Lebanon (in Arabic: لبنان Lubnān), officially the Lebanese Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية اللبنانية Al-Ŷumhūriya Al-Lubnāniya, in Aramaic: לבנאנ, in French: République libanaise), is a country of the Near East that borders the south with Israel, to the north and east with Syria, and is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The country is the birthplace of Phoenician, Assyrian, Greek, Roman, European and Arab cultures. In the cities of Baalbek, Tire and Byblos there are the oldest Roman temples and Phoenician shrines of humanity. It has one of the highest HDIs in the region, being the 8th highest in the Arab World. Being a country influenced by many cultures, it is reflected in the diversity of architecture and society. In the capital Beirut there is the architectural influence of Arab countries with large mosques for the Muslim population, and at the same time Western countries with large Maronite or Orthodox churches for Christians and modern skyscrapers.

Until the 1970s, Lebanon was the financial center of the Middle East, which earned it the nickname of "the Switzerland of the Near East." However, its economic importance disintegrated with the terrible Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990, which destroyed an exemplary political equilibrium.