-- Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Lebanon web site.

Lebanon is a densely wooded, mountainous country with spectacularly varied scenery. Its two mountain ranges contain a number of ski resorts, while the fertile Bekaa Valley and the Mediterranean coast are cultivated with a large variety of fruit trees including apricots, peaches, plums, figs, olives, citrus fruits, and grapes. Lebanon enjoys over 300 days of sunshine per year.

Beirut, the nation's capital, is a vibrant city located on the Mediterranean coast and houses several museums and universities. Other famous Lebanese cities include Tripoli, Byblos, Tyre, and Baalabak, each of which has a long history and variety of historical sights ranging from well-preserved Roman ruins to 14th Islamic architecture.

-- Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Lebanon web site.

Lebanon's population is split between Muslims (approximately 60 percent) and Christians (approximately 40 percent). Arabic is the official language of Lebanon, while English and French are widely spoken, especially in business. All three languages are used in Lebanon's various institutions of higher education. Lebanon has one of the highest literacy rates in the Arab world.

-- Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Lebanon web site.

Lebanon was a founding member of both the United Nations and the League of Arab States. Today, Lebanon has an active and diverse art scene of both traditional and contemporary works including theater, film, music, literature, and poetry.

Since the year 2000, five Fulbright grants have been awarded to U.S. scholars to lecture and conduct research in Lebanon. Previous Fulbright Scholars in Lebanon have been based at American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University, and Lebanese University.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in Lebanon. Please also feel free to use the contact information to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon
http://www.usembassy.com.lb/
Official website of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

Embassy of Lebanon in Washington D.C.
http://www.lebanonembassy.org/
The Lebanon Embassy website includes extensive consular information and announcements in addition to sections on business opportunities, tourism, and Lebanon's profile.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Lebanon.html
Links to a variety of standard and interactive maps of Lebanon.

Al Mashriq - Lebanon
http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/index.html
Extensive information and reports on various aspects of Lebanon, ranging from archaeology to literature to politics. Also includes an extensive collection of photographs.

Lebanese Ministry of Tourism
http://www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb/
In French. Tourism information for Lebanon including a country profile, famous sites, Lebanese cuisine, and other useful information.

Arab Net - Lebanon
http://www.arab.net/lebanon/lebanon_contents.html
Information on Lebanon's history, geography, business, culture, government, transportation, and tourist industry.

Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/middle_east/lebanon/
Traveler's information on Lebanon, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

World Travel Guide
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/lbn/lbn.asp
Travel site including information on Lebanon's history and government, and the country's social profile and business profile.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=5419
Background information on Lebanon including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

Beirut Arab University
http://www.bau.edu.lb/

Lebanese American University, Beirut
http://www.lau.edu.lb/

L'Université Libanaise, Beirut
http://www.ul.edu.lb/

Université Saint-Joseph, Beirut
http://www.usj.edu.lb/

Haigazian University, Beirut
http://www.haigazian.edu.lb/haigazian.html

American University of Beirut
http://www.aub.edu.lb/

University of Balamand, Tripoli
http://www.balamand.edu.lb/

Notre Dame University, Zouk Mosbeh
http://www.ndu.edu.lb/

Matn University
http://www.matnu.edu.lb/

American University of Technology in Lebanon
http://www.aut.edu/

Educational Center for Research and Development
http://www.crdp.org/

The Daily Star
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
In English. Online Lebanese newspaper.

The New Lebanon
http://www.thenewlebanon.com/index.asp?Language=1
In English or French. An Online, independent Lebanese newspaper with current events, politics, business and sports.

Al Shaab
http://alarabnews.com/alshaab/
In Arabic. Online newspaper covering regional news.

Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharqalawsat.com/pcdaily/06-11-2001/
In Arabic. The Arabic international newspaper.

Discussions@Lebanon.com
http://www.lebanon.com/discussions/
Discussion bulletin boards regarding Lebanon. Divided into a "Politics and Economy" section, and a "Social and Fun" section.

Arab Chat
http://chat.arab.net/
Chat server with public and private chat rooms for Online discussions in Arabic or English.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia Message Boards
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/poll.html
Very active message boards and a link to Arabia Chat.

Arab Social Science Research
http://www.assr.org/
A collection of Online research sources for the Arab World indexed by country, sources, and topics. Includes virtual libraries and links to social science research centers throughout the world.

BBC Arabic Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/
In Arabic. BBC news with audio feed.

U.S. Department of State - Middle East and North Africa
http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/nea.htm
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Middle East and North Africa. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

The Countries and Peoples of Arabia
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/index.html
A huge list of links pertaining to the Arab world, including very active Message Boards.

Islamic Studies
http://www.uga.edu/islam
A well-balanced site with articles and resources pertaining to Islam, drawn primarily from scholarly research and regional Islamic sources. Contains information on Islam's history, sacred texts, art, architecture, and place in the modern world.