Lebanon Weather, climate and geography

Geography

Lebanon lies to the east of the Mediterranean, sharing borders to the north and east with the Syrian Arab Republic, and to the south with Israel/Palestinian Territory. The country possesses four distinct zones from west to east including the coastal plain, the Mount Lebanon Range, the Bekaa Valley and the Anti Lebanon range that forms its border with Syria. Lebanon is a mountainous country with approximately half of its landscape lying at an altitude of over 900m (3,000ft). For its relatively diminutive size, Lebanon offers a surprisingly diverse landscape from the fertile Bekaa Valley to the snow capped peaks of the Anti Lebanon and cedar forests of Mount Lebanon. The famous cedar trees grow high in the mountains, while the lower slopes are cultivated with grapes, apricots, plums, peaches, figs, olives and barley, often on terraces painstakingly cut out from the mountainsides. On the coastal plain, citrus fruit, bananas and vegetables are also grown.