-ever law school in the world was built in Lebanon. The Roman Empire, presumably under Emperor Augustus in the first century AD, built a law school in Beirut. It was destroyed in 551 A.D., is widely believed to be the first of its kind.

11. If you think about an Arab country, you think about the desert and camels!. However, Lebanon is the only middle eastern country that does not have a dessert. On the contrary, it witnesses snowfall and even has ski resorts that remain open for as long as three months a year.

12. Lebanon has the third most number of bank holidays after India and Colombia. It takes 16 holidays a year!

13. Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. Correspondingly, Beirut has been continuously inhabited for more than 5,000 years ago. The capital city was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times.

We hope that you enjoyed these facts about Lebanon. Do share with us how you find the blog in the comment section below.

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