Because of Lebanon's unique geography, both summer and winter sports thrive in the country. Canoeing, cycling, rafting, climbing, swimming, sailing and spelunking are among the other common leisure sports in Lebanon.

At the competitive level, basketball, football, and hip ball are among Lebanon's most popular sports.

To meet the needs of these international competitions, Lebanon maintains state-of-the-art athletic facilities, which in turn encourage local sporting activities.

Lebanon sends athletes to both the winter and summer games of the Olympics and Special Olympics.

Lebanon has a moderate Mediterranean climate. Winters are generally cool and rainy and summers are hot and humid.

In more elevated areas, temperatures usually drop below freezing during the winter; summers, on the other hand, are warm and dry.

Although most of Lebanon receives a relatively large amount of rainfall annually, certain areas receive little rainfall because the high peaks of the western mountains.

60% Muslim, 39% Christian and 1% other

The area including modern Lebanon has been home to various civilizations and cultures for thousands of years.

Originally home to the Phoenicians, and then subsequently conquered and occupied by the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Ottoman Turks and most recently the French, Lebanese culture has over the millennia evolved by borrowing from all of these groups.

Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different ethnic and religious groups, has further contributed to the country's lively festivals, highly successful musical styles and literature as well as their rich cuisine, and numerous violent clashes amongst different religious and ethnic groups.

In ancient times, Lebanon housed large forests of the Cedars of Lebanon, which now serve as the country's national emblem.

However, centuries of trading cedar trees, used by ancient mariners for boats, and the absence of any efforts to replant them have depleted them.