22 November: Lebanon Independence Day

Lebanon Independence Day was this date in 1943.

1. Lebanon is the only Arabian country that doesn't have a desert.
2. The country's name is the oldest in the world - it has remained unchanged for over 4000 years. It comes from a Semetic word for "White", thought to refer to the Snow on Mount Lebanon.
3. Lebanon's highest mountain is Al Qurnat as Sawda ("the black nook") at 3,088 metres (10,131 ft). Talking of mountains, Lebanon has four ski resorts, and it is possible to go skiing in the morning and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in the afternoon.
4. Lebanon is mentioned 75 times in the Old Testament of the Bible, and is thought to be where Christ's first miracle (turning Water into Wine) took place.
5. Mentioned equally frequently in the Bible is the cedar, Lebanon's national symbol, which also appears on its Flag. Cedar forests covered most of the country in ancient times, but now only 13% of the country is cedar forest. The cedars were of great economic importance in ancient times. They were used for building houses, palaces, temples and ships; cedar resin was used by the Egyptians in the mummification process. In the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh the cedar groves of Lebanon were the dwelling of the gods to which Gilgamesh, the hero, ventured. Hebrew priests were ordered by Moses to use the bark of the Lebanon cedar for cleansing after leprosy; Hebrew prophet Isaiah used the Lebanon cedar as a metaphor for the pride of the world.
6. Lebanon has the highest percentage of Christians of any Arab nation, at around 40%.
7. The capital and largest city is Beirut. Beirut has been a popular tourist destination and before the civil war, was known as "the Paris of the Middle East".
8. Another Lebanese city is Byblos, which is a contender for being the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. It is believed to have been occupied first between 8800 and 7000 BC, having been built by Cronus as the first city in Phoenicia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
9. Probably the most famous Lebanese writer is Khalil Gibran, best known for his book The Prophet. John F Kennedy's famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" originally came from one of Gibran's books.
10. The first law school in the world was in Beirut.